An entrepreneur hatches an egg business

“I started my business to show my kids the day-to-day work it takes to own a business,” she said. “It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.”

She is the mother of 5 children aged 3 to 18. I often help her mother, so I get to experience first-hand the work involved in her business. Herrera’s son girlfriend Sean Herrera, 18, and her daughter girlfriend Lillyana, 16, will lay the eggs. 10-year-old daughter Cecilia and her 9-year-old Savannah weigh and package the eggs. Three-year-old Quentin often helps her mother wash the eggs.

“Kids talk to their friends about me raising eggs,” she said. “They also trade eggs with their friends for other things.”

Those eggs are worth it, she said.

According to Christy Smith, Tina Herrera was already on her way to success when planning to launch Tina’s Flock. Smith was his consultant at the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center in 2018 when he helped Herrera develop a business plan. Smith is currently the Data and Business Development Manager at the Business Dynamics Research Consortium. Both organizations are divisions of the Business and Entrepreneurship Institute of the University of Wisconsin System.

Smith said he looks for three things when consulting with aspiring entrepreneurs: good financial footing, industry experience, and small business experience. If a person possesses at least two of these attributes, they are more likely to be successful.

“Tina had all three,” she said.

Herrera attended a special business planning class taught by Smith at Blackhawk Technical College in Monroe, Wisconsin. Also ran a McDonald’s in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin for his five years.

She gained both industry and small business experience while working at the Reamer Family Farm in Brodhead, Wisconsin. Bryce and Jen Riemer raise beef, pork and poultry on pasture. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he sold meat at the Woodstock Farmers Market in Woodstock, Illinois. They also sold direct to consumers and had wholesale accounts.

Jen Reamer said Herrera’s main duties at the Reamer family were helping with the farmers’ market, providing customer service and helping with the farm’s website. The Reamer Family Farm has gained a following in the market. Herrera has had the opportunity to develop relationships and observe purchasing trends.

The Riemers supported her dream of owning a business, so she turned to the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center for guidance. The center provides consulting, education, and other resources for aspiring entrepreneurs. This is where Herrera met Smith. The two women talked about what Herrera needs in terms of funding, the expected costs, and how the product will be priced. This helped formulate his five-year plan and financial projections for selling eggs at a specific price, Smith said.

Family and friends helped Herrera cover some of the startup costs. Herrera’s passion for her business, her customers and her chickens helped her, Smith says.

“It all boils down to the quality of her product,” says Smith.

Herrera currently has 1,300 Hy-Line Brown chickens. The genetic lines are bred for good feed efficiency by Hy-line International. A genetics company that raises and sells commercial laying hens, based in West Des Moines, Iowa.

“Hy-line Browns produce the largest and brownest eggs,” says Herrera.

She generally purchases 18-week-old chickens as sex hens. That’s when they are ready to start laying eggs.

New arrivals are housed in one of her two mobile greenhouse-type shelters. As they get older she moves them to a second shelter. She now has her 300 birds in the first shelter and her 1,000 birds in the second shelter. She said she would later divide the herd evenly into two structures.

Herrera flocks lay about 235,000 eggs per year. From 1 to 1.5 years old, chicken eggs become thinner. Herrera then slaughters them and sells them as stewed chickens.

Each day, Herrera drives eight miles from her home in Albany, Wisconsin, to the Riemer farm near Brodhead. He has chickens there. She and Reamers have a contract that is reviewed annually. It provides pastures for raising birds and the use of some equipment. Herrera offers Riemers an egg. Riemers provides eggs to customers who buy meat from the farm.

Every day, Herrera collects eggs to take home. Her home has an egg washing facility and a cooler. She has food processing plant licenses from both the Wisconsin and Illinois Departments of Agriculture.

She also holds a mobile retail food facility license from Wisconsin. This allows her to sell eggs at her market at Farmers in Woodstock, Illinois and Crystal Her Lake. She also sells eggs to about a dozen retail outlets.

Riemer said: She was impressed with the communication she made with the buyer. She moves many eggs.

Herrer said he is happy to own his own business and support his family.

“And seeing my eggs in the store is rewarding,” she said.

This is an original article written for Agri-View, an agricultural publication of Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, please visit AgriView.com.