May 3, 2012

Cal-Maine Foods has revealed a new joint venture between Eggland's Best and Land O' Lakes, a national farmer-owned cooperative in Minnesota, to produce and sell branded specialty eggs.

Commenting on the announcement, Dolph Baker, president and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine Foods, stated, "We are very pleased to participate in this new joint venture with Eggland's Best and Land O'Lakes and believe this transaction will benefit all of the members as well as our customers. This joint venture brings together two respected leaders in the egg business with proven brand recognition and a reputation for quality products. We are excited about the additional opportunities to market and sell specialty eggs, which are an important focus of Cal-Maine's growth strategy. Specialty eggs have continued to grow in popularity with consumers looking for healthy choices, and have higher and less cyclical retail selling prices. We look forward to extending our market reach in specialty eggs with our new relationship with Land O'Lakes."

Cal-Maine Foods is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packing and sale of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic and nutritionally-enhanced eggs. The company, which is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the US and sells the majority of its shell eggs in approximately 29 states across the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions of the US.