Out of nowhere, everybody seems to know the price of a dozen eggs. We’ve grown all-too-accustomed to this by now. The last three years have taught us to lurch from empty shelves to price hikes. Between pandemic-induced supply chain issues, inflation, and changes in our shopping behaviors, we sure spend more time thinking about the complex levers that impact our food prices.
But, back to the price of eggs for a moment. I’m happy to tell you that our price for a dozen eggs hasn’t budged a bit ($4.49, since you asked). In fact, I think it’s been over a year since we’ve adjusted our egg price. Why are we so unique?
The story of eggs demonstrates the beauty of a local food system. Our local egg farmer isn’t selling onto the global commodity market, so the eggs on our shelf don’t pass through brokers, warehouses, or big egg companies. Our farmer’s eggs pass directly from her farm to our market, and travel a sum total of about 12 miles. Eliminating these extra steps – the infamous “middle men” – means we can provide pricing that’s stable and fair, for farmer and shopper alike. And, fresher eggs to boot!
Sure, we’ve had some price increases this past year, including on our own Ferndale turkey products. Even local foods aren’t completely insulated from outside pressures; we still buy feed, fuel, and supplies like everybody else. But I’d argue that a local food system of independent farmers is a good insurance policy against the wild swings we’ve seen in the world of big food. It’s just a shorter and simpler supply chain.
If you needed a reminder, Easter is just around the corner, so I invite you to stop in for that dozen eggs, and a more direct connection to the farmer (and hen) on the other end of our local supply chain!
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