selling chicken eggs

[D1]

Long story short.........I have been approached by a convience store wa nting to purchase fresh free range chicken eggs.......at first they mentioned 5 dozen a week to start now wanting half dozen/6 count size as well about 4 of them per week to see how they sell......I sell eggs for $2.00 a dozen just to people I work with and they provide the carton...... I understand thet they are in business to make a profit, as well I am too.......those who sell comerically,how much, approximately, does it cost to package 1 dozen eggs and get them in the store WITHOUT your profit?



just trying to figure out how much I should charge per dozen





also what, if any, regulations by the states(MS hopefully) should I be aware of(licenses/permits are involved) and any other cost I may not be thinking of?



thanks

 

[Boogity]

D1 - you have many things to consider. Your decision should not be made lightly and remember that sometimes when your hobby turns into work all of the shine disappears.

Can you reliably provide the quantity required?
Can you display your operation to the FDA with confidance that it will pass inspection?
Can you afford to pay the license fees?
Can you afford the cost of liability insurance? Chickens are filthy animals and Salmonella bacteria are the most frequently reported cause of foodborne illness.
Are you ready to meet all of the requirements and then have the vendor change suppliers without notice?
Are you ready to deal with the good-for-nothing IRS at tax time?
An avian disease can wipe out a flock almost over night. If you are committed to stay organic you will have no defense against disease like this. And if you go with medications you will loose your organic certification and the profit that comes with the 'organic' label.

If you feel comfortable with all the things you must consider and you are still happy and interested, I say go for it. It may be a very nice trickle of cash and it could possible grow into a great business.

 

[so lucky]

Those are a lot of things to think about. You might find it easier to put a "Fresh Eggs" sign out in your yard. (If you have not already done this) But don't sell yourself short, regardless. $2.00 is pretty cheap. People who really appreciate farm eggs will pay more for them. At $2.50, it's still only about 21 cents an egg.

 

[Hinotori]

I wouldn't sell to them here. It's not worth it for the cost egg handlers license. Then we have to have new cartons every time that have farm name and location and all the other fun stuff on them. 6 count cartons are more expensive.

I'm allowed Off Farm sales without having any license unless I started getting a ton of birds.

I sell my eggs for $2.50 - $3.00 a dozen now. I don't advertise. I sell 18-20 dozen a month to some friends of my DH. With the amount of hens I have, that works most of the time. I've seen a sign down the road where they were advertising $5.00 a dozen. That is a bit much for out here in the country where everyone can own hens. In town I could see it.

Store eggs are $1.89 a dozen here for the very cheapest ones sold in the 18 packs.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Unless you get your feed for next to nothing, I would up my price. You don't want to be obligated to provide your home town with a superior grade product, which might mean your family is deprived of it and not even cut a profit.
I could buy all your eggs from you and sell them for a dollar more than you do and I can assure you, they wouldn't get a chance to get old in the fridge.
You really need to see what each dozen costs you, by keeping careful track of your expenses, taking into consideration that your hens will need to be replaced and those chicks raised to laying. Just what it costs to have full grown hens give you eggs for the amount they are currently eating, isn't enough. I'm firm at $3.00/dozen. The day, it costs me too much to let my eggs go, is the day I stop selling.

 

[Corn Woman]

I was just at a natural foods market and the free range eggs were selling for 60 cents each. It was a beautiful display and nothing was in a carton at all they were in a basket lined with raffia and looked like they were worth 60 cents each. I would never pay that but they were selling very well.

 

[terri9630]

I was just at a natural foods market and the free range eggs were selling for 60 cents each. It was a beautiful display and nothing was in a carton at all they were in a basket lined with raffia and looked like they were worth 60 cents each. I would never pay that but they were selling very well.

$7.20 a dozen!

 

[Emerald]

Wow... I researched before selling eggs here in MI. as long as I do not promise anything like grades or sizes and if they are organic or what ever I can sell out of my home, without a license with no problem. When I had 50 hens I had a sign out front and a food safe ink and stamp and I stamped a date on each egg when it was laid.
If I wanted to start selling them to any local store for resale I ran into the same problems-new carton every time and license and I would have to weigh and date and yearly inspection and yadda yadda yadda! not worth it!
It took almost 3 months of that sign out there to get one customer (other than family) for about 4 years I did an okay business but where I live there are at least 4 big mega egg farms and I started out selling at $1.25 and had times when I couldn't sell. The eggs in the store were around .89 to .99 cents a dozen. And since I couldn't afford to free range or to buy organic food for them many of the "preppie" types would not buy them.. add to that the colors.. I had white/blue/green and every shade of brown egg. many balked at the sight of an egg that wasn't snow white.. I even was told by a person who bought some from me that they were too "meaty" and "eggy" tasting. REALLY An Egg that tasted EGGY? OH MY!
But I did have a few families that bought from me all the time. When I had the big Raccoon blood bath I cut back how many hens I had and found that between family and two big customers I didn't have to put out a sign to get rid of eggs. and so now I just have a smaller flock and sell only to family and the two big families that really did enjoy the eggs and were not put off by the color of the shell or the fact that most of my egg yolks are a deep hue of orange.
You will all just faint when I tell ya how much I get for my eggs here.. Only $1.50 a dozen.. any higher and my good customers will even head to the store where they are still only .99 to $1.25.. food keeps going up and the big egg farms keep the prices low in our area. soon I'll just keep about a dozen for us and not bother with family or anyone else.. makes me super sad..
sorry I didn't mean to be such a downer but didn't want you to think that egg business is a breeze..

 

[so lucky]

So interesting how much difference there is in regional prices. I guess that's kinda like trying to start Mom's Chocolate Factory if you live in Hershey, PA.

 

[me&thegals]

I wouldn't do it. You already have a market, and it's not like you'd get more for your eggs sold to the store.

Around here, rural WI, I get $3.50/dozen for nonorganic free-range eggs.