Hickman's Family Farms

What Hickman's Family Farms does

Hickman's Family Farms is a fourth-generation, family-owned shell egg and egg products producer founded in 1944 in Glendale, Arizona, and headquartered in Buckeye, AZ. It operates the largest egg production business in the U.S. Southwest and ranks among the top 20 nationwide, running 5.4 million layer hens plus 1.3 million replacement pullets across twelve facilities in Arizona, California, and Colorado and producing roughly 2.3 million dozen eggs per week with processing capacity above 750,000 eggs per hour. The company is vertically integrated from feed through processing, anchored by a $14 million, 1,200-ton-per-day family-owned feed mill with shuttle-rail receiving at Arlington, an in-house Avondale PET carton fabrication facility that recycles over one million post-consumer bottles weekly, and proprietary robotics (Big Bill, Shrinky, Lucy & Her Sisters) plus MOBA egg processing equipment that has reduced energy consumption by 66% and yielded substantial labor and breakage savings. Product offerings span cartoned shell eggs (conventional, cage-free, Omega-3), loose bulk shell eggs, pasteurized liquid eggs in totes and frozen formats, and pre-cooked hard-cooked eggs for foodservice.

The business model is predominantly B2B wholesale to grocery retail chains (Fry's, Bashas, Albertson's, Safeway, Costco, IGA, AJ's Fine Foods, Food City, Walgreens) and foodservice operators served by a three-person dedicated commercial sales team, supplemented by direct-to-consumer sales through the on-site Egg Store and e-commerce. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; wholesale cage-free carries an approximately 15% premium over conventional per CEO commentary. Revenue mechanics are commodity-style unit pricing on high-volume shell eggs with modest value-added uplift from liquid and hard-cooked SKUs, plus an emerging sustainability-led PET carton differentiation. The company is American Humane Certified (2017), a 'Proud Partner' of the Arizona Cardinals (2015), and maintains a joint venture with Midwest producer Opal Foods to scale cage-free capacity from 200,000 to 12 million hens across four California sites.

Name

Hickman's Family Farms

Legal name

Hickman's Family Farms

Website

https://hickmanseggs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Hickman's Family Farms is a fourth-generation, family-owned egg producer founded in 1944, operating the largest egg operation in the U.S. Southwest with 5.4 million laying hens across Arizona, California, and Colorado, and supplying grocery retailers, foodservice operators, and direct consumers across six states plus Hawaii.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Egg Production

NAICS

Chicken Egg Production (112310), Chicken Egg Production (11231), Poultry Processing (311615)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquid egg processing (pasteurized whole/yolk/white) (AFANAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Egg breaking & separation (yolk/white; whole egg) (AFANAHAA), Egg product packaging & repacking (bag-in-box, cartons, pails, totes, bulk) (AFANAHAJ), Eggs (Shell & Liquid) Wholesale (AFAIAEAD), Eggs & Egg Products (Shell, Liquid, Value-Added) (CRADACAJ)

Keywords

• Shell egg production
• Cage-free eggs
• Foodservice egg supply
• Liquid egg products
• PET egg packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Buckeye

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Shell Eggs (Cartoned and Loose): Fresh shell eggs sold in various sizes (small, medium, large, extra-large, jumbo) in both cartoned and loose formats. Includes cage-free, conventional, and specialty varieties like Omega-3 eggs.
2. Liquid Egg Products: Pasteurized liquid whole egg products available in bulk formats including 2000 lb totes, 30 lb packages, and frozen formats for foodservice and restaurant use.
3. Hard Cooked Eggs: Pre-cooked, peeled hard boiled eggs in various package sizes for foodservice, retail, and salad applications. Includes cage-free and premium varieties.
4. Feed Manufacturing: In-house feed production for company hens with monthly six-figure savings from reduced freight costs. Also supplies feed to Maricopa operations through partnership with AZ Grain.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Hickman's Family Farms produces and distributes fresh shell eggs (cartoned, loose, and specialty varieties including cage-free and Omega-3), pasteurized liquid egg products in bulk formats, and pre-cooked peeled hard-cooked eggs for retail grocery, warehouse club, and foodservice customers. The company operates a fully vertically integrated supply chain including its own feed mill, layer hen operations across Arizona, California, and Colorado, and a PET carton fabrication facility producing recycled plastic egg containers.

