At sixth-generation egg farm, women crack the code for success

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It can be a unique path for women in Canada’s enterprising families. We profile some of their stories in our Women and Canadian Business Families series.

Burnbrae Farms Limited is a sixth-generation Canadian family business.

Margaret Hudson, president and chief executive officer of the company, is part of the fourth generation. There are now seven family members in the business, with two generations active full-time.

The family has been farming at the original Burnbrae Farms in Lyn, Ont., for more than 130 years. The family’s egg business was established by Margaret’s father more than 80 years ago.

Burnbrae Farms is now the largest integrated family-owned egg company in Canada. The farm sources eggs from more than 400 egg farming partners across Canada and is certified, majority-female owned and operated by WBE, as the company is owned by Margaret and her siblings, which includes her three sisters.

The Hudson family got together to collaborate on their answers to our questions about their family business, their history and their legacy, with Margaret speaking on behalf of the family.

Besides Margaret Hudson, those who contributed to answers are: Ted Hudson, her brother and executive vice-president, business development and poultry industry relations; Ian McFall, her brother in law and executive vice-president, foodservice and industrial sales; Helen Anne Hudson, her sister and senior advisor, corporate social responsibility and poultry industry liaison, as well as co-chair of the Burnbrae Farms Foundation; Sue Hudson, her sister and director, communications and digital marketing, and Mary Jean McFall, her sister, who acts as legal counsel for Ross Video and is also co-chair of the Burnbrae Farms Foundation.

Tell us about your family’s background and multigenerational business.

Burnbrae Farms is a sixth-generation Canadian family business. I am part of the fourth generation and there are now seven family members from two generations active in the business full-time, with occasional participation from both my dad and my great nieces and nephews, which means that we can at times have four generations interacting together in the business – a remarkable thing.

We have been farming at the original Burnbrae Farms in Lyn, Ont., for over 130 years. Our great grandparents were originally dairy farmers and we started in the egg business through the efforts of my dad and uncle, who introduced 50 chickens to our farm through a high-school project when he was 13 years old, which was over 80 years ago now, and the main focus of the farm shifted from cattle to poultry over several decades.

We are now the largest integrated family-owned egg company in Canada, with seven grading stations, three processing plants and five wholly owned farms in five provinces. We also source eggs from over 400 egg farming families across the country.

We service the retail, food service and industrial markets with shell eggs, as well as processed products, including hard-cooked and liquid eggs and omelets and egg patties. [Our brands include] Naturegg Omega 3 shell eggs, Simply Egg Whites liquid egg whites, Eggs2Go! hard-cooked eggs, and Egg Bites and Egg Bakes. Our products are in all major grocery retail stores, and we sell to suppliers of mayonnaise, ice cream, baked goods and even fast-food chains selling breakfast sandwiches.

Burnbrae has been an innovator in the Canadian egg industry. There has always been a focus on hen welfare, housing and best practices when it comes to bird health and handling, and we introduced eggs from Free Run or Cage Free Systems 25 years ago, and eggs from enriched housing over five years ago now.

We have also adopted new ways to process eggs, whether that has been through the utilization of the most up-to-date egg grading, egg breaking and pasteurization equipment, or by adding hard-boiling and omelet and patty production equipment to our further processing facilities.

We have also been innovative when it comes to nutrition, introducing Naturegg Omega 3 eggs over 25 years ago and Organic and Free-Range eggs soon after. More recently we have introduced eggs from a fully solar-powered layer farm operation.

We have a huge focus on sustainability, announcing Net Zero by 2050. We focus on five pillars of sustainability including the environment, animal care, health and wellbeing, safe nourishing food and community spirit. In 2017, our family established the Burnbrae Farms Foundation to support the charitable work of the company.

The foundation has supported many causes including food banks, breakfast clubs and community-based initiatives.

The strength of our family and our business is tied to our values – be humble, dream big, work hard, do your bit, and have fun together. Establishing and articulating a set of shared values has been an important process for us as a family. Our shared values support our alignment as a family, reinforcing why we want to own and work together in our business.

We are certified majority female owned and operated by WBE (Women Business Enterprise), as the company is owned by me and my siblings, including my three sisters.

Over the years, what was your role within your family’s business?

When we were very young, our parents expected my siblings and me to contribute to the work around the farm. This meant that from an early age we were expected to help care for the animals on our farm, which included cats, dogs, horses, cows and chickens, and do chores around the house like clean up the dishes, mow the lawn and take out the garbage, much like any other farming family.

When we reached our early teens, we were all put to work on the farm helping to gather eggs and work in the layer and pullet barns, as well as the grading station. My sisters and I also took a turn helping Dad in the office, doing typing and general office administration. We were very much encouraged to learn the business doing more entry-level jobs when were younger. But we were also able to explore other interests and I worked as a lifeguard and also out in Banff for some of my high school and university summers, as well.

My siblings and I all took different paths, but all of us ended up working in the business during our adult lives at one stage or another. I personally started working full-time for the company in my third year of university and never left. I am still here 32 years later.

