Cal-Maine Foods Inc joint venture acquires franchise

Cal-Maine Foods Inc (NASDAQ: CALM) has announced that Southwest Specialty Eggs LLC, the company’s joint venture with Hickman’s Egg Ranch Inc, has acquired the Egg-Land’s Best Inc franchise for the Southern California markets, including Clark County and Las Vegas NV.
As a result of this transaction, Southwest Specialty Eggs will have licensing agreements for the sale of Egg-Land’s Best and Land O’ Lakes branded specialty eggs, as well as 4Grain, Farmhouse Eggs, and other premium brands in this market region. Sales of Egg-Land’s Best specialty eggs accounted for approximately 14.4% of Cal-Maine’s total shell egg sales in fiscal 2014.
Commenting on the announcement, Dolph Baker, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine Foods, said, “We are excited about the opportunity for Southwest Specialty Eggs, LLC to market Egg-Land’s Best, Land O’Lakes, 4Grain, and Farmhouse Eggs branded and other specialty eggs in Southern California and Nevada. As consumer demand for specialty eggs has continued to grow, we have focused our growth strategy on expanding our market reach for sales of specialty eggs. We offer a variety of healthy choices for our customers, and we look forward to participating in Southwest Specialty Eggs’ marketing and distribution of these popular and well-respected brands in Southern California and Nevada.”
Cal-Maine Foods is primarily engaged in production, grading, packing, and sale of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic, and nutritionally enhanced eggs. Headquartered in Jackson MS, the company is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the United States and sells the majority of its shell eggs in about 29 states across the Southwest, Southeast, Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
Access www.calmainefoods.com for more details.