Crystal Lake

What Crystal Lake does

Crystal Lake LLC was a privately held, integrated egg production and processing company headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, that operated commercial shell egg production, egg products processing (including hard-cooked eggs), and a supporting feed mill across approximately 1,007 acres of land. Its asset base included approximately 3.2 million laying hens (of which 500,000 were cage-free) and 865,000 pullets, making it a mid-scale, vertically integrated regional producer with control over feed input economics and downstream processing capability.

The company sold shell eggs, processed egg products, and prepared egg-based foods into three primary channels: food service operators (restaurants, hotels, hospitals, institutions), retail grocery chains, and food manufacturers. Its go-to-market was B2B and relied on direct sales relationships with food service distributors and retail grocery buyers rather than consumer-facing marketing. Revenue mechanics were one-time transactional sales of physical goods across all four product streams (shell eggs, egg products, prepared foods, and feed).

In March 2026, Crystal Lake LLC was acquired by Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. — the largest egg company in the United States — alongside Creighton Brothers LLC, for a combined purchase price of approximately $128.5 million in cash. As a result of the transaction, Crystal Lake became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cal-Maine, contributing Indiana-based production capacity, specialty/cage-free capability, hard-cooked egg processing, and internal feed sourcing that supports Cal-Maine's broader prepared foods strategy. The company no longer operates as an independent entity.

Name

Crystal Lake

Legal name

Crystal Lake LLC

Website

https://crystallakellc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Crystal Lake LLC was an Indiana-based, vertically integrated egg producer and processor operating approximately 3.2 million laying hens, a feed mill, and egg products facilities, supplying food service, retail grocery, and food manufacturing customers. Acquired by Cal-Maine Foods in March 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Egg Production and Processing

NAICS

Chicken Egg Production (112310), Poultry and Egg Production (1123), Poultry Processing (311615)

SIC

Poultry Slaughtering And Processing (2015)

akta.pro primary industry

Layer Hen Egg Production (Table Eggs) (AFAEADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Eggs (Shell & Liquid) Wholesale (AFAIAEAD), Value-Added Egg Products (Hard-Boiled, Omelets, Egg Mixes) Wholesale (AFAIAEAH), Liquid egg processing (pasteurized whole/yolk/white) (AFANAHAB), Hatcheries & Chick Production (Day-Old Chicks, Pullets) (AFAEADAD)

Keywords

• Shell egg production
• Egg products processing
• Prepared egg foods
• Commercial egg supply
• Cage-free eggs

Headquarters

HQ city

Atwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Shell Egg Sales: Production and sale of commercial shell eggs to food service and retail customers
2. Egg Products: Processed egg products including liquid and hard-cooked eggs sold to food service and manufacturing customers
3. Prepared Foods: Ready-to-eat egg-based prepared foods for retail and food service channels
4. Feed Sales: Internal feed production supporting egg operations, with potential external feed sales

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Crystal Lake LLC operated as an integrated commercial shell egg producer and egg products processor based in Warsaw, Indiana. The company maintained approximately 3.2 million laying hens (including 500,000 cage-free hens) and 865,000 pullets, operated an owned feed mill, and ran egg products and hard-cooked egg processing facilities that supplied food service operators, retail grocery chains, and food manufacturers.

Product overview

Crystal Lake LLC is an egg production and processing company. As part of Cal-Maine Foods' acquisition of Creighton Brothers LLC assets, Crystal Lake operates as an integrated egg production platform consisting of shell egg production (3.2 million laying hens, 865,000 pullets), egg products processing facilities (including hard-cooked egg processing), and supporting feed mill operations across approximately 1,007 acres of land in Indiana. The company operates as a component of Cal-Maine Foods' broader egg production and prepared foods strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shell Egg Production

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cal-Maine FoodscoreOthers · 2 March 2026Crystal Lake LLC was acquired by Cal-Maine Foods, the largest egg company in the United States. The acquisition included all shell egg, egg products, and prepared foods assets. Crystal Lake became an integrated part of Cal-Maine's operations, supporting the company's strategy of building a broader, vertically integrated egg platform with internal sourcing for prepared foods operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vital Farms: Vital Farms is a U.S. specialty egg producer focused on pasture-raised and ethical sourcing sold through retail grocery and food service. Comparable to Crystal Lake's cage-free/specialty shell egg capabilities and retail channel focus, though differentiated by production model and branding.
• Echo Lake Foods: Echo Lake Foods produces and distributes ready-to-eat egg products and breakfast foods for retail and food service; also acquired by Cal-Maine Foods in 2025. Comparable to Crystal Lake's prepared foods and egg products capabilities and end-market exposure.
• Michael Foods: Michael Foods is a major U.S. processor of egg products, hard-cooked eggs, and prepared egg-based foods serving food service and food manufacturing. Directly comparable to Crystal Lake's egg products and prepared foods lines and target customer base.
• Rembrandt Foods: Rembrandt Foods is a leading U.S. egg products manufacturer producing liquid, frozen, and dried egg products for food service and food manufacturing customers. Comparable to Crystal Lake's egg products processing capabilities and B2B customer mix.
• Daybreak Foods: Daybreak Foods is a U.S. commercial shell egg producer with conventional, cage-free, and organic eggs sold to food service, retail, and food manufacturing. Comparable integrated egg producer with similar customer segmentation to Crystal Lake.
• Eggland's Best: Eggland's Best is a leading branded specialty egg company selling through retail grocery nationwide. Comparable to Crystal Lake on shell egg production for branded retail, though Eggland's Best operates primarily as a franchised producer network rather than an integrated operator.
• Creighton Brothers LLC: Creighton Brothers is an Indiana-based shell egg, egg products, and prepared foods producer that was acquired alongside Crystal Lake by Cal-Maine Foods. Directly comparable in geography, product mix, and channel focus, though Creighton Brothers' specific scope within the combined transaction is distinct.
• Rose Acre Farms: Rose Acre Farms is the second-largest U.S. egg producer and a directly comparable integrated shell egg and egg products operator with own feed milling, multiple complexes, and food-service/retail distribution; overlapping Midwest and national footprint with Crystal Lake.

Broad incumbents

• Cal-Maine Foods: Cal-Maine Foods is the largest egg company in the United States and Crystal Lake's acquirer. It is broadly comparable as the dominant integrated shell egg and prepared foods platform; it is broader because Cal-Maine operates nationally across conventional, cage-free, specialty, and prepared foods, while Crystal Lake was a regional Indiana-focused integrated producer.

Emerging players

• MeadowCreek Foods: MeadowCreek Foods focuses on hard-cooked egg products and received investment from Cal-Maine Foods. Comparable to Crystal Lake's hard-cooked egg processing line, though narrower in product scope and smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/crystallakeeggproducts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Crystal Lake