Plan hatched to keep Kintyre stocked with eggs over winter
A Kintyre business has hatched a plan to keep healthy, free range eggs on shop shelves throughout winter.
Hannah and Will Jones, who run Kintyre Eggs from their home at High Bellochantuy Farm, have expanded their operations to ensure customers in Kintyre have year-round access to high quality eggs, even when their hens are laying at a reduced rate during the darker months.
Kintyre Eggs was established 11 years ago when Hannah and Will bought a dozen hens for their son Fred and began selling their eggs locally.
Fred’s eggs were so popular the flock was expanded and today 4,000 free range hens are kept in small flocks at the farm. However, despite the growth of the operation, they still sometimes struggle to meet demand, with eggs now being delivered to shops and eating establishments right up the west coast to Oban and to islands, including Islay, Jura and Mull. They are also sent to Inveraray, Loch Fyne, Lomond, Balloch and Helensburgh, across to Edinburgh and Penicuik and to Crieff, Comrie, Crianlarich and Tyndrum.
‘Our hens naturally lay less eggs during the darker months and we use this time to deep clean and improve their houses,’ said Hannah.
In the past, the Kintyre Eggs team simply reduced the availability of their eggs, particularly to larger wholesale customers, during this time.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic changed this.
Hannah explained: ‘During lockdown, we stopped supplying eggs to one of our main buyers in Edinburgh, who could buy eggs elsewhere, so we could deliver more eggs to local shops. Local businesses were doing an amazing job supporting our communities, so we did our best to keep eggs on their shelves.’
To ensure these shops remain supplied, the couple is launching a new egg box, branded Deliciously Scottish Eggs.
Deliciously Scottish Eggs are gathered from free range, Scottish family farms such as High Bellochantuy and are individually hand-packed on Kintyre. Hannah met producers at the Scottish Quality Egg Awards where the family eggs have been awarded the top award of ‘outstanding’, and she has visited other free range farms. She said: ‘We’ve discovered some fantastic family farms, with happy hens, laying great eggs. With the help of AM Transport, we’ll be bringing their eggs to Kintyre to top up shelves when we don’t have quite enough of our own Kintyre Eggs.’
The distinctive purple and blue label features Hannah and Will’s youngest son Charlie.
‘Charlie is really happy,’ Hannah said. ‘He missed out on the Kintyre Egg boxes, with his brothers Dougal and Fred and his sister Henny all featuring, so he’s been waiting to get a box of his own!’ Deliciously Scottish Eggs will be available in local shops from today (Friday).
‘Our hens naturally lay less eggs during the darker months’