WattAgNet: Rose Acre Farms to partner on new Hawaii egg farm

Rose Acre Farms, Hidden Villa Ranch intend to develop cage-free layer operation on island of Oahu

Release Date: 2015-04-24

Rose Acre Farms, the second largest egg company in the United States, plans to expand in Hawaii as it is partnering with California egg distributor Hidden Villa Ranch to develop a cage-free egg farm on the island of Oahu.

Michael Sencer, an executive vice president with Hidden Villa Ranch, told Pacific Business Journal that his company and Rose Acre Farms has been working on the project with Scott Enright, chairman of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. The state had been hoping to reduce its reliance on the U.S. mainland states for eggs, as well as increase the sustainability of the food supply in Hawaii.

“While the size of the project has not yet been determined, we believe a project that increases employment and produces fresher food to the marketplace helps advance the goals of the Department of Agriculture,” Sencer said. “With the guidance of the Department of Agriculture, we continue to believe this project has a high probability of success.”

No timeline regarding the development for the egg operation has yet been given.

The facility could be as large as a 1-million hen operation, but Sencer said that the companies would likely start small and the facility would grow if the market conditions are right.