Western Farms of Idaho is increasing production in the Inland Northwest, now delivering 30,000 eggs per week to two dozen Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-area restaurants and 14 retail stores, says co-owner Jessica Fransen Tysor. 

Production has steadily increased 10% each year over the last six years, she says. 

Doing business in Washington state as Western Farms of Idaho & WA LLC, the agricultural company entered the Spokane market in 2020 helping the Middleton, Idaho-based egg producer establish relationships with regional grocery retailers, restaurants, and distributors.

Western Farms' roots trace back to 2014, when two families launched the business near Emmett, Idaho, with 10 hens and 500 chicks. Fransen Tysor says those early days looked far different than the operation customers see today.

"When it first got started, Brad's girls were selling eggs in the driveway," she says of Western Farms' founder Brad Keasal's daughters. "There was a refrigerator at the gate and a coffee can where people would leave their money and take their eggs."

Since its modest beginning, Western Farms has evolved into a regional brand supplying more than 120 retail, restaurant, and wholesale accounts throughout Idaho, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming. 

In Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, Western Farms' eggs are sold at grocery stores including Yoke's Fresh Market, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, My Fresh Basket, Albertsons, Safeway, and more, according to the company's website. Today, the company's products are carried in more than 50 Albertsons and Safeway stores across the Northwest.

Western Farms' Spokane- and Coeur d'Alene-area restaurant partners include Billie's Diner, Bruncheonette, Fergusons, The Flying Goat, House of Brunch, Little Euro, Old European, The Yards Bruncheon, Jimmy's Down the Street, Michael D's Eatery, and more.

Fransen Tysor, who oversees the company's Spokane market, says Western Farms of Idaho & WA employs 10 part-time workers year-round here, which increases to 13 employees during the summer months as demand grows.

Company leadership declines to disclose revenue.

One of the company's most recognizable marketing assets it its bright pink egg carton, which customers often ask about before they even know the company's name, Fransen Tysor says.

Part of the original flock of hens for Western Farms of Idaho.                                                                         Western Farms of Idaho 

After operating their farm stand for about a year, the company's first retail opportunity came through the Boise Co-op grocery store in 2015. Western Farms then expanded into Atkinsons' Market, in Ketchum, Idaho, and eventually landed at Albertsons Cos. stores in Boise and Eagle, Idaho, in 2017, says Keasal.

As demand increased, the flock grew to about 10,000 birds, but the founders discovered that operating a large free-range flock created mounting challenges, including predator losses, disease exposure, and the ongoing threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza, known commonly as bird flu, Keasal says.

"These birds are our producers," he explains. "So these birds are everything to us, and we have to constantly assess what growth is maintainable and what isn't."

After investing more than $1 million in facility and operational improvements in 2017, company leaders concluded that their original production model was not sustainable at a larger scale. 

In 2018, Western Farms relocated production to southeast Idaho, where access to experienced poultry labor, veterinary support, lower feed costs, and a more controlled production environment allowed the company to continue producing eggs while improving long-term sustainability, Keasal says. A strategic partnership with another farm, strict production standards, and enhanced food safety practices established the foundation for continued growth, he adds.

Keasal oversees much of the company's southeast Idaho operations. Before entering the egg industry, he spent 22 years as a salesperson with Xerox Corp., an experience he says helped shape Western Farms' customer-focused approach to business development.

Now, the Western Farms brand has 20,000 producing hens to keep up with sales, and Fransen Tysor says the flock can fluctuate up to 25,000 when the company cycles in new chicks and retires older birds.

As Western Farms continues to expand its footprint, its leaders remain focused on the same customer-driven approach that helped them grow from a driveway side-business into a regional staple.