Farm to table: Craft Farmers' Eggs Co-op

How well do you really know your eggs? We get acquainted with the Craft Farmers' Co-op.

The disconcerting truth, for most Kiwis anyway, is that fresh eggs are found in a carton, stacked on a stand, towards the front of our local supermarket aisle.

But while we may choose to detach or even ignore where our produce comes from, the harsh reality remains that as consumers, we have a responsibility to stop and think – exactly how happy are our hens?

Here in New Zealand, free-range egg producers are audited annually and certified by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, to ensure standards are nationally adhered to and methodology is above board.

For shoppers, it all hinges around the word “free”. Free-range hens are free to choose how they spend their days: indoors, outdoors, or grazing somewhere in between. Outdoors, hens can forage for insects and worms, dust bathe and interact with other hens. Or they can choose to be indoors, in the laying shed, where the perches and nesting boxes are housed. Free-range farmers also provide hens with a cosy garden area, in keeping with the ever-changing seasons and shifting weather conditions.

Across the country, supermarkets are taking a stance, refusing to sell caged eggs entirely. The awareness of where our eggs come from is more prevalent than ever before.

For the team at Craft Farmers' Co-op, happy hens are the epicentre of their business. This is a collective of privately owned free-range egg farmers, who share common philosophies in the way they care for their hens and respect our environment. By collaborating as Craft Farmers’ Co-op, the farmers can provide farm-fresh free-range eggs direct to more Kiwis in more locations.

For Springston-based farmer Steve Smith, hens have been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. His Greek mama, Zambeta, arrived in New Zealand as a war bride in 1947. She quickly recognised that running a dozen chooks would keep her family in protein, at a time when protein was scarce.

Almost two decades ago, Steve decided that producing high-quality, fresh, free-range eggs is what he would do full-time. It's here, on his sprawling 12-hectare property in Canterbury, that 2500 happy hens can be found enjoying their surrounds, foraging and dust-bathing with abandon.

So, the next time you reach for a carton of eggs at the supermarket, consider the backstory, and seek solace in the fact that Craft Farmers like Steve are doing their bit to make Kiwis' consciences that little bit clearer.

To learn more about Steve and the Craft Farmers' Co-op, see their website here.