Pete & Gerry's, LLC, the parent company of Pete & Gerry's and Nellie's Free Range Eggs, was the first Certified Humane egg producer in the U.S., and in 2013, became the first egg producer in the world to achieve Certified B Corporation status.

With over 60 years’ experience raising hens, Pete & Gerry's is dedicated to the humane treatment of animals and to supporting the livelihoods of small family farmers across New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest. The New Hampshire-based company last year debuted a marketing campaign touting its pasture raised eggs as “(Almost) The Wildest Eggs You Can Get.”

Their products, including eggs, sous vide egg bites, butter and seasonal offerings like eggnog, are available at retailers nationwide.

CEO Tom Flocco took over in 2022, after stints in leadership at other F&B companies including Utz and Bean Suntory. Here, he shares more about what sets Pete & Gerry's apart from others and what to expect in the New Year.

Pete & Gerry’s is a leader in humane egg production, partnering with more than 200 family-owned farms. What sets Pete & Gerry’s eggs apart and how does your production process differ from the average egg?

At Pete & Gerry’s, LLC, we’re mission driven at our core and have always led with animal welfare and sustainability as our priority. Over the past 30 years, we have pioneered the egg industry, continuing to raise the bar for excellence in ethical farming practices and hen welfare. In 2003, we became the first egg producer in the U.S. to attain the Certified Humane seal for supreme standards of animal care, and in 2013 we were the first egg company to receive B Corp certification.

Pete & Gerry’s comprises a strong network of more than 200 family farms across 15 states. We are driven by our commitment to “Healthy Hens, Healthy Eggs, Healthy Planet,” which showcases our values and the category leadership qualities that we look to uphold in all we do. We were the first to pave the way for better and we’re still doing it best, prioritizing the quality of life for our hens, supporting our dedicated family farm partners and providing nutritious and delicious premium eggs to homes across the country.

The last few years have seen some creative marketing campaigns and partnerships. Tell us about the Pete & Gerry’s partnership with minor league baseball and Shelly, your hen mascot?

In 2024, Pete & Gerry’s Home Run Eggs launched its inaugural partnership with and designation as the official egg of Minor League Baseball (MiLB), spanning the entire MiLB 2024 regular season across 60 clubs and ballparks.

During the season, we were able to engage with consumers through MiLB digital and social media channels and have some fun inside the ballparks, as well. During select games, contestants were invited to participate in the Shelly Shake Ya Tailfeather Dance-Off for a chance to win a month’s supply of Pete & Gerry’s eggs by showcasing their most hen-tastic chicken impressions alongside Pete & Gerry’s larger than life hen mascot, Shelly.

This partnership allowed us to connect directly with local fans across the country while also bringing our core promise of healthy hens, healthy eggs, healthy planet to key consumers. The parallel between the expanses of sunny baseball fields and our farms’ pasture area that provides plenty of outdoor space for hens to roam about in allowed us to drive home the importance of ethical, humane egg production in a fun, family-friendly way.

As for creative campaigns, we recently unveiled “Eggs As Nature Intended” in support of our Pete & Gerry’s Organic line. This new campaign kicked off with Pete & Gerry’s as a co-presenting sponsor of the highly anticipated Part 2 of Yellowstone’s fifth and final season by aligning with the show’s backdrop theme of protecting and providing natural environments for farm livestock. This past July, we also unveiled a new brand campaign for Nellie’s Free Range eggs, “Life’s Better Out Here,” designed to highlight our commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare and educate consumers on the crucial differences between cage-free and free-range eggs, i.e. that cage-free hens rarely see the sun, while free-range hens go outside.

Nellie’s is focused on educating consumers on the differences between cage-free and free-range eggs. Why is it an important aspect of consumer engagement?

Cage-free eggs, which have become the new baseline egg offering in several states, come from hens that are raised in environments very different from those of free range or pasture-raised ones. Cage-free hens are, quite often, packed into giant industrial-scale warehouses with floor-to-ceiling cages (generally called “aviary systems”), and rarely see the light of day, let alone go outside.

In stark contrast, free-range and pasture-raised hens have ample space to roam outdoors and live as nature intended. Our free-range and pasture-raised flocks spend lots of time outside in green pastures, with lots of room to roam, forage, and explore. All Pete & Gerry’s partner farmers follow the Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) Certified Humane Pasture-Raised or Free-Range standards, which are the highest and most transparent of their kind. On our farms, this means that during most times of the day and year (except during inclement weather and when predators are spotted in the area), our hens are free to roam outside as they please.

As the egg aisle continues to be overwhelming – and misleading – to consumers, our mission is to highlight the important differences between caged, cage-free, free-range and pasture-raised eggs. Decoding these terms is a key part of our strategy, empowering consumers to make the right decision for themselves at shelf. We have found that once consumers trial humanely-raised eggs, such as free-range or pasture-raised, they’re less willing to trade back to “regular” eggs. The rich yolks, sturdy shells, appreciation for hen welfare and peace of mind that comes along with the swap are hard to give up. We’re continuing to bring this egg-ucation to consumers through our packaging and at-shelf marketing efforts, along with our creative campaigns that really showcase in the simplest terms possible the critical differences between these living conditions.

How do you anticipate the egg industry will respond to inflationary pressure?

Even with recent decreases in inflation, grocery costs remain consistently 20% higher than they were in 2021, meaning many consumers are seeking out cost-effective ways to feed their families. Eggs as “nature’s perfect protein,” are one of these solutions. They’re healthy, affordable, and cost roughly one 10th of beef per gram of protein. They are also more sustainable and leave one of the smallest carbon footprints of any animal protein source.  The idea of "breakfast for dinner" is an increasingly popular way for families to stretch their food dollars for cost-effective meal planning.

That said, despite the price differences seen between regular, commodity eggs and premium eggs, consumers are increasingly becoming savvier about animal welfare and how their food is produced. I believe commodity eggs’ market share will keep eroding and consumers will continue to trade up to premium eggs for a quality and sustainable protein source. While total eggs consumed is not likely to grow much in the future, the split between commodity and premium eggs will shift in favor of premium.

What’s on the horizon for Pete & Gerry’s in 2025 and beyond?

We have some exciting developments in the pipeline for 2025, and beyond, including new product launches that have been in the works for a while now. Of utmost priority is always our hens and our family farm partners, which we will continue to support and grow within our existing and expanding network.

There is a strong opportunity for the premium egg category in 2025. As we continue to navigate the effects of the Avian Influenza, we'll see significant shifts in egg purchasing trends, especially among Gen Z and Millennials. This will be even more pronounced in the States that are enacting cage free and above legislation. With conventional eggs priced higher than ever before, it’s enticing for consumers to test out premium alternatives, which are consistently priced each week and deliver on high quality, as well as humane, transparent production practices.

On January 1, we will also begin to see certain pieces of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (OLPS) go into effect. Though many legislative requirements won’t be enacted until 2029, certain standards, like increased perch and feed space for hens, will become a new normal for farms looking to maintain organic standards. For years, Pete & Gerry’s has operated far beyond the mandated enhancements required by the letter of the law, so we will continue to exceed these soon-to-be-enforced standards. We’re happy to see a higher standard of humane animal care and sustainable farming practices enforced more widely, though, so shoppers will have access to eggs that are produced in the manner they expect when they reach for organic options.