Achieving success with egg-ceptional People, Product and Passion

By: Cynthia Waggoner, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Egglife Foods, Inc.

New company start-ups are messy, no matter how much you plan and design. There is no way to foresee every challenge – what makes it a success is how you respond to those inevitable challenges. Starting with the right people and a great product, like Egglife, will help you weather any storm.

At Egglife, a key piece of the process was building a solid foundation – meaning, the right people, at the right time, with the right skill sets — to create a successful operation. Because we were facing the uncertainties of a startup, and resources were limited, we had to make absolutely sure that we were judicious in every decision. Building our organization on strong foundations, across all disciplines, one block at a time. Over time, we were able to build a culture and a successful business behind the passionate people we hired and the product we believed in. Here’s how:

Growth From a Home Kitchen to the Manufacturing Plant

The first egglife wrap was born out of Peggy Johns’ kitchen. In the three years that followed, we jumped from her kitchen to a pilot line, and then to two fully operational product lines, all while facing a pandemic, supply disruptions, and labor shortages. Despite those challenges, we were not only able to survive, but we were able to become wildly successful.

To me, our success is attributed to the fact that, since day one, we’ve challenged ourselves to make our tomorrow better than today — in refining the product, in building our lines, and in growing our people and our capabilities. In scaling our production to the first commercial line, we identified key learnings from our pilot line experience and increased production by 10 times – improving process, equipment, capabilities and capacities along the way. Our second commercial line continued the pattern, allowing us to keep pace with Egglife’s exponential growth. The continuous improvement mindset drives us everyday.

Ensuring the Perfect Partnerships

That exponential growth can truly be attributed to the dynamic team, leaders and partnerships we have in place. As a startup, it can be difficult convincing partners to come along on the journey with you – especially today when so many companies are facing labor and material shortages. New partnerships aren’t high on their list of priorities. Our team spent a lot of energy early on building strategic connections with suppliers, telling our company story, sharing our product portfolio, and selling our company vision to be a leader in modern nutrition. Our sales, marketing and strategy leaders are constantly doing deep dives into every aspect that drives our business to ensure we understand current industry trends. Those insights and partnerships have allowed us to keep up with demand, navigate any challenges, and stay on shelves over the last two years.

Utilizing the right leadership to overcome challenges

There are a number of factors that contribute to supply chain issues – the pandemic being one of many. From my experience in my years of leading people, I’ve learned that the key to navigating any challenge is having the right leadership in place. Leaders being present, leading by example, and making the right decisions for our product and our people. Leading from the front, never giving up and never quitting, but continuing to take every challenge head on. Our success is a true testament to our innovative and resourceful leaders and employees at Egglife. When you have a culture that’s as special as the product you’re making, you can overcome anything.

Ensurung there is a well thought out plan in place for challenges is another piece of the puzzle, along with maintaining alignment with key stakeholders. Then create a plan B, C and D, because there is a high likelihood that there will be challenges that will create a need to change direction and course correct. This will help guarantee that you are better prepared for any challenges that come your way.

Commitment to Quality

Consumer experience is paramount to the success of a new brand, which is why we have an unwavering commitment to quality in our products. We trademarked the term “The Perfect Wrap?” because we believe our product is truly exceptional - the perfect blend of taste, nutrition and versatility. In order to uphold that high standard we've set for our consumers, our manufacturing operation needs to be able to deliver on that expectation each and every day. A key factor in the success of our organization is our dedication to sourcing the right ingredients, implementing consistent processes and procedures as we scale our operation, and ensuring our teams understand the importance of quality. Over the last two years, we have achieved the highest level of Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification, which is a true testament to our commitment to quality.

The Key to Overcoming Challenges?

There are a magnitude of challenges for both established and startup companies. Leadership, solid relationships, teamwork, planning and partnerships are key to ensuring your ability to overcome those challenges. Supply chain issues are inevitable, but having extraordinary people and products as your foundation is the key to coming out successful on the other side.