Table Ready Chickens don’t take a day off and customers want an uninterrupted fl ow of fresh, safely processed eggs. For Hamilton Eggs, that’s a recipe for success. “Together, our two farms have nearly 2 million birds that each lay an egg a day. That’s a lot to keep up with, and we’re committed to doing it right,” says Hamilton Eggs Manager Sharon Fracalossi. “Those producers are best at taking care of their birds and keeping them healthy. They rely on us to market eggs and do it well.” While processing takes place at two locations — on the farm for DeWeerdt Poultry and at the Hamilton Eggs plant for the Zoets — the commitment is identical. Each meets a complex menu of food industry standards that touch every point in the process, Fracalossi says. The standards include strict cooler temperature controls for eggs awaiting processing and ready to ship. The high-tech, touch-free processes used to wash eggs, scan them for defects and sort them by size also help reduce risk. “At Hamilton Eggs, our food safety, quality and certifi cation commitment are a marketing advantage,” says Fracalossi, a two-decade food processing industry veteran. Hamilton Farm Bureau General Manager Bob Fenton agrees. “Food safety is paramount. Our egg employees know they can halt the line at any time they have a concern.” Food Safety Focus An alphabet soup of safety programs and standards roll naturally from Fracalossi’s tongue. HAACP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), which focuses on reducing safety risks in production processes, is one example. Another is rigorous Safe Quality Food (SQF) Institute standards, recognized by food retailers and foodservice operators and part of the respected Global Food Safety Initiative program. She says the operation’s 2013 audit to achieve highly respected SQF Level 3 certifi cation will cover more than 100 procedures, which must be understood by every one of the plant’s 35 employees. While meeting certifi cation takes signifi cant investments of time and resources, it’s needed to satisfy Hamilton Eggs customers who are buying a product under frequent consumer scrutiny, Fracalossi says. About 50 percent of Hamilton Eggs are marketed in a region between Milwaukee and Detroit, although some are shipped as far as Connecticut and Texas. Hamilton Eggs has its own small global business, with small eggs produced by young birds shipped by container to an overseas customer. Typically, one-dozen-egg cartons head to consumers via grocery chains and other retail outlets, while restaurants, hotels and other foodservice customers opt for fl ats holding 2½ dozen. Fracalossi notes that most chefs prefer to buy in-shell eggs, which allow them to visually assess the ratio of white to yolk, since that ratio aff ects recipe success. Hamilton Eggs supplies one of the nation’s largest foodservice distributors and is a top-ranked vendor. In cartons to family tables and in bulk to foodservice customers, local eggs move to the marketplace under the Hamilton Eggs brand and private labels, carrying with them a reputation for high quality. While Hamilton Eggs has logged decades of success on its own, Fracalossi believes joining CHS brought new opportunities. “As part of CHS, we can leverage the food-safety commitment of the overall organization with our customers who value food safety and the reputation of the company behind it,” she says. SEE MORE: Visit chsinc.com/c to watch a video. Hamilton Eggs Manager Sharon Fracalossi consults with Mike DeWeerdt, plant supervisor for DeWeerdt Farms, one of two egg producers that are part of the unique feed and marketing relationship. 24 JULY/AUGUST 2013 CHSINC.COM