A little nest egg

Have you ever considered packing in the day job to produce eggs? Well, according to one local processing company, egg production is a family friendly job that can be done from home and offers the flexibility needed to support children in their daily lives.

The Nestbox in Castleblayney, which is run by the McGuinness and Eivers families, has been supplying cracking good eggs throughout Ireland since the 1990s. It’s a family business and one of Ireland’s leading egg packers and processors that prides itself on meeting the highest standards of quality, food safety, traceability and sustainability.

And, the next generation of the family at the helm - Brian Eivers and Adrienne McGuinness - have hatched a plan to bring the company’s brand Golden Irish to the top of the chain. They are looking for family farms based in the Republic of Ireland to produce barn and freerange eggs.

“The poultry industry is very strong in Cavan and Monaghan and Nestbox supplies eggs to the retail food industry,” said Adrienne. “We are expanding into new markets in the EU with our Golden Irish brand. Forty-three farm families supply eggs to the company and some of those families have been supplying eggs for the last 25 years.”

Meanwhile, those eggs are 100% Bord Bia approved and, while the domestic market is the company’s main focus, its exports to the EU are also on the increase. The Nestbox processes over three million eggs every week and delivers them to supermarkets and businesses in Ireland and overseas.

“The industry is growing and thanks to Bord Bia and our brand Golden Irish is getting stronger,” Adrienne continued.

“The egg is a versatile, affordable and nutritious food and we want to support the growth that is there. We want producers; egg production is a family friendly job; you can work from home; work around the kids and all the while be part of a sustainable and growing industry.”