If you’ve shopped at our co-op or been on a store tour, you’ve probably heard us talk about Amanda’s Eggs. Nestled in the countryside of Chippewa Falls, Amanda, Nick, and their four children own and operate their family farm, Amanda’s Eggs & Pastured Poultry. Amanda has been raising chickens since she was a child but took the leap to turn it into a business in 2009 so she could raise their children on the farm. Beginning with just thirty-six laying hens and selling to mostly friends and neighbors, she has since grown her flock to nearly 2,000 laying hens and 500-1500 Broiler chickens. Since February 2020, they have also added an additional 4,200 chicks to their farm. 

Talking with Amanda, you will quickly understand her passion for raising her four children on the farm and mentoring kids and other farmers along the way too. She teaches kids about business, work ethic, customer service, communication, math,  and skill-based work like farming. They raise their chickens without unnecessary chemicals or antibiotics and supplement with diatomaceous earth to protect against common parasites. The chickens always have access to pasture, but they tend to choose their barn while the midday sun is out, roaming outside in the mornings and evenings for bugs and veggie scraps.

One of our favorite stories about working with Amanda over the years happened when we expanded into our current location in 2015. Amanda had been delivering eggs to our store for about four years and was our main supplier of free-range eggs. With the move to a larger location, Amanda increased her flock from 800 hens to about 2,000 to grow with us. She says that our food co-op expanding was what launched her into new growth and expansion on her farm. 

She believes the reason that food co-ops and small farms are succeeding, despite the world coming to a halt, is because they cut out the middleman and build direct relationships with each other, which benefits both parties in the long run. Amanda made multiple bonus deliveries within two weeks when our shelves were suddenly shopped out due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which is the difference between small scale and large scale business. Because hers is a small farm, she is also able to donate eggs to local farm breakfasts, fundraisers, community events, and much more, allowing her to connect with her community on a deeper level. We are grateful to work with farmers like Amanda who are doing the hard work so our community has access to healthy, local foods all year long.