Creighton Brothers in Wabash bought by nation's largest egg producer

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., the nation’s largest egg producer, has announced it will acquire the shell egg, egg products and prepared foods assets of Creighton Brothers, LLC, including Crystal Lake LLC, for approximately $128.5 million.

Creighton Brothers, based near Wabash, produces, grades and packages conventional and specialty shell eggs for retail and foodservice customers. Crystal Lake manufactures ready-to-use egg products for foodservice and food manufacturers, including liquid, frozen and hard-cooked eggs, along with pre-cooked egg patties, omelets and scrambled eggs.

The acquired assets include facilities supporting approximately 3.2 million laying hens — including 500,000 cage-free — and 865,000 pullets, along with a feed mill, an egg products and hard-cooked egg processing plant, and more than 1,000 acres of land.

Creighton Brothers was founded in 1925.

Cal-Maine President and CEO Sherman Miller said the purchase strengthens his company’s ability to meet growing consumer demand while enhancing operational efficiency.

Having liquid egg capacity nearby also strengthens Cal-Maine’s internal sourcing strategy for key ingredients used in its prepared foods business, improving supply security and margins over time.

The Creighton Brothers and Crystal Lake operations and 177 employees will be fully integrated into Cal-Maine’s existing business.

Cal-Maine Foods is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Its branded portfolio includes Eggland’s Best ®, Land O’Lakes ®, Farmhouse Eggs®, and MeadowCreek Foods.