Each generation of the Righetti family has brought new traditions.

More than 170 years ago, Battista Righetti came from Switzerland and brought dairy cows to the family farm, Elvzia. Today, along with Merinos and cattle, thousands of hens roam its paddocks.

And this thirst to achieve only seems to be growing with each generation.

Paul and Jacqui Righetti, who are co-founders of Honest Eggs Co on their farm near Daylesford, Victoria, are very passionate about making sure their customers get one thing when buying their eggs - honesty.

The decision to run hens came about purely by chance. Their daughter was asked to hatch 'some' eggs when she was in kindergarten. "And when we got there they gave us a box of 60 eggs," Paul said. "We put them in the incubator and of course they all hatched."

So their path with hens began. But it was a big change from what stock had grazed Elvzia's paddocks for decades.

When Paul's great-grandfather Battista came to Australia, he built a Swiss-style barn and began a dairy.

And it seems creating quality produce was apparent in the Righetti blood even then - he built his own separator and butter maker, and exported his butter back to Europe.

"He built a really successful business with the dairy, but he also did general farming too," Paul said.

The dairy continued on the farm until the early 1900s, and the sheep and cattle property was passed down through four generations to Paul's father Lawrence and then to Paul.

And Paul's passion for the family farm was strong from the beginning. The beautiful historic house had become rundown, so Paul set about giving it a new lease on life. "I always wanted to come back to the farm," he said.

They run Merinos, as well as trade cattle, on their 2000 hectares, but soon they got plenty of feathered companions in their grazing.

It wasn't just having 60 eggs to hatch that convinced Paul and Jacqui to take the leap into hens.

A Resource Consulting Services course in regenerative farming changed everything. "It changed our view on farming, and made us reflect on the business world and family," he said.

They began running the property with holistic principles, which focus on enhancing the quality of the soil and maintaining a balance between livestock and feed.

"The hens became a part of that," he said. "By moving the hens every week to fresh pasture, the hens' droppings become the perfect natural fertiliser, building healthy soil bacteria, improving overall soil health and pasture growth, which in-turn helps sequester more carbon from the atmosphere."

After getting fantastic feedback from friends and neighbours who tasted the eggs, they decided to up the ante. They began researching mobile housing for the hens, and ordered a couple of caravans and 1000 Isa Brown hens. They also bought an old cleaning and grading machine.

They approached Alla Wolf-Tasker, from Lake House restaurant in Daylesford about their eggs. "Alla bought half of our eggs for her restaurant. Alla is very supportive of local produce."

From here the business grew. "We started looking at the enterprise and taking it to the next level," he said.

And this is when they joined forces with neighbouring farmers Ian and Kim Garsed, who had similar family values and goals.

"As we went along we befriended other like-minded farmers. We have taken on four other multi-generational farming families who all farm under our regenerative methodology to varying degrees. Through that we are able to influence a wider farming community and begin to push the need to farm regeneratively, which over time can begin to have a significant positive impact on soil health over some very large farms in Australia."

The farmers care for the hens, with the eggs picked up from the farm weekly. Packing is done locally at Daylesford, while sales, marketing and distribution is run out of their Melbourne warehouse.

Getting up with the sun may not appeal to all of us, but for the Honest Eggs Co hens, that's just what they want.

Co-founders Paul and Jacqui Righetti, along with Ian and Kim Garsed, are passionate about making sure their hens are as happy as possible - and this means delicious eggs.

Honest Eggs Co runs 40,000 hens across the four farms, with Paul and Jacqui running 17,000 themselves.

They have a specialist grower who supplies their Isa Brown hens when they are 16 weeks old, and hens are retired between 18 months and two years old and are often sold to people as backyard hens.

The hens have Italian-made, insulated mobile shedding, which is moved around the paddocks following mobs of sheep and cattle.

"We are pushing hard in the regenerative space," Paul said.

"They've got shelter, comfort, feed and water in the sheds. Their grain is available ad lib, and they have a reticulated water system to supply water in the sheds."

The hens have the freedom to move about and are never locked in, protected by Maremma dogs.

"That way they can get up at daylight and go to bed with the sun," he said.

And when it comes to their diet, they have a smorgasbord at their feet.

"Diversity is the key," Paul said. "There are minerals in the sun that are important."

The hens can graze on pasture, insects, worms and grubs. They have access to a grain mix, which is 80 per cent wheat, and peas and barley for amino acids. They also have access to limestone grit.

"They have the ultimate choice in diet," he said. "The hens eat when they want to eat. And this means a delicious, nutrient-dense egg."

The laying nests have a conveyor belt on a slope underneath, so when a hen lays an egg, it rolls down ready to be collected.

Around 80pc of Honest Eggs Co eggs are sold in retail, with their eggs available in independent grocers, IGA stores and butcher shops. They have also started selling to selected Woolworths stores in Melbourne.

The balance is sold to cafes and restaurants.

National agricultural features and special publications journalist for ACM

National agricultural features and special publications journalist for ACM

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