Cal-Maine Foods announced it has acquired the shell egg, egg products, and prepared foods assets of Creighton Brothers, including Crystal Lake, for approximately $128.5 million in cash, subject to customary post-closing adjustments.
Headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Cal-Maine Foods is the largest egg company in the United States. The acquisition strengthens the company’s integrated egg production platform and expands its geographic footprint, particularly in Indiana, where Cal-Maine previously did not operate shell egg facilities.
Founded in 1925 and based in Warsaw, Indiana, Creighton Brothers produces, grades, and packages conventional and specialty shell eggs for retail and foodservice customers. Crystal Lake manufactures ready-to-use egg products for foodservice and food manufacturing markets, including liquid, frozen, and hard-cooked eggs, along with pre-cooked egg patties, omelets, and scrambled eggs.
Through the acquisition, Cal-Maine gains commercial shell egg production and grading capacity of approximately 3.2 million laying hens, including about 500,000 cage-free hens, along with around 865,000 pullets. The transaction also includes a feed mill, egg products, and a hard-cooked egg processing facility, and approximately 1,007 acres of land.
The deal will add 177 employees to Cal-Maine’s workforce as the operations of Creighton Brothers and Crystal Lake are integrated into the company’s existing network.
Cal-Maine said the acquisition supports its long-term strategy of expanding its shell egg production platform while strengthening internal sourcing for egg-based ingredients used in its prepared foods operations. The addition of nearby liquid egg processing capacity is expected to enhance supply security, improve operational efficiency, and support margin expansion across the company’s prepared foods segment.
KEY QUOTES:
“The acquisition of Creighton Brothers and Crystal Lake advances our strategy by expanding the scale and geographic reach of our shell egg platform, across both specialty eggs and conventional eggs, adding meaningful growth to our portfolio. This incremental capacity strengthens our ability to align production with demand, better positioning us to consistently meet consumer expectations for choice, reliability, and affordability. Together with the Creighton Brothers and Crystal Lake team, we will build on the strong foundation already in place—combining our operational excellence, deep customer relationships, supply chain expertise, rigorous capital deployment, and robust systems to accelerate growth and unlock new opportunities. Importantly, with nearby liquid egg capacity, we further our internal sourcing strategy for key egg-based ingredients for our prepared foods business—strengthening supply security, improving margins, and driving greater operational efficiency. Together, these advantages compound over time and, guided by our disciplined, returns-focused approach, drive performance and create sustainable per-share value.”
Sherman Miller, President And Chief Executive Officer Of Cal-Maine Foods
“With mixed personal emotions and great pride, I’m excited to see the legacy of Hobart and Russell Creighton and their families continue and grow with a new family at Cal-Maine. I believe our dedication to excellence and doing things right will mesh well and provide an example to follow for another 100 years.”
Mindy Truex, President Of Creighton Brothers And Crystal Lake
