Vital Farms

Vital Farms is an Austin, Texas based company that specializes in pasture-raised eggs and pasture-raised butter. The company is widely considered a leader in the pasture-raised egg industry.^[1][2]

Vital Farms was founded in 2007 by its CEO, Matthew O’Hayer, as a single-site operation on a 27-acre farm plot in Southwest Austin. Since then, the company has increased its network over 100 family-owned farms in six states - all geographically located in what the company calls the “pasture belt” . The company reported 2012 annual sales of $9.8 million,^[3] and is the largest supplier of pasture-raised eggs to Whole Foods Market.

Vital Farms uses a sustainable agriculture technique that affords each egg laying hen a total of 108 square feet of foraging space, which allows for Vital Farms to be one of very few pasture raised eggs recognized by Certified Humane.^[4] The pastured poultry technique was pioneered by Joel Salatin as a means to allow each hen an existence that better simulates its natural environment and thus provides a more healthy, nutrient rich egg.

Pasture raised hens at one of Vital Farm's independent family owned nurseries

The company has been awarded an exemplary score by the Cornucopia institute a non-profit organization "Seeking economic justice for the family-scale farming community." Vital farms was ranked number one fastest growing food and/or beverage company in the US in 2012 and #2 in 2013.^[5]

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