Cal-Maine Foods
A major American producer and marketer of fresh shell eggs. One of the largest egg producers and distributors in the United States.
Last updated October 30, 2026
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Overview
Cal-Maine Foods is an American agricultural and food company focused primarily on the production, processing, packaging, distribution, and sale of fresh shell eggs. Founded in 1957 by Fred R. Adams, Jr., the company grew from a regional egg business into the largest egg producer in the United States by 2024. Its corporate headquarters are in Ridgeland, Mississippi, after the company moved there from Jackson in 2021. The company sells eggs under a portfolio of brand names rather than relying exclusively on the Cal-Maine name. These brands include Egg-Land's Best, Land O'Lakes, Farmhouse Eggs, Sunups, Sunny Meadow, and 4-Grain. Its product range includes conventional eggs as well as specialty and value-added categories such as cage-free, organic, nutritionally enhanced, and other differentiated egg products where available through its operating businesses and retail channels. Cal-Maine supplies supermarkets, foodservice operators, institutional customers, food manufacturers, and other commercial buyers across the United States. Cal-Maine's scale has been built substantially through acquisitions. The company has acquired at least 25 egg-producing businesses over its history, adding farms, processing capacity, distribution networks, brands, and regional market access. It also operates or has operated related agricultural assets and subsidiaries, including Cal-Maine Farms, Southern Equipment Distributors, South Texas Applicators, Cal-Maine Partnership, and CMF of Kansas. In March 2024, it expanded beyond its established egg-production base by acquiring a broiler-processing plant, hatchery, and feed mill in Dexter, Missouri, from Tyson Foods. The company has participated in branded-egg arrangements as well as independent retail and foodservice sales. In 2012, Cal-Maine announced a joint venture involving Egg-Land's Best and Land O'Lakes. Cal-Maine had been Egg-Land's Best's largest franchisee and one of its shareholders, and Egg-Land's Best represented a significant share of Cal-Maine's sales at the time. By 2025, Cal-Maine was reported to produce and sell approximately 13 billion eggs annually, equivalent to about one-fifth of commercially produced eggs in the United States. Its size gives it substantial exposure to feed costs, flock health, disease outbreaks, labor, transportation, retailer negotiations, consumer demand, and commodity-price volatility. The company has also faced public scrutiny concerning animal-welfare allegations, pandemic-era egg pricing, avian-influenza flock depopulation, and antitrust litigation. Some allegations have been dismissed or remain contested, while other proceedings resulted in liability findings or proposed settlements. Cal-Maine remains an active, family-controlled public company whose core identity is tied to large-scale egg production and distribution. Its business is principally domestic, and its competitive position rests on production scale, geographic reach, acquisition integration, brand ownership or licensing, and the ability to serve both branded and private-label demand. Cal-Maine Foods is an American company engaged in the production, processing, and distribution of eggs. It is one of the largest egg producers in the United States, offering shell eggs and egg products. Founded in 1957, the company is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
History
Cal-Maine Foods was established in 1957 by Fred R. Adams, Jr. in Mississippi. The company developed as an egg-production and marketing business and gradually expanded its geographic footprint, production assets, customer base, and brand portfolio. The Adams family retained a controlling interest while the company became publicly traded on NASDAQ. A central feature of Cal-Maine's development has been acquisition-led expansion. Over time, the company acquired at least 25 other egg-producing businesses. These transactions enabled it to add farms, hatcheries, processing and packaging operations, distribution capabilities, and established regional brands. The resulting network helped Cal-Maine become a major supplier to grocery retailers, restaurants, foodservice operators, institutional buyers, and commercial food manufacturers throughout the United States. Cal-Maine's brand strategy has included both its own operating businesses and prominent licensed or affiliated egg brands. Its portfolio has included Egg-Land's Best, Land O'Lakes, Farmhouse Eggs, Sunups, Sunny Meadow, and 4-Grain. In 2012, the company announced a joint venture involving Egg-Land's Best and Land O'Lakes. Cal-Maine had been Egg-Land's Best's largest franchisee and one of its shareholders, and the brand accounted for a meaningful portion of Cal-Maine's egg sales. The company has periodically faced operational and public-policy challenges associated with intensive poultry agriculture. In 2018, Animal