Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. announced that Southwest Specialty Eggs, LLC, the Company’s joint venture with Hickman’s Egg Ranch, Inc., has acquired the Egg-Land’s Best, Inc. franchise for the southern California markets, including Clark County and Las Vegas, Nevada. As a result of this transaction, Southwest Specialty Eggs, LLC, will have licensing agreements for the sale of Egg-Land’s Best and Land O’ Lakes branded specialty eggs, as well as 4Grain, Farmhouse Eggs and other premium brands in this market region. Sales of Egg-Land’s Best specialty eggs accounted for approximately 14.4 percent of Cal-Maine’s total shell egg sales in fiscal 2014.

Commenting on the announcement, Dolph Baker, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., stated, “We are excited about the opportunity for Southwest Specialty Eggs, LLC to market Egg-Land’s Best, Land O’Lakes, 4Grain and Farmhouse Eggs branded and other specialty eggs in southern California and Nevada. As consumer demand for specialty eggs has continued to grow, we have focused our growth strategy on expanding our market reach for sales of specialty eggs. We offer a variety of healthy choices for our customers and we look forward to participating in Southwest Specialty Eggs, LLC’s marketing and distribution of these popular and well-respected brands in southern California and Nevada.”

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. 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 United States and sells the majority of its shell eggs in approximately 29 states across the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.