2021: Year in Review

2021 has been a rewarding but challenging year for Burnbrae Farms, as it has been for so many families and businesses again this year. However, this on-going situation has also reinforced how strong and adaptable we can be. I’m extremely proud of how hard everyone at Burnbrae Farms has worked to support our customers and to help keep eggs moving across our great country.

As you may be aware, recent flooding in British Columbia had a devastating impact on communities, businesses, the agricultural sector including BC egg farmers and families that ship their eggs to us. We at Burnbrae Farms and Island Eggs (a division of Burnbrae Farms) take very seriously our role in maintaining the distribution of quality eggs to all families. Our dedicated employees at Island Eggs continue to demonstrate their passion for ensuring that our eggs continue to reach BC families in these trying times. As a family and business, we are working with local food banks to help families in need and have also donated to the Canadian Red Cross, Floods and Extreme Weather Appeal to support local relief efforts.

Giving back has always been part of our values and culture as a family and as a business. This year, we also donated over 219,000 lbs of eggs and egg products to Second Harvest and many more to food banks and other organizations in need across the Country. We also continue to support several charities including World Vision Canada, Parkinson’s Superwalk, The Canadian Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Children’s Breakfast Club, Toonies for Tummies, The Terry Fox Foundation and many charitable organizations and worthy initiatives in our local communities.

It is also particularly rewarding when our efforts are recognized. 2021 was a noteworthy year for us on the award front and we are very humbled yet proud of the recognition we’ve received. I thought that I would kick off 2022 with an overview of those accolades.

I had the incredible honour of being chosen as one of this year’s recipients of the inaugural Grocery Business Hall of Fame , alongside my father and Burnbrae Farms founder, Joe Hudson, who was inducted into the ‘Legends’ category. This award recognizes those who have made positive and impactful contributions to the grocery industry and the communities they serve. To be included amongst the 56 inductees across the Retailer, Supplier and ‘Legends’ category is a true honour.

Alltech awarded Burnbrae Farms with the Alltech Canada Planet of Plenty Award for Sustainable Egg Production. Alltech believes that we can have a planet where agriculture’s story is central to the development of thriving communities and eco-systems, and we agree whole-heartedly. Burnbrae Farms is committed to reducing energy use and lowering our carbon footprint across our business. Our free-range solar powered eggs, marketed under our Green Valley brand, are produced at our RALOS farm in Woodstock, Ontario. It is the largest commercial-scale solar layer egg farm in Canada and is a great example of our commitment to use sustainable green energy. We also recently completed the build on a second solar farm in Lyn, Ontario as part of our commitment to reduce our energy and carbon footprint.

Additionally, Burnbrae Farms received the inaugural Canadian Grocer Impact Award this year in the Sustainability category. The award recognizes businesses who go above and beyond to positively impact communities, employees, and the environment.

In Septemer, we were delighted to learn that Burnbrae Farms was also awarded the A&W Award of Excellence. This award is provided by A&W to suppliers who provided outstanding service levels and performance in 2020.

The good news kept coming in October when Burnbrae Farms won a Gordon Food Service VIP (Vendor Involvement Process) Cornerstone Award. Burnbrae Farms is extremely proud and honoured to be a recipient of this year’s Award for our Excellence in Service for the Fruit, Vegetables & Dairy category in Canada. Gordon Food Service (GFS) has been a long-time customer/partner of Burnbrae Farms. GFS supplies restaurants, universities, health care facilities, hotels, and other customers with quality products for more than 120 years.

Furthermore, Burnbrae Farms is very proud to be selected as the #1 Most Trusted Egg Brand in Canada for the 2 ^nd year in a row. The BrandSpark Most Trusted Award (BMTA) offers insight into which companies Canadian consumers trust the most in over 150 categories. The awards were created to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions, encourage excellence, and help brands identify themselves as leaders in their respective categories. Over 18,000 Canadian shoppers voted for the BrandSpark Most Trusted Award Winners for 2021 . We are so proud to have received this prestigious recognition from BrandSpark on behalf of our loyal consumers.

Lastly, we are extremely honoured and humbled to be celebrating our 130 ^th anniversary this year. We’ve come a long way since 1891 when my grandfather, Joseph Hudson, signed the deed to a 100-acre farm in the village of Lyn, ON. A little over 50 years after that, my father, Joe Hudson and uncle, Grant Hudson, introduced egg laying hens which has led us to where we are today - 130 years later, the 5 ^th generation of the Hudson family continues our family’s legacy.  Our commitment is and will always be, to continue to provide Canadians with nutritious, affordable eggs for years to come.

I’d like to sign off by saying that we are so grateful to the various organizations and companies that have honoured us with these awards. We are also immensely proud of our teams across the country that work tirelessly to support the values that are so important to each of us.

Margaret Hudson

President, Burnbrae Farms