Our Farmers
HATCH is a grassroots movement, powered by farmers, volunteers and generous givers. While many farms make donations to local food pantries, their giving ability is often above and beyond storage capacity at local pantries, especially if the farmers are able to recoup some of their costs. At the same time, egg transport and logistics is challenging to coordinate. HATCH allows eggs to go directly from the farm to food banks and pantries, lifting the burden of logistics from egg farmers and allowing their supply to reach more people in need.
Rose Acre Farms
The small-town values of Rose Acre Farms are rooted in their rural Indiana home of Seymour. Started as a local chicken farm in the 1930's, the farm has grown to include locations across the United States serving large grocery stores with a variety of egg products.
"We look at eggs as God's perfect food," says Tony Wesner, COO. His 30-plus tenure with the company started when he was a truck washer as a teenager. "What we get to do is an honor, we get to get up every morning and we get to feed people," he says. This passion for getting good food into the hands of those who need it most let Rose Acres to be the first egg farm partner with HATCH in 2015.
Still a family-owned business, today they supply more than 350,000 dozen eggs a year to charitable efforts.
Midwest Poultry
In North Manchester, Indiana, Midwest Poultry Services is run by fourth generation egg farmers Sam and Dan Krouse. Brothers, the two had separate careers, Sam in agriculture and Dan as a geologist before coming home to the family farm.
There's no doubt about it, these guys are chicken people, no stranger to the hens in their barns. This family is passionate about their animals, their people and about providing healthy food through continuing a thriving business in the community where they grew up.
"I believe everyone deserves access to a healthy protein and there's no more efficient, healthy protein than eggs," says Sam.
Midwest Poultry has always made local donations but after partnering with HATCH now are able to provide 260,000 dozen eggs a year to families in need across Indiana.