Rose Acre Farms is the second largest egg producer in the United States[5] and employs more than 2,000 people.[4] The company is based in Seymour, Indiana, and has facilities in seven states: Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and North Carolina, plus joint ventures in Colorado and Hawaii. Rose Acre Farms is one of several producers that annually donate approximately 30,000 hard boiled eggs to the U.S. government for use at the White House Easter Egg Roll.[6]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Poultry farming |
| Founder | David Rust |
| Headquarters | Seymour, Indiana |
Key people | Tony Wesner, CEO & Chair of Board
Terry Anderson, COO Marcus Rust, Chief Visionary Officer, former CEO[1][2] |
| Products | Eggs |
| Revenue | $608.74 million[3] |
Number of employees | 2,000[4] |
| Website | GoodEgg.com |
In 2013 the company began a 30-year effort to refit its facilities to cage-free standards.[7]
In 2018, Rose Acre Farms donated $200,000 for a new animal science complex on the nearby campus of Purdue University at Lafayette, Indiana.[8]
In April 2018, Rose Acre Farms announced that, due to concerns over Salmonella, they would be voluntarily recalling more than 200 million eggs which originated at its facility in Hyde County, North Carolina. All recalled eggs were conventional eggs[9] from hens raised in battery cage facilities. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation found, among other things, numerous rodents in the manure pits below the battery cages.[10] It was the largest egg recall in the country since 2010.[11]
Former board chairman John Rust stepped down in favor of his brother and the company's CEO, Marcus, in September 2023, to focus on a campaign running for the US Senate.[2][12] Three months later, the company was found liable in a lawsuit alleging that it colluded, along with Cal-Maine, United Egg Producers, and United States Egg Marketers, to reduce the supply of eggs and increase prices between 2004 and 2008.[13] The plaintiffs in the case, a group of large food manufacturers led by Kraft Foods, originally filed the long-running lawsuit in 2011, but it did not reach trial until October 2023.[14]
In October 2024, the company announced that Tony Wesner, former Chief Operating Officer, was elected as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Wesner succeeded Marcus Rust as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Rust has taken an advisory role with the family-owned company, and will serve as the new Chief Visionary Officer. Terry Anderson, former Vice President of Operations, is now the Chief Operating Officer. [15]
References
edit- ^ "Rose Acre Farms, Inc.: Private Company Information". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Leadership Shift at Rose Acre Farms: Marcus Rust Appointed Chairman of the Board". Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "Rose Acre Farms Inc Company Profile". www.hoovers.com. D&B Hoovers. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ a b Breach, Chris. "Briefcase for March 28, 2018". Daily Journal. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Staff Writer. "Egg producer donates $200,000 to complex". The Republic. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Hinton, Greg. "From the Farm to the White House, our Eggs are on a Roll". The Columbia Missourian. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Kesmodel, David (March 11, 2015). "Latest Flap on Egg Farms: Whether to Go 'Cage-Free'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ Staff Writer (March 23, 2018). "Rose Acre Farms Contributes $200,000 To Purdue University Animal Science Complex". WBIW.
- ^ Affairs, Office of Regulatory. "Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts - Rose Acre Farms Recalls Shell Eggs Due to Possible Health Risk". www.fda.gov. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
- ^ "FDA Investigation Report - Rose Acre Farms" (PDF). Food and Drug Administration.
- ^ "200 million eggs recalled over salmonella fears". USA Today. April 14, 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ Dwyer, Kayla (2023-08-22). "Egg tycoon tries to horn his way into Republican primary for U.S. Senate". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ Volmert, Isabella (2023-11-22). "U.S. egg producers conspired to fix prices from 2004 to 2008, a federal jury ruled". Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ Arcieri, Katie (2023-10-17). "Kraft, Kellogg Go After Egg Producers for Price-Fixing Scheme". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ "Tony Wesner named Rose Acre Farms CEO". WATTPoultry.com. 2024-10-11. Retrieved 2024-10-23.