HEN-TERPISING youngsters have just racked up the sale of their 2,000th fresh eggs through a Welsh centre of eggs-cellence.
Youngsters at Ysgol San Sior in Llandudno raise rare breed chickens, and sell the hens’ eggs to parents during term time and through Bodnant Welsh Food Centre during holidays.
The school sell their Wyau San Sior (San Sior Eggs) locally and though Bodnant.
The children have now just sold their 2,000th egg to shoppers at the centre in the Conwy Valley, with boxes flying off the shelves as soon as they are delivered.
Bodnant Welsh Food Centre’s operations director Conrad Jones said: “Here at the centre we’re always keen to encourage local businesses and I think it’s fantastic that we have been able to give our on-going support to such a novel enterprise as the eggs produced at Ysgol San Sior.
“Reaching 2,000 eggs from the school is quite a milestone for both them and us and definitely something to celebrate.
“More than half of the produce we sell is either sourced from the Bodnant site or comes from artisan producers, like Ysgol San Sior, based within a few miles of the centre, something that we are very proud about.”
The school hatched their egg enterprise with an incubator and a stock of eggs bought through eBay, to help pupils learn about animal welfare and food production. San Sior now has a growing flock of hens – many of them rare breeds – which are cared for by children as part of their weekly lessons, plus a small group of students who give up their break time to help clean out nest-boxes and collect eggs.
Head teacher Ian Keith Jones said: “Our little business venture is no yoke and since we began producing the eggs almost three years ago things have gone from strength to strength.
“We now have a flock of 156 chickens at the school who between them laid around 17,000 eggs last year, compared to just over 15,000 in 2014.
“We’re able to sell most of them to our parents but during the school holidays, of course, the hens still keep laying, so we have been supplying these eggs to Bodnant and have just sold them our 2,000th, which is quite a landmark.
“We thought a link with Bodnant was very important, as the centre has a very good reputation for supplying locally produced food and gives the children an insight into how a successful business operates.
“We’re sticking with Bodnant because without their support during the holidays we couldn’t continue producing so many eggs as we’d have nobody to sell them too.”
Egg production has now reached to an unbeatable 600 a week, with the total number laid topping 50,000.
Amongst the San Sior hen flock are a number of rare breeds capable of laying eggs in different colours, including blue from the lavender auracanas and chocolate brown from copper-blue marans.
Eggs of two or three assorted colours are sold in transparent boxes of seven, with labels designed by the children, which retail for £2.35.
Each egg is individually stamped for quality control and the school has been passed as an official packing station complete with its own special code.
More details about Bodnant at www.bodnant-welshfood.co.uk or call 01492 651100.
