L & R Farms / Lathem Family Farms

What L & R Farms / Lathem Family Farms does

Lathem Family Farms is a privately-held, family-owned shell egg producer and packer headquartered in Pendergrass, Georgia. Founded in 1957 by cousins Bob Lathem and Wilbur Ramsey with 25,000 laying hens, the company now operates 1.6 million laying hens across conventional, organic (240,000 hens), and cage-free (90,000 hens) categories, alongside a 300-cow cow-calf beef operation across 1,700 acres in three locations. Core operations include a 20,000 square foot SQF Level 2 certified packing facility completed in 2015 and equipped with a Moba 530 egg grader, supported by a long-standing feed supply partnership with Grover River Mills producing roughly 3,000 tons of feed per week.

The company's revenue is generated through wholesale egg sales to regional retailers and foodservice operators across North Georgia, offering both a house brand and private-label packaging across carton sizes ranging from half-dozen to 30-dozen. The company holds multiple certifications: UEP Animal-Care (conventional), Humane Farm Animal Care (organic and cage-free), SQF Level 2 (packing facility), and FDA shell egg safety compliance, which collectively enable access to private-label contracts and retailer cage-free mandates. Products are distributed via wholesale channels rather than direct-to-consumer e-commerce, and the company markets primarily through its website and direct sales contact.

The business is currently run by David Lathem, who joined in 1976 after college at the University of Georgia and purchased the company in 1988, alongside his son and nephew, representing at least three generations of family ownership. No external investors, parent company, or institutional capital structures were identified in the input data.

Name

L & R Farms / Lathem Family Farms

Legal name

Lathem Family Farms

Website

https://lathemfamilyfarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lathem Family Farms is a privately-held, family-owned shell egg producer in Pendergrass, Georgia, operating 1.6 million laying hens across conventional, organic, and cage-free categories with an SQF Level 2 packing facility, serving regional wholesale retail and foodservice customers across North Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Shell Egg Production

NAICS

Chicken Egg Production (11231), Chicken Egg Production (112310), Poultry and Egg Production (1123)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Layer Hen Egg Production (Table Eggs) (AFAEADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic & Pasture-Raised Poultry & Egg Production (AFAEADAJ), Organic Poultry & Egg Production (AFAEAMAC)

Keywords

• Shell egg production
• Cage-free eggs
• Organic eggs
• Egg grading packaging
• Private label eggs

Headquarters

HQ city

Pendergrass

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Egg Production and Sales: Lathem Family Farms generates revenue through the production and sale of farm-fresh eggs. The company operates 1.6 million laying hens producing conventional, cage-free, and organic eggs. Revenue comes from wholesale distribution to retailers, foodservice providers, and potentially direct consumer sales. The company offers flexible packaging options ranging from half-dozen cartons to 30-dozen cartons, with both private label and house brand options.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Lathem Family Farms produces, grades, and packages farm-fresh shell eggs from 1.6 million laying hens, including 240,000 organic hens and 90,000 cage-free hens. All grading and packaging is performed in a 20,000 sq ft SQF Level 2 certified packing facility in Pendergrass, GA, equipped with a Moba 530 egg grader. The company offers flexible packaging from half-dozen to 30-dozen cartons under its own house brand or customers' private labels, and also operates a 300-cow cow-calf beef operation on surrounding pastureland.

Product overview

Lathem Family Farms operates as a family-owned egg production farm and packing facility in North Georgia with 1.6 million laying hens across conventional, organic (240,000 hens), and cage-free (90,000 hens) operations. The company also maintains a cow-calf beef operation with 300 cows. Their product portfolio centers on farm fresh eggs offered in multiple varieties (organic, cage-free, conventional/brown), available in various packaging formats from 1/2 dozen to 30 dozen cartons, with private label and house brand options. A SQF Level 2 certified packing facility equipped with a MOBA 530 egg grader handles all grading and packaging operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Fresh Eggs
• Organic Eggs

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Grover River MillscoreOthersGrover River Mills is a feed supplier partner that provides feed for both organic and conventional hens at Lathem Family Farms. The mill began operations 20 years ago and now produces approximately 3,000 tons of feed per week, demonstrating significant scale and reliability in feed supply.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Center Fresh Group: Center Fresh Group is a Midwest egg producer with conventional, cage-free, and organic operations plus egg product processing. Comparable mid-tier diversified egg producer serving retail and foodservice with multi-state reach.
• Kreher's Farm Fresh Eggs: Kreher's is a family-owned egg producer in New York with conventional, cage-free, and organic operations plus on-site feed production. Comparable mid-size multi-tier regional egg producer with vertically integrated feed supply.
• Daybreak Foods: Daybreak Foods produces shell eggs and egg products from conventional and cage-free flocks across the Midwest, serving retail and foodservice customers. Comparable as a mid-tier egg producer with multi-state operations and packaging capability.
• Herbruck's Poultry Ranch: Herbruck's is a large, family-owned egg producer based in Michigan with conventional, cage-free, and organic hens and on-site feed milling. Highly comparable in operating model (family ownership, vertical integration, multi-tier product mix, regional concentration).
• Wilcox Family Farms: Wilcox Family Farms is a multi-generational family-owned egg producer in the Pacific Northwest with conventional, cage-free, and organic products and a branded retail presence. Directly comparable in family ownership, tiered product mix, and regional distribution focus.
• Rose Acre Farms: Rose Acre Farms is the second-largest US egg producer, family-owned, with conventional, cage-free, and organic operations across multiple states. Closely comparable mid-to-large regional egg producer with vertically integrated feed milling and a focus on retail and foodservice customers.
• Hillandale Farms: Hillandale Farms operates conventional and cage-free shell egg production across multiple US states with on-site grading and packaging. Comparable mid-size regional egg producer serving retail and foodservice with similar packaging flexibility.

Regional players

• ISE America: ISE America (Ise Farms) is a family-owned egg producer based in the Northeast with conventional and cage-free production. Comparable multi-tier regional egg producer focused on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast retail markets.

Broad incumbents

• Michael Foods: Michael Foods is a large producer of egg products (pasteurized, hard-cooked, liquid) as well as shell eggs, owned by Post Holdings. Comparable as a major egg industry participant, though focused more on processed egg products than fresh shell eggs.
• Cal-Maine Foods: Cal-Maine Foods is the largest US shell egg producer (~40M+ hens) and the dominant publicly-traded player in conventional, cage-free, and organic eggs. Directly comparable as a shell egg producer operating multiple production systems and serving retail/foodservice channels nationwide.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lathem-family-farms

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 L & R Farms / Lathem Family Farms