For nearly 40 years, Harman Poultry Farm has partnered with Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), supplying top-quality, locally grown, nutritious eggs and responding to the demands of local Co-op grocery customers.
“We have a strong and exceptional farm-to-table relationship,” said Shawn Harman, a third-generation egg farmer. “What is unique is that we can purchase feed that is produced by and bought from local growers through Co-op. In turn, that feed is used to feed our hens and produce the eggs that go into the Co-op grocery system through the local Co-op retail channels. It is a complete, local farm-to-table circle.”
The Harman family, along with Saskatchewan Egg Producers and Nutrigroupe, are owners and operators of Star Egg – a Saskatchewan-based food provider specializing in the grading, distribution and marketing of shell eggs in Western Canada. Its eggs come from 65 local farmers who carefully raise hens that lay a variety of eggs on offer. The company’s focus as a grader is on selling eggs from local producers to local markets.
“Most of the eggs you will find in Saskatchewan, for example, are produced in Saskatchewan by local farmers,” said Harman. "In fact, Co-op takes 36 million eggs per year in Saskatchewan alone.”
Co-op places a priority on sourcing local food products from Western Canada and building strong, long-term relationships with producers, which includes involvement at multiple stages of the food-production cycle.
“The Feed Team has been fortunate to have the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Harman family, sharing ideas and providing expertise in the area of poultry nutrition and management practices, and improving production efficiency,” said Shelley Revering, Director of Feed with FCL.
Co-op's connection to the farming community we serve is one of kind. Not only can we supply local feed, fuel and other inputs, we're a partner supporting producers with knowledge and expertise.
“Mutual success from the farm to local grocery store shelves takes communication and a strong relationship, which includes navigating supply and demand and responding to the evolution of consumer demand," said Mike Furi, FCL's Farm to Fork Manager.
“In addition to increased demand for market segmentation, the consumer wants to be assured that product is produced in Canada and that it's produced ethically."
In the store, consumers will find select cartons of CO-OP® Eggs marked with the Egg Quality AssuranceTM (EQATM) certification mark. The program, launched in partnership with Egg Farmers of Canada, quickly showcases to consumers that eggs are produced locally by Canadian farmers upholding world-leading animal welfare and food safety standards. All EQATM certified eggs have met the highest standards of Egg Farmers of Canada's national Start Clean-Stay Clean® and Animal Care Program.
“Eggs continue to be in high demand – with expanding options and the different types of eggs that you see on the grocery shelf. And that’s a good thing,” said Harman. “We continue to see year-over-year growth driven by increasing awareness of the benefits of eggs as a nutritional and affordable protein source.”
Canada’s Food Guide recommendation for egg consumption as part of a healthy diet and the COVID-19 pandemic leading people to stay in and cook at home are factors increasing consumption. People continue to recognize the versatility of eggs as a baking ingredient or easy meal solutions for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
“These things drive growth, and we are happy to grow along with Co-op,” said Harman. “We are fortunate to be part of that. Supplying Co-op with eggs has been a real privilege for us.”
