The Making of a New Product: NestFresh Eggs Free Range Brown Large Eggs

An interview with Brandy Gamoning, Marketing Manager, NestFresh.

In case you missed it, NestFresh Eggs Free Range Brown Large Eggs were chosen as Pick of the Week for Phil's food Reviews. We caught up with Brandy Gamoning, Marketing Manager, NestFresh, to find out how they were inspired and able to meet the challenge of offering a Non-GMO Project verified product. 

What inspired you to create your new product? Is there a particular niche or segment of the market you were focusing on? 

We were inspired to develop NestFresh Non-GMO Free Range Eggs by the many consumers who were calling for more transparency in our food system. There has been growing support across the nation for labeling foods with their GMO status. In response to this, we worked with the Non-GMO Project to develop the first Non-GMO Project Verified Eggs. There were no eggs that were Non-GMO Project Verified prior to our launch, so we were really responding to consumer demand and trying to fill a void in the marketplace. We wanted to serve consumers that want to know what is in the food they feed their family and want to avoid GMOs.

What makes your product different and able to stand out against similar ones? How important has differentiation been in developing this product?

The biggest differentiator between NestFresh Non-GMO Eggs and other eggs is that our product proudly carries the Non-GMO Project Verification seal. Additionally, they are cage free and free range. NestFresh prides itself on our commitment to humane animal care, sustainable agriculture, and family farming, so all of our products are produced with these values behind them, including any new products we develop. This means that all of our eggs are a natural, humane alternative to regular eggs and are differentiated in that way. 

What was the process like of designing your package, and how do you feel the final result has impacted perceptions of your product? 

With the packaging for our Non-GMO Eggs, we wanted to focus on the more natural, humane life that the hens on our farms lead. That is why we choose to highlight the hens and their outdoor access on our packaging. We think consumers definitely see that our focus is on the health and well-being of our hens, and they understand that that helps us create a better egg.

What sustainability efforts have you made with your product/packaging?

We are very proud of how sustainable our packaging is. Our cartons come from recycled material. They are also recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable.

Through creating a new product, what would you say were the most difficult parts of the process and what came the easiest? 

The most difficult part was developing a Non-GMO Project Verified product when no standards existed for egg products. There were no standards for making this claim on eggs before we began, so we had to work with the Non-GMO project to develop the standards and then work with our farmers to implement them. We also had to work with federal regulators to make sure the seal and claims were approved, which was challenging as this was an all new claim for egg products.

The easiest part for us was working with our network of family farmers to develop farms that were committed to growing non-GMO crops and raising their hens humanely. We partner with some wonderful farms across the country who share our values and commitment to humane animal care and sustainable agriculture, so we were lucky to have a network that was willing to go through the process with us to become verified.