Indiana home to first US carbon-neutral egg farm after Kipster launch

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Egg producer Kipster has acted as a trailblazer in the industry since its inception in 2017. Now, it’s establishing its first carbon-neutral, cage-free farm in the U.S.

The Netherlands-based company and MPS Egg Farms on Wednesday celebrated the unveiling of its progressive egg operation in the country at its newest farm in a rural town 35 miles west of Fort Wayne. The operation is the first of its kind in the country, giving shoppers the option to pick up a carton of eggs that’s both environmentally friendly and ethically sourced.

Egg farming started as a family affair for founder Ruud Zander as he showed black and white photos of his family members tending to hens. They shied away from the more profit-motivated type of egg farming, he said, but rather wanted to treat animals as living beings.

His company, Kipster, has now earned the designation as a B Corp and operates four farms, with the other three back in the Netherlands — one of which is the first carbon-neutral farm in the world.

The carbon neutrality of the farms falls on a number of factors. White eggs are better for the environment since they have a more sustainable production, and the farm uses less, healthier and more sustainable feed for its chickens. The company uses feed that’s part plant-based and part ground-up food for humans, like old pasta, cookies and breads. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by using solar panels and offsetting what’s left with other projects.

A major priority for the companies is animal welfare to which they are offering transparency to showcase their practices. The hen houses feature significant open space, natural light and forest-like structures. The complex does not feature battery cages or areas of tight confinement. The hens can be seen running, feeding and basking in dust baths.

“We embrace this wholeheartedly,” said Bob Krouse of MPS. “We’re excited to see it really hit the ground.”

The companies celebrated Wednesday with an egg-centric event celebrating its Dutch roots. The high-energy event featured emcee Dutch-American comedian Greg Shapiro, adorned in trademark orange socks and tie, who entertained and attempted to make people better understand the Netherlands and its people through light-hearted jokes.

Multiple animal welfare researchers and industry experts from the U.S. and the Netherlands also spoke at the event over video conferencing, talking about circular farming systems and how Kipster fits into the larger vision of sustainable and ethical farming.

About the U.S. endeavor

The operation was made possible by a partnership with New Manchester-based MPS Egg Farms and Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. Zander said during the event Kroger approached the company initially since it were interested in their practices. The company now sells the eggs under a Simple Truth + Kipster label.

MPS is a family-operated business in North Manchester that’s now lived through six generations and has believed in the betterment of the food industry’s animals, Krouse said during the event. A partnership with Kipster was first on the table four years ago, he said, and they joined a larger “ideologically driven” team, allowing both sides to learn more about each other’s morals and practices.

The facility’s eggs can currently be found in Michigan and Cincinnati, since those markets have a strong fondness for sustainable and animal welfare products. The company is planning to expand not just into Indiana but nationally very soon, MPS Co-CEO Sam Krouse said.

Kipster said eggs will become available in more markets as more farms complete construction in U.S.

“As the eggs get out in the market, we hope that people find them and that consumers appreciate the sustainability and animal welfare message that we have,” Krouse said.

While the operation’s investment was not disclosed, it employs 10 to 15 people who take care of its 100,000 hens. Those chickens will each lay around 330 eggs per year.

He said its exciting for his northeast Indiana mainstay company to partner with Kipster and improve the healthy and safety of the birds. Working with the Dutch company has fruitful, he said, especially since the country’s businesses tends to be leaders in sustainable food systems. Leaders on both sides spoke about the success and exchange of ideas stemming from the partnership.

Previously, Krouse said MPS had to be more closed off to visitors, but the new partnership and facility is just the opposite. It features a visitor centers with an inside look to one of the hen houses supplemented with educational materials teaching how Kipster treats chickens differently than elsewhere. Tourism inspired by this new facility is a major addition Krouse is excited for.

“We hope to attract school groups and people who are curious about hens and sustainable food production here to our little pocket of northeast Indiana,” he said. “Kipster is a nice opportunity for us to open our doors a little bit more and invite the local community in Fort Wayne and anyone over Indiana really to come here and see it.

As for Indiana’s business sector, it’s another feather in its cap. Officials like State Sen. Andy Zay, R-Huntington, and Don Lamb, director of Indiana State Department of Agriculture were in attendance at the event.

The farm is a great example of what farmers can do and accomplish, Lamb said at the event, making his job as a cheerleader for the industry easy. Partnerships within agriculture like this one helps to take the state to the next level, he said, and provide a solid base for future growth.

He was also proud to say Indiana was home to one of the first carbon neutral egg operations. It’s something he said he’s proud of but also that makes sense with the state’s reputation for agriculture innovation.

“We’ve been making our farms more sustainable, resilient for hundreds of years,” Lamb said. “And this is just the next step.”

Where Kipster stands

The company is a step ahead of the rest, said Josh Balk, CEO of The Accountability Board. The organization evaluates brands and businesses, specifically in the food industry, on principles of environmental, social and corporate governance. He said Kipster has been, is and will likely continue to be the trailblazer in the egg industry.

Kipster would not have come to this country if they did not think cage-free was going to catch on, he said, and there are clear indicators the country is moving in that direction.

“Kipster understands that consumers who are buying eggs and other animal products, a top of mind issue for them is the treatment of animals,” Balk said. “That’s certainly something that care Kipster is embracing, and beyond being the right thing to do morally, it’s also good business.”

More now than ever, he said consumers care about how their food is raised and deeply oppose the confinement of those animals in cages. The trend is moving toward better animal welfare practices, he said, mentioning McDonalds, Kraft and Costco. The egg industry is moving toward cage free as the future, he said, and Kipster is on the cutting edge.

“The basic reason behind it is this — is that an ordinary consumer simply does not want to see an animal locked in a tiny cage,” Balk said. “And because of that, they want to know that the industry, and in this case, the egg industry is shifting away from his practices.”

Some characterics about Kipster that make the company stand out to him are how it is not just cage free but also has more space per bird, natural sunlight and enrichment activities that mimic their natural environment. It’s also impressive, he said, that they achieved their vision while placing their product into mainstream grocers where everyday Americans shop and can be exposed to their mission.

Kipster leaders mentioned several times that chickens, by nature, are forest birds. Therefore, they build the enclosure to have structures they can run, jump and flutter on.

It’s important to consider what the alternatives are, he said, and understanding why one is better than the other. The industry standard has been battery cages. The Humane League says those wire cages do not allow hens to fully stretch their wings from being packed so tightly and impose psychological issues on the birds since they can’t act according to their nature.

Other common practices Kipster says it does not partake in are debeaking hens and killing roosters. About 300 million roosters are killed each year since they don’t produce a profitable product.

This new type of business model can be contagious for the rest of the industry, he said, especially since Kipster is showing other companies they can both be successful and care for animal welfare.

He compared the industry to electric vehicles. A few trailblazers can show the industry its possible, then the rest will follow. Some may see hybrid, or cage free, as a good stepping stone, he said, but its a process of small steps forward to improving the overall industry.

“I think Kipster is likely gonna want to be at the cutting edge for perpetuity,” Blak said. “No matter what further advancements they will ever have to do to continue to be that be that way in the in the years to come.”