Product overview

Hickman's Family Farms is an egg production company offering a portfolio of shell eggs and egg products. Their core offerings include Cartoned Eggs (12-count and 18-count packs in various sizes), Liquid Egg Products (pasteurized whole liquid eggs in bulk totes), Loose Eggs for commercial bulk ordering, and Hard Cooked Eggs (pre-cooked peeled eggs in multiple sizes). They also produce cage-free variants including Un-Cooped Cage Free Brown Eggs and specialty Omega-3 Eggs. The company has partnered with the Arizona Cardinals for co-branded egg cartons. All products are produced under quality assurance protocols with on-site inspectors, robotics, and quality checkpoints.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cartoned Eggs Farm fresh shell eggs sold in cartons in 12-count and 18-count packs, available in Medium, Large, and X-Large sizes for retail grocery and consumer purchase.
• Liquid Egg Products Pasteurized liquid egg products for commercial foodservice including whole liquid eggs in 2000 lb totes, 30 lb packages, and frozen formats for high-volume restaurant and institutional use.
• Loose Eggs Shell eggs sold in loose/unpackaged bulk format in Small, Medium, Large, Jumbo, and X-Large sizes for commercial customers.
• Hard Cooked Eggs Pre-cooked, peeled hard boiled eggs in 10lb and 20lb cartons, available in Premium and Salad Grade varieties including cage-free options for foodservice, retail, and salad applications.
• Un-Cooped Cage Free Brown Eggs Cage-free eggs from hens allowed to roam freely, sold in 12-count brown carton packaging under the Un-Cooped brand for retail and commercial customers.
• Omega-3 Eggs Eggs from hens fed Omega-3 enriched feed, available in loose X-Large format for commercial customers seeking enhanced nutritional content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water usage reduced by one-third while hen productivity increased 27% with hens living longer, healthier lives
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Arizona CardinalsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial 'Proud Partner' of the NFL Arizona Cardinals football team. Partnership includes co-branded egg cartons, cause marketing (donating $500 per interception to Cardinals Charities), educational campaign for Arizona schools, in-stadium presence, and family events including Easter celebrations at University of Phoenix Stadium.
• American HumanecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoluntary certification partnership through the American Humane Certified program, meeting rigorous animal welfare standards with yearly third-party audits.
• AZ GraincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary grain supplier and feed manufacturing partner. AZ Grain previously provided feed under contract while Hickman's developed its own mill. Ongoing partnership for grain purchasing and supply to Maricopa operations.
• Global Plastics Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVertically integrated recycler in Perris, CA that processes post-consumer PET bottles into thermoformed egg containers for Hickman's. Processes approximately 4 million bottles daily from California Redemption Value program.
• Opal FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidWest egg producer partnership to produce cage-free eggs in four sites in California, each housing 2.5 million hens, expected to complete within three years.
• St. Mary's Food BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegular donations of tens of thousands of eggs for food bank distribution, including 81,900 eggs for Easter and 54,000 eggs as part of nationwide Incredible Egg initiative.
• Arizona Farm BureaucoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership on AG in the Classroom program, providing educational materials and classroom visits about poultry production, embryology, and nutrition.
• United Food BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in Summer of a Million Meals program providing egg donations for summer feeding initiatives.
• Arizona Restaurant AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry partnership supporting Arizona's restaurant sector.
• Phoenix Children's HospitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated eggs and appreciation program providing coupons and support for 5,000 hospital staff members.
• Phoenix Rescue MissionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to provide nutrition for neighbors in need through food rescue mission.
• Hushabye NurseryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner organization.
• Maricopa County FairminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship and participation in county fair events.
• International Rescue CommitteeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting refugee resettlement programs.
• Arizona's Children AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting children's services.
• Buckeye Valley Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business chamber partnership supporting community economic development.
• Glass King RecyclingminorOthersGlass recycling partner supporting environmental sustainability initiatives.
• Agua Fria Food & Clothing BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal food bank receiving egg donations for community hunger relief.
• AZBrainFoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner supporting food access and nutrition education.
• St. Vincent de PaulminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual 'Breakfast for Dinner' event sponsorship and ongoing egg donations.
• Keep Arizona BeautifulminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental partnership supporting community beautification efforts.
• Youth4YouthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth empowerment program partnership.
• Impact Vision Technologies (IVT)coreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped custom vision inspection system for identifying egg cartons within boxes and automated barcode printing, saving $150,000 annually.
• Feed My Starving ChildrenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit partnership for meal packaging events.
• Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (CCAP)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducational partnership supporting culinary arts career training.
• United EggcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified member of United Egg producers organization.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cal-Maine Foods: Largest US shell egg producer (~40M layers) and publicly listed. Most direct comparable by activity (shell/liquid/value-added eggs) and customer base (national grocery); Hickman's is a regional counterpart with similar product breadth but private, family-owned, and much smaller.
• Michael Foods: Major US processor of liquid eggs, hard-cooked eggs, and egg products for foodservice and retail. Closest comparable for Hickman's value-added product lines (liquid eggs, hard-cooked); broader portfolio and national distribution.
• ISE America: East Coast/Mid-Atlantic integrated egg producer with shell and processed eggs. Comparable in product breadth and customer mix, but geographically distinct from Hickman's Southwest focus.

Direct peers

• Versova Holdings: Top US egg producer with Iowa-centric operations covering shell and cage-free eggs. Comparable vertically integrated producer at similar scale; geographic overlap is limited.
• Daybreak Foods: Midwest-based commercial egg producer serving retail and foodservice with shell and further-processed eggs. Comparable in scale, customer mix, and product breadth; different geography.
• Opal Foods: Midwest egg producer and existing Hickman's partner on California cage-free expansion (4 sites × 2.5M hens). Directly comparable in cage-free operations and foodservice customer mix; partner rather than pure competitor.
• Rose Acre Farms: Second-largest US egg producer with national footprint across shell eggs, liquid eggs, and egg products. Direct comparable in product mix, foodservice/retail distribution, and integrated operations.

Regional players

• Wilcox Farms: Pacific Northwest family-owned egg producer with shell and liquid eggs. Closest regional comparable to Hickman's Western US footprint; similar family-business profile and foodservice/retail distribution.

Emerging players

• Vital Farms: Public pasture-raised egg brand focused on premium/cage-free retail. Comparable in cage-free positioning and grocery retail channel, though smaller and focused on a higher-priced pasture-raised niche versus Hickman's commodity cage-free.
• Pete & Gerry's Organic: Producer of organic and cage-free shell eggs with national grocery distribution. Comparable in cage-free/organic positioning and retail customer base; smaller scale and outsourced farmer network vs. Hickman's vertically integrated model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/hickmansleadhership
• Xx.com/hickmanseggs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hickman's Family Farms