A family-owned business, Kaimai Eggs, was created after years of dairy farming when owner, Otto McGirr, noticed consumer behaviour shifting towards free-range chicken products and farming practices.
“It didn’t seem right to put animals in cages, so a café free farm was initiated,” shared McGirr.
To give local customers a choice, hand-in-hand with his daughter’s support, Karlene, and her partner, Jim, the Kaimai Eggs brand was created as a traceable, ethical source of fresh eggs where the family managed the entire supply chain from a one-day-old chick to delivering to the store.
McGirr was passionate about giving local people a local egg choice, catering to the growing consumer desire to know where the purchased food was coming from.
When describing Kaimai’s farming practices, Otto shared that the family does everything from rearing hens to delivering the final egg product.
“This is important to us. We have full control, ensuring a quality product is delivered.”
The chicken farmer revealed that through the good and bad, the family took ownership of every mistake and every win, with the throughline philosophy that a great chicken makes an incredible egg. Therefore, Kaimai prides itself on growing good chickens that produce good eggs.
Central to the family’s farming philosophy is putting the bird first, as the quality of the eggs revolves around the treatment and care of the hens.
McGirr stated that the family was proud to raise the bird from day one, taking each bird through their life cycle at Kaimai. As a family-run business that does everything themselves, each day brings variety, which the family enjoys.
However, recent egg shortages have posed challenges, with the family maintaining their regular production practices whilst trying to meet the consistently varied consumer demand. The family has been doing their best as a smaller farm to ensure stores and eateries they supply to aren’t running out unnecessarily.
Currently, Kaimai Eggs completes its distribution, delivering to cafes, restaurants, and stores throughout the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.
For the future, McGirr shared that the family aims to close the rural-urban divide. Kaimai Eggs has committed to bridging this divide by partnering with local supermarkets and connecting consumers to local food.