Recovery Mission alleged abusive conditions at Lake Wales Farm. Subsequent investigations by local law enforcement and the USDA did not confirm the alleged abuse and found that the farm followed AVMA protocols for poultry euthanasia. In December 2020, a fire at two barns at the company's Dade City, Florida, facilities killed more than 240,000 birds and caused reported losses of more than $1 million. Cal-Maine moved its headquarters from Jackson to nearby Ridgeland, Mississippi, in 2021. Egg pricing and competition issues have also been recurring themes in the company's history. During the COVID-19 pandemic, reported retail prices for Cal-Maine eggs rose substantially, prompting litigation that challenged the increases; the lawsuit was dismissed in August 2020. In 2023, Cal-Maine was found liable in a long-running lawsuit brought by large food manufacturers alleging that Cal-Maine and other industry participants coordinated to restrict egg supplies and raise prices during the 2004–2008 period. Cal-Maine expanded into related poultry infrastructure in March 2024 when it purchased a broiler-processing plant, hatchery, and feed mill in Dexter, Missouri, from Tyson Foods. The transaction was followed by a lawsuit filed by poultry farmers, who alleged that Cal-Maine and Tyson had acted together to block a competing buyer. The allegations concerned Missouri antitrust law and were contested matters rather than established findings in the supplied reference material. Avian influenza has created additional financial, animal-welfare, and regulatory pressures. Cal-Maine received USDA indemnity payments for flocks destroyed because of the disease, while critics questioned the use of ventilation shutdown plus and the relationship between public compensation, flock losses, and egg prices. In 2025, reporting and watchdog criticism prompted allegations that large egg producers, including Cal-Maine, may have profited improperly or coordinated during a national egg shortage. The supplied reference material states that the DOJ Antitrust Division opened an investigation. A further proposed settlement described in the reference material concerns alleged coordination of bids to an egg-price reporting service between 2022 and 2025. The proposal reportedly involved Cal-Maine and two other producers, collective payments of $3.3 million, and donations of 53 million eggs. The companies did not admit wrongdoing, and the agreement remained subject to court approval. By 2025, Cal-Maine was reported to produce and sell roughly 13 billion eggs a year, representing about 20 percent of commercially produced U.S. eggs. Its present business is therefore defined by national scale, a broad production and distribution network, multiple consumer-facing brands, continued acquisition activity, and exposure to disease, commodity, regulatory, antitrust, and sustainability issues.
- 2025
Reported U.S. egg-market scale
[1]The company was reported to produce and sell approximately 13 billion eggs annually, or about one-fifth of commercially produced U.S. eggs.
- 2024
Dexter, Missouri acquisition
[1]Cal-Maine acquired a broiler-processing plant, hatchery, and feed mill from Tyson Foods.
- 2023
Liability finding in egg-supply lawsuit
[1]A court found Cal-Maine liable in litigation alleging coordinated supply restrictions and price increases during 2004–2008.
- 2021
Headquarters relocated to Ridgeland
[1]Cal-Maine moved its headquarters from Jackson to Ridgeland, Mississippi.
- 2020
Dade City facility fire
[1]A fire destroyed two Florida barns and killed more than 240,000 chickens.
- 2012
Egg-Land's Best and Land O'Lakes joint venture announced
[1]Cal-Maine announced a joint venture involving Egg-Land's Best and Land O'Lakes, building on its role as a major Egg-Land's Best franchisee and shareholder.
- 1957
Company founded
[1]Fred R. Adams, Jr. founded Cal-Maine in Mississippi as an egg-production and marketing business.
Products and positioning
Large-scale American egg producer and distributor serving retail, foodservice, institutional, and commercial food customers through a multi-brand and acquisition-based operating model.
Eggs
Fresh shell eggs
Cal-Maine's core offering is fresh shell eggs produced, graded, packaged, and distributed through a national operating network. These products are sold to grocery retailers, foodservice customers, institutional buyers, and commercial food manufacturers under a mixture of branded and private-label arrangements.
Eggs
Conventional eggs
Conventional shell eggs form an important part of the company's high-volume business. They are marketed through retail and foodservice channels and are particularly exposed to feed costs, flock health, transportation expenses, and changes in commodity pricing.
Eggs
Specialty eggs
Cal-Maine's portfolio includes specialty categories such as cage-free, organic, and nutritionally differentiated eggs where supplied by its operating businesses and brands. These products address consumer, retailer, and foodservice demand for differentiated production methods or nutritional attributes.
