Abundance of eggs & selling them

[egghead@1265]

So we have less than 150 laying hens and have a good supply of eggs. In Wisconsin you need a license to sell them if only to public/neighbors, which is supposedly free but registration is required. Then if you want to sell them to the neighboring small eatery you must obtain a food processing license, which requires approval, fees, 3 sinks, lighting, water testing, etc,… I’m not sure what I’m asking, but am just frustrated by all of the new controls, paperwork, fees, & excessive structures required. Can anyone share some suggestions on how you e handled this? Thank you

 

[Sally PB]

What are your goals?

You have a LOT of chickens, so I'm assuming you have a LOT of eggs. Are you hoping to make a business out of this?

 

[egghead@1265]

Yes we do. We’ve been selling extras for years. Now have more and have sold them at farmers markets

 

[Penpal]

Everything is more strict at a restaurant of any kind. Any food establishment that uses washable dishes has to have three sinks. One to wash, one to rinse, one for a bleach rinse. You don't need three sinks if you have a dishwasher. If you have to wash your eggs before selling them, you will need the wash, rinse, bleach set up. I don't think you would need the big sinks, you might get away with one large kitchen sink that is separated into three.

Home Depot's cheapest stainless steel triple bowl sink is $250.

 

[egghead@1265]

Yes. Plus it needs to be an enclosed room with washable walls,..& a few other specific things

In reality we have a sink and also an egg washing machine

I know we aren’t going to get anything changed in our favor. But in reality our set up is very sanitary-it just doesn’t fit their pro type. And to do what they ask would end up costing us about $1,000. And you can’t make that money up selling eggs wholesale. Or even retail

 

[Perris]

I’m not sure what I’m asking, but am just frustrated by all of the new controls, paperwork, fees, & excessive structures required. Can anyone share some suggestions on how you e handled this?

I have been through the process here and I imagine the procedures will be similar there, as they are all motivated by the need to protect public health. Eggs and chickens are notorious causes of e.g. salmonella, e coli and campylobacter infections, which can be very serious for some consumers. So the rules are put in place to ensure that people selling eggs to strangers (i.e. on a larger than backyard scale) or to restaurants who will be serving their eggs to yet other random people, know what good hygiene practices are and implement them consistently.

The requirements often seem, at first sight, a lot more complicated than they actually are when you get down to reading carefully what you need to do to meet them and pass the inspections. Here I had to get to grips with the concept of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points and show I had performed the analysis and had a plan for failure at any of the identified critical control points. In the case of selling eggs, they are just very fancy words for working out where and how exactly an egg could be infected with any of the bugs of concern, and what I do about any egg I think might be so infected (the answer to most such questions is, if in doubt, remove it from the human food chain).

It's only the first time the paperwork is burdensome, when it's all new to you and you have little idea what you're doing; thereafter it's simple, like riding a bike. However, it may not be economic to do what's required there to sell to strangers and restaurants, and it may be easier to scale down your production again to below the threshold. Alternatively you may need to factor in a price rise for your eggs to cover outlay on facilities improvements (aiming to get it back over a few years) for example, but then you risk losing the customers you're aiming for. Hope this helps.

 

[Acre4Me]

Usually, selling from "your doorstep" is easiest. Next, would be selling at farmers market (requires some more oversight). Highest level of restrictions is usually selling to a grocery store or to a restaurant.

Have you verified the level of requirements for just selling "from your doorstep"?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

It varies by state, and it is intended to be onerous. Some of those rules are for reason of food safety (rightly or wrongly), like the three compartment sink - an almost essential requirement here in the US for any food service/prep. SO much so that in Florida, anyone managing a food service (one must be or premises any time the business is open) is required to have a Florida Food Handler's License. Part of the test for that license includes a question about what water goes in each sink.

Other rules are less clearly food safety oriented, and may have been erected as a barrier to competition.

Moreover, if you are doing all those things, you likely want to consider forming an LLC to protect personal assets from claims against the business - more paperwork, more complex taxes, more costs. Likely quarterly reporting and annual renewal of the corporation, plus its own tax records.

I did those things here in FL. It wasn't worth it, let my license expire and dissolved the business.

I wish you luck, and encourage you to sit down and do the math. Generally, US law is hostile to "cottage business" below a certain size, PARTICULARLY where food and food products are involved.

 

[KinTiN]

So we have less than 150 laying hens and have a good supply of eggs. In Wisconsin you need a license to sell them if only to public/neighbors, which is supposedly free but registration is required. Then if you want to sell them to the neighboring small eatery you must obtain a food processing license, which requires approval, fees, 3 sinks, lighting, water testing, etc,… I’m not sure what I’m asking, but am just frustrated by all of the new controls, paperwork, fees, & excessive structures required. Can anyone

What is your rooster to hen ratio? If a lot of your eggs are fertilized, you could always sell "hatching eggs" as opposed to eggs to eat. Additionally, you could actually charge slightly more for hatching eggs if you are confident that the majority are fertile.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

What is your rooster to hen ratio? If a lot of your eggs are fertilized, you could always sell "hatching eggs" as opposed to eggs to eat. Additionally, you could actually charge slightly more for hatching eggs if you are confident that the majority are fertile.

Selling "hatching eggs", because they aren't intended for the human food supply, is generally less costly and less onerous in terms of paperwork/licensing/etc though still similar in zoning/permitting requirements.