Cal-Maine Foods has acquired the assets of egg producer ISE America, Inc. for approximately US$110 million.
The acquisition includes ISE America’s commercial shell egg production, which houses approximately 4.7 million layer hens with 1 million of those being cage free, and processing facilities.
The acquisition also includes 1.2 million pullets, the producer’s feed mills, approximately 4,000 acres of land, ISE America’s current inventory and an egg products breaking facility.
Additionally, Cal-Maine will take over ISE America’s customer distribution network across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, and its production operations in Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and South Carolina. Cal-Maine plans to keep ISE America’s current workforce employed.
On the purchase, Cal-Maine Foods President and Chief Executive Officer Sherman Miller stated: “We are excited about the opportunity to significantly enhance our market reach in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states with the acquisition of these assets from ISE. The added production and distribution capabilities will allow us to serve new customers and expand capacity, particularly in the Northeast, which is largely a new territory for Cal-Maine Foods.”
He continued: “We are also acquiring production assets for the first time in Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. ISE has a long history in the egg production business and enjoys a solid reputation in the marketplace. We will continue to honor this important legacy as we build new connections and customer relationships.
ISE America is the 23rd largest shell egg producer in the U.S., according to WATT Global Media’s 2024 Top Egg Company Survey. It is based in Maryland and produces conventional and cage-free eggs, as well as bulk and liquid egg products. Additionally, ISE America is a subsidiary of ISE Inc., headquartered in Japan.
Cal-Maine Foods is the largest shell egg producer in the U.S. and housed approximately 44 million birds before its acquisition of ISE America.
Cal-Maine’s other acquisitions in 2024
In March 2024, Cal-Maine completed the acquisition of Tyson Foods' broiler processing plant, hatchery and feed mill in Dexter, Missouri, that closed in 2023 for use in the shell egg and egg products sector.
Since that time, a lawsuit was filed against Cal-Maine that alleged the egg producer was involved in anti-competitive behavior that is preventing Tyson’s previous farmers from continuing to work in the poultry industry, which in turn, is financially hurting the area’s farmers. The lawsuit is still ongoing as of July 1st, 2024.
