Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, visited free range egg producer St. Ewe Free Range Eggs to open a new grading and packing centre.
The Princess Royal, Anne, visited the site on Wednesday (October 4) to open the purpose-built packing centre, which is a result of the company expanding its processing facilities and upgrading its production infrastructure.
Chief executive of St. Ewe Free Range Eggs, Bex Tonks, said: “We are honoured to have had HRH the Princess Royal officially open our packing centre, and hope that it will demonstrate how our British family business supports other family farms around the UK.
“If it wasn’t for their dedication to farming and the hard work of our whole team, St. Ewe Free Range Eggs wouldn’t be where they are today.
“British farmers play such an important role in nurturing the nation’s food system, as well as delivering a wide range of environmental and rural community benefits which span well beyond the farm gates.”
Tonks said supporting British produce has “never been so important” and that the company feels proud to be part of “this magnificent industry”.
“I speak on behalf of the whole St. Ewe family when I say that it marked a huge moment for us, as we reflect, with huge pride, on our combined achievements over the past 41 years,” she said.
St. Ewe Free Range Eggs
The company’s packing centre spans 50,000 square feet and, along with specialist machinery, has enabled the business to continue to thrive and step change its growth from one million eggs/week to two-to-three million eggs/week at present.
“With the processing capacity of the business having increased more than five-fold, this in turn has generated more employment opportunities within the local community,” the company said.
The Tonks family diversified into poultry in 1982 and founded St. Ewe Free Range Eggs in 2007, when they began packing their own free range eggs for the supermarkets under their own brand.
The Princess Royal, Anne, was invited to unveil a plaque to commemorate the opening of the new grading and packing centre and was presented with a Cornish hamper by the Lucia Tonks – seven-year-old daughter of the chief executive, Bex Tonks.
