Quick Take
Markets and grocery stores throughout Santa Cruz County are unable to stock eggs due to outbreaks of avian flu, which is causing a nationwide shortage. But bakeries, grocery stores and restaurants that source eggs from family-owned Glaum Egg Ranch in Aptos say their supply hasn’t been affected.
We don’t know if the chicken came before the egg, but the avian flu definitely came before the egg shortage.
An ongoing outbreak of a highly contagious strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, has necessitated the euthanization of millions of poultry nationwide. In turn, that has led to an egg shortage that is being felt in Santa Cruz County. Customers shopping at grocery stores like New Leaf Community Markets, Trader Joe’s and Costco are limited to buying one carton of eggs at a time, or seeing empty shelves altogether.
The virus was first detected in commercial flocks in February 2022. Since October, it has affected almost 33 million birds in commercial and backyard flocks nationally. California is currently the hardest-hit state, with 4.6 million affected birds as of Jan. 3, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Infected birds must be culled, and the loss of millions of laying hens has significantly decreased egg production.
New Leaf representative Lindsay Gizdich said its stores feeling the effects of the supply shortage, which has decreased the available inventory of eggs. New Leaf sources eggs from several suppliers, including Clover Sonoma and Aptos-based Glaum Egg Ranch, but supply hasn’t been able to keep up with demand. “Most of our vendors are allocating us as many cartons as they can each week. Sometimes, we sell out very quickly,” she said.
But despite the disappearance of eggs from some stores, area businesses that source their eggs from Glaum Egg Ranch say they’re unaffected by the shortage.
“Everything from Glaum is fully stocked,” Andre Beauregard, owner of Shopper’s Corner grocery store in Santa Cruz, told Lookout. Shopper’s Corner sources most of its eggs from Glaum, and because his deliveries weren’t affected, Beauregard said he wasn’t aware that there was a shortage until he saw people complaining about it on social media.
Shopper’s Corner also occasionally stocks eggs from national brands like Clover Sonoma, but on Wednesday the only eggs in stock at the Soquel Avenue store came from Glaum. During other egg shortages over the past two years, Glaum has been consistent with deliveries, Beauregard said.
Mad Yolks, an egg-themed restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz serving breakfast sandwiches and egg-topped burgers, also sources from Glaum. Henry Wong, who co-owns Mad Yolks with his brother Peter Wong, said their egg deliveries and prices have been consistent, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the price increased.
“During other egg shortages, we continued to get eggs, but the price went up. Usually we pay $3 to $4 per dozen. During shortages it goes up to $7 to $10 per dozen,” said Wong. The price of eggs in California has grown to $8.97 per dozen, up 70% between November and December, according to the USDA’s Egg Market Overview.
Mad Yolks chose to partner with Glaum Egg Ranch when it opened in 2022, because it’s local, family-owned and manages its flocks carefully. Wong once asked to visit the farm and Glaum declined, he said. “They don’t want the possibility of outsiders contaminating the farm. They manage it very carefully, especially during flu season,” said Wong.
Glaum Egg Ranch did not reply to calls or emails for this story.
The Glaum family has produced eggs in Aptos since 1957, and the ranch is still family-owned. It offers both cage-free large and extra large eggs, and organic cage-free large and extra large eggs certified by the USDA National Organic Program and Santa Cruz-based California Certified Organic Farmers. A farm store is open to the public at 3100 Valencia Rd. in Aptos, where visitors can purchase eggs, products from other nearby producers like Freedom Meat Lockers, and view its famous animatronic chicken show.
Glaum distributes eggs to 50 restaurants and markets in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, according to its website.
Two of Santa Cruz County’s largest bakeries also source from Glaum and aren’t experiencing disruptions. Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria in Capitola hasn’t been affected, despite using a large number of eggs – around 180 dozen, or 2,160 individual eggs, every day, said co-owner Louisa Beers.
At Companion Bakershop, owner Erin Lampel’s team uses almost 400 eggs a week to create everything from tea cakes and quick breads to cookies, quiche and frittatas. Companion, which has locations in Aptos and Santa Cruz and distributes wholesale around the county, has sourced eggs from Glaum since the bakery started in 2006.
Lampel said she’s been ordering an extra case of 30 dozen eggs a week per location just in case there’s a shortage, but she isn’t too concerned. “Last week, I had to take some home from Companion because we have none at the grocery store,” said Lampel. “We’re really lucky to have them in the area.”
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