The American Egg Board (AEB) has launched the Eggcelerator Lab to drive industry innovation by bringing new products to market, thus, increasing demand for eggs. AEB President and CEO Emily Metz says the innovation hub will increase opportunities for America’s egg farmers.
That’s what it’s all about. The American Egg Board’s mission is to build demand for U.S. eggs and egg products. It’s to market eggs and egg products. The Eggcelerator Lab will allow the AEB to recognize opportunities that in turn increase demand for eggs. This will open avenues for some commercial customers to incorporate eggs in their menus or product lines. Of course, it is a huge opportunity for farmers to expand their markets.
According to Metz, an example of the work coming out of the Eggcelerator Lab is a partnership with West Liberty Foods. “West Liberty has traditionally been a sliced deli meat company, however since working with the Eggcelerator Lab, they now are integrating eggs into some new sandwiches. Their customers range from massive convenience store chains to large quick-service sandwich chains. The opportunity for eggs and demand is huge with that one client,” Metz says. “Another example is Hormel Foods, also a traditional meat company looking to break into the retail in the on-the-go breakfast space. The company is now looking for its piece of the on-the-go breakfast items and those items need eggs. The company is working with us to develop some new ideas that would fit in that category at retail and put eggs in front of consumers.”
The Lab is developing market-ready products with the consumer in mind. “The consumer is more into convenience and on-the-go and are less prone, especially the younger consumers, to be cooking. We have to continue to evolve and expand to meet those consumer demands,” says Metz. “Eggs are well positioned to take advantage of that opportunity, so we just have to find the partner(s) to bring new products to the marketplace, and that’s what the Eggcelerator Lab is all about.”
The Lab has been in the works for more than two years and was driven by producer feedback and the AEB strategic plan. AEB says the Eggcelerator Lab creates a network of innovation, resources, and expertise designed to bring new egg-based ideas to market. AEB sees the role of the Eggcelerator Lab as a connector, bringing people together and identifying solutions that benefit everybody. It reduces the amount of risk and facilitates discussions that benefit farmers, consumers and processors in the food chain.
Editor’s Take:
Innovation seems to be on the minds of many people these days. We encounter it with corn and soybean producer checkoff efforts. It has been a hallmark of marketing efforts in the beef and dairy industries for decades. And we could list many other initiatives by farmer/rancher funded programs designed to improve consumer demand and market expansion. The Eggcelerator Lab fits nicely into this list. It is not a stretch to believe once the industry makes a decision to seriously invest in innovation and its future, chances of success are much greater as a result. We sincerely wish the egg industry well and encourage you to visit with egg producers in your area to get their thoughts on this development - and sell them a truck in the process.
