Back-to-Eden Ranch Pasture Eggs, & Co. Isabella Chow

My younger siblings and I founded Back-to-Eden Ranch Pasture Eggs, & Co., in January 2012. Although our business started small, we expanded rapidly and have since raised several hundred chickens and African guinea fowl, along with starting beehives and berry gardens. Our chickens, in contrast to tightly caged chickens at large, factory-style "farms," freely roam throughout our five-acre ranch during the day, pecking for bugs in the dirt and wallowing in dust baths to keep clean.

Partly because of the non-GMO feed we use, and partly because of the small size of our farm, the eggs we sell cost more than supermarket eggs. Customers tell us, however, that these rich, healthy eggs taste like no other. Through running Back-to-Eden, my siblings and I have learned vital customer relations, marketing, and management skills; most importantly, personally raising chickens has taught us to appreciate the labor and dedication involved in sustainable, small-scale farming.