As a financial planner for businesses and families, Bernadette Girvin of Gambin Financial Group has spent more than 15 years helping her clients build their nest eggs, building wealth so they could someday enjoy a comfortable retirement, send their kids to college, or simply pursue their dreams. Little did she know, that as she was building her own family's nest egg, the dream she was pursuing would involve taking the “egg” metaphor literally.
About a year ago, Bernadette and her husband decided to make one of their dreams, owning a home on a large piece of property, a reality. That's when they bought a home on a five-acre farm near Tavares.
“When we bought the house, we inherited 11 chickens,” she said. “It was a little bit of a childhood dream of mine. I just fell in love with the chickens and wanted to keep getting more. And then I was getting so many eggs that we couldn't eat them all. I had people asking me for eggs and at first, I was just giving them away. Then I started thinking, I wonder if I could sell some of these. So, I slowly started selling them.”
And with that, 4 Girvins Farm was launched. Over time, they added several ducks and turkeys, and even a pig. Today, they run what could be described as an egg delivery service based on a subscription model. Customers order the eggs through their Instagram page and the eggs are delivered by Bernadette and her husband.
“I thought, you know what, I'm going to test this out on Instagram and I posted that I had eggs ready to sell and that we would deliver them for $5 a dozen, just to let me know who's interested. My Instagram blew up and so I was like, I think we've got something here.”
With their egg subscription model, customers sign up to get a delivery every week or every other week. And for a minimum order of two dozen eggs, they will deliver them to the customer's home.
“Word of mouth started spreading,” she said. “And now we're selling close to 50 dozen eggs a week. It's just awesome how well it's taken off.”
Based on feedback she receives regularly, the reason the eggs are so popular comes down to a couple of factors. First, their chickens can roam throughout a large yard so it's more of a natural process compared to grocery store eggs, which typically come from chickens that are cooped up in what amounts to an egg factory.
“It's a lot more humane for the chickens because they can wander around a large space. What it comes down to for most people is that they know where their food is coming from. We try really hard to help people see behind the scenes where our chickens live and the type of food that we feed them. They're foraging for bugs, and they're eating grass all day. And the supplement feed that we provide is non-GMO, organic, hormone free. So it's a healthier way to eat.”
Second, her customers simply love the way it tastes.
“I have people texting me all the time, saying, ‘Oh my gosh, these eggs are so delicious. So much better than the eggs that I get at a regular store.”
It's lot more humane for the chickens because they can wander around a large space. They're foraging for bugs, and they're eating grass all day.
