Selling Eggs?

[BeccaOH]

So, about raising price -- How would you handle that? I'm told that corn prices are going up. Electricity (heat lamps and heated waterers in winter and brooders in spring) is jumping up.

As far as I know, the Amish man a few miles from me and another guy still sell for $1.25 or $1.50 per dozen. I'm at $2. I do feel I need more than $3 per dozen on those jumbo duck eggs. Ducks do seem to be big eaters too.

Store eggs (standard white) were up to $1.90, but have gone back down under $1.50.

How do you handle raising price with standing customers?

 

[freemotion]

You cannot compare your eggs to standard store eggs. You can compare them to premium eggs...what do Eggland's best cost in your store? And if your chickens are fed organically, compare them to those. Educate your potential customers...some want cheap eggs, they can watch for sales or go to Walmart. The ones who value what you produce will pay your price.

If your chickens free-range on green grass....well, that is a category by itself, you cannot even get those in the store. Look for a local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation and let them know what you have. Familiarize yourself with what they are looking for first, but pastured is the main key. They tend to be educated people who will travel and pay more for the quality that they are looking for. They understand that you cannot get from any supplement what you can get from eggs (and milk) from truly pastured critters.

I drove all over looking for pastured raw dairy and finally had to get dairy goats. I could find raw milk, but not from pastured animals. I was planning on paying about $8 per gallon, just to give you an example, and would've driven an hour each way in order to get it.

 

[me&thegals]

So, about raising price -- How would you handle that? I'm told that corn prices are going up. Electricity (heat lamps and heated waterers in winter and brooders in spring) is jumping up.

As far as I know, the Amish man a few miles from me and another guy still sell for $1.25 or $1.50 per dozen. I'm at $2. I do feel I need more than $3 per dozen on those jumbo duck eggs. Ducks do seem to be big eaters too.

Store eggs (standard white) were up to $1.90, but have gone back down under $1.50.

How do you handle raising price with standing customers?

I handle it 2 ways. First of all, when sending out notice that pre-payment is due (my customers pre-pay), I state "Eggs are still xxxx/dozen." My intention is to get them to realize that they won't always be that price.

I raised the price last year, and I simply told them costs had gone up, and our pastured hens were within the range of other pastured eggs at the store--not the highest and not the lowest. One person cut back on her consumption, but then bumped it right back up. One coworker needed to drop out completely (I raised it 50 cents/dozen), but I have gained many customers since then.

I will probably raise again this winter to $3/dozen from the $2.50 I currently charge.

As others have said, remind them of why they are paying more...

 

[Rebecka]

I drove all over looking for pastured raw dairy and finally had to get dairy goats. I could find raw milk, but not from pastured animals. I was planning on paying about $8 per gallon, just to give you an example, and would've driven an hour each way in order to get it.

Wow! I give less for raw milk than what I would get for the cr*p in the grocery because of the amish around here. Freemotion, got any amish up your way?

I really struggled with not comparing our eggs to stores or even other people doing the chickens in the yard thing. In fact, its why I started this thread. During my whole 'dehydrating eggs phase' I was paying 3 bucks a dozen just to keep that store bought stuff out of our efforts. Thats what ultimately told me what they are worth to me.

 

[freemotion]

Nope, no Amish, and land prices are so dear that there are few working farms with animals. The few dairies confine their cows for most, if not all, of their lives. There is one goat dairy where the goats are pastured but they don't sell raw milk. Too bad, since it is within 5 miles of my house!