Branded eggs
Egg-Land's Best
Egg-Land's Best is one of the principal branded egg lines associated with Cal-Maine. Cal-Maine was historically the brand's largest franchisee and a shareholder, and the brand represented a significant proportion of the company's sales in the early 2010s.
Branded eggs
Land O'Lakes eggs
Land O'Lakes eggs are part of the brand portfolio connected with Cal-Maine's Egg-Land's Best and Land O'Lakes arrangements. The line gives the company access to a recognized agricultural and food brand in selected retail and distribution channels.
Branded eggs
Farmhouse Eggs, Sunups, Sunny Meadow, and 4-Grain
These regional and specialty-facing names are among the brands under which Cal-Maine eggs are marketed. Together they illustrate the company's multi-brand approach, allowing products to be positioned for different retailers, geographies, consumer segments, and production attributes.
Controversies
2026
Proposed settlement over egg-price reporting
A proposed settlement alleged coordinated bids to an egg-price reporting service between 2022 and 2025. The proposed agreement included monetary payments and egg donations, without an admission of wrongdoing, and remained subject to court approval.
2025
Egg-shortage profiteering and antitrust allegations
Watchdog reporting alleged that Cal-Maine and other large egg producers may have benefited improperly or coordinated during an avian-influenza-related egg shortage. The reference material states that the DOJ Antitrust Division investigated Cal-Maine.
2023
Egg-supply and price coordination liability
Cal-Maine was found liable in a lawsuit alleging that it and other egg-industry participants coordinated to reduce supply and raise prices between 2004 and 2008.
2020
COVID-19-era egg pricing litigation
A lawsuit challenged a reported increase in egg prices during the early COVID-19 period as unjustified. The case was dismissed in August 2020.
2018
Lake Wales Farm animal-welfare allegations
Animal Recovery Mission alleged poor living conditions and employee abuse at Lake Wales Farm. Investigations by the Polk County Sheriff's Department and USDA did not confirm the alleged abuse and reported compliance with AVMA poultry-euthanasia protocols.
Avian-influenza indemnity and depopulation controversy
The company received USDA indemnity payments for flocks destroyed because of avian influenza. Critics questioned the use of ventilation shutdown plus and the broader effects of flock depopulation and public compensation.
Brand decisions
2024
Acquire Tyson's Dexter poultry assetsM&ABackground
Cal-Maine sought to expand its poultry-related infrastructure beyond its established egg-production operations.
Action taken
The company acquired a broiler-processing plant, hatchery, and feed mill in Dexter, Missouri, from Tyson Foods.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Cal-Maine's assets into broiler processing and related poultry operations. Poultry farmers subsequently filed antitrust litigation concerning the transaction.
Purchase price. (March 2024)
- Tyson Foods — Tyson Foods sold the Dexter, Missouri, facilities to Cal-Maine; no further reaction is specified in the supplied material.
2021
Relocate corporate headquartersStrategyBackground
Cal-Maine's corporate offices had been located in Jackson, Mississippi.
Action taken
The company moved its headquarters to Ridgeland, Mississippi.
Aftermath
Ridgeland became the company's reported headquarters while its production and distribution operations remained geographically dispersed.
2012
Participate in Egg-Land's Best and Land O'Lakes joint ventureStrategyBackground
Cal-Maine had become the largest Egg-Land's Best franchisee and one of its shareholders, making branded distribution and cooperative relationships important parts of its sales strategy.
Action taken
The company announced a joint venture involving Egg-Land's Best and Land O'Lakes.
Aftermath
The arrangement reinforced Cal-Maine's position in branded egg distribution and connected it with two established agricultural food brands.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Cal-Maine Foods posts wider-than-expected fiscal Q1 loss[2]
Reported:
Cal-Maine Foods reported a wider-than-expected loss in its fiscal first-quarter earnings report, losing $1.26 per share versus the 77-cent loss expected by analysts; shares tumbled more than 6.5% premarket.
- Unconfirmed
Cal-Maine Foods announces purchase of remaining Red River Valley Egg Farm interest[3]
Cal-Maine Foods announced a definitive agreement to purchase Rose Acre Farms’ remaining 50% membership interest in Red River Valley Egg Farm for $48.5 million; the entity would become a wholly owned subsidiary.
Sources3 sources
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