COLCHESTER, Vt. - A Vermont family farm is selling its final dozen eggs after 83 years in business.On Tuesday, residents were shopping at the businesses’ storefront for what could be the last few dozen eggs while swapping stories about omelets of years past.“It’s another institution leaving us,” said Dan Carver, who lives a few minutes from the storefront. “I would grab eggs for the kids. They liked what we could make with them.
While residents said the company would be missed, owner Rich Paquette said he’s proud of what his family built.The family has been supplying eggs to the community since 1940, but they got rid of their hens in 2000 and have since turned into a distributor. Still, the family’s eggs could be found in many stores across Vermont.According to Paquette, the six family employees working were helping to supply an estimated 80% of eggs eaten in Chittenden County.
“We don’t want to continue learning new challenges. We do what we do quite well, but it’s time for us to move on into something less hectic,” he said. The wholesale accounts have been sold to another food distributor out of South Barre, and Paquette will focus on his storage business.Those stopping by Tuesday said they understood but will still miss the local label.
“It’s sad to see. I’ve been living in town for 30 years, but it’s just one more change. This one, I will say for the worse, but I also understand why,” Carver said.