My full-time career started on the order desk at our Mississauga location, progressed from there to managing the distribution department and then into sales and marketing. During the 1990s I was part of a team that drove a lot of the innovation for the company; through the early 2000s, I led the sales and marketing department until I was named president in 2008. Recently, I was promoted to president and CEO and have been leading the organization now for almost 15 years, supported by my brother and brother-in-law, who have worked alongside me for decades, along with many valued colleagues.

How did you witness the evolution of roles for women within family enterprises throughout those decades?

The role of women has certainly changed dramatically. It is clear to us that early transitions of the farm were very typical of the time, with my great grandfather passing it to his only son, although his daughters were always welcome and certainly returned there later in life. [Our] grandfather passed the farm to his two sons, as well. My father took a different approach, however, and passed on our business to all of his children and, with the majority of us being female, Burnbrae is now certified majority female owned.

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Our family has a legacy of strong female role models, however, with [our] grandfather’s sisters both educated with professional jobs, which was unusual for women born in the late 1800s. [Our] Aunt Lil actually graduated from Queen’s University in 1911 and was part of the Levana Society which was formed to support women in an environment largely dominated by men at the time. [Our] dad’s sisters were all educated with professional careers, as well. It was my dad and uncle who never left the farm to go to university. Subsequent generations have all been encouraged to go to university as well, regardless of gender.

[Our] mother also graduated from the University of Guelph, but left her career as a teacher to raise our family. For my generation of women, it was not clear that we would pursue careers over raising a family, or choose to do both. Women before us often chose one over the other and put their careers on hold to raise families. It was the baby boomer and Generation X women that forged a new path forward for women in business. Certainly, when I joined the food industry in the early 90s there were not a lot of career women in senior ranks as role models. It was a male-dominated industry and remained that way up until recently, but I have noticed in the last five-to-10 years that there are a lot more women in senior roles in the food industry and in our business.

As you were raising your own family, how did you involve your children in family enterprise activities?

Like our parents before us, [our fourth] generation has always encouraged our kids, including all the cousins, to get involved with the business at a young age. That could take many shapes and forms, including: working at entry-level jobs on weekends and during summer breaks; attending or working at events like the Calgary Stampede, Royal Winter Fair, Trade Shows and conferences, charitable galas, etc.; attending our many company Christmas Parties where we would interact with and meet our many valued Burnbrae colleagues.

Our goal is very simple and that is to inspire the same love, passion and appreciation for the business that was cultivated in us by doing exactly the same thing growing up.

We also encourage the next generation to get an education appropriate to their interests and to get work experience outside the business before they even think about joining our organization as a full-time career. We do not want them to feel pressured to join the business, but it is encouraged as an option if they take an interest in this direction.

We do encourage the next generation to participate in charitable work and to become engaged in our two family foundations, the Burnbrae Farms Foundation, which supports the work of the company nationally, and the Hudson-Burnbrae Foundation, which supports the local community in the Brockville area.

What is it like being a female leader in family enterprise?

Working in the business early on, I was under a lot of pressure, as a woman and as a family member. I had to work harder and do more to get noticed and to prove myself, not just to others but also to my dad and to my family, even to myself.

It was not easy, as my dad worked very hard and did not encourage a lot of balance, in his life or in ours. I was in my twenties and trying to navigate being a young adult while working for this man who put unlimited demands on my time.

As time went on, I started to get recognized by my dad and his peers, as well as the broader food industry, and my father started to put me into roles of increasing responsibility.

I have found that it takes a while to recognize the value in what you do, and that others value your contributions and view you as a leader and look up to you. That came as a surprise to me at first, but leadership is something you must ‘own’ and ‘lean into.’ It is a huge responsibility, and one needs to embrace and cultivate one’s role as a leader. You cannot feel self-conscious and apologetic, you have to step up and lead. People want to hear from their leaders and want them to be decisive and to set a clear path forward. They want you to reach out and provide clear direction and, in turn, when they respond and contribute, they want you to notice and recognize them.

As leaders we also need to … recognize that all individuals bring unique skills, areas where they are strong and others where they need to develop.

This applies to everyone – women and men, family and non-family colleagues. We strive to find an individual’s passion and competence, encourage them to work in areas of interest and acumen and build diverse teams with complementary skillsets to fill in any gaps. This is how we thrive as individuals and as an organization, even as a family.

Working together as family in a business and leading other family members is a particular skillset that is unique to each environment. One cannot underestimate the complexity of a role that requires you to lead the business, while also being one of five siblings, in my situation, and part of an engaged shareholder group.

Unlike with a more arm’s-length leadership team, we cannot simply say what we want and expect other family members to follow. It takes patience, listening and collaboration to be effective at decision-making and execution in a multigeneration family business environment like ours.

What do you feel most proud of?

My biggest shining achievement is raising two amazing kids. I had a lot of help from a lot of people especially as a working mom. I am very proud of them and so thrilled to see how they will change this world for the better. Working in the family business and helping to preserve this legacy for my kids, nieces and nephews and future generations is also a great source of pride.

My generation is very proud knowing that we have carried on this legacy started by generations before us, and we are leaving the business and our family farm in better shape than we found it.

Last, we are proud of the fact that we have been able to serve Canadian families … for over 130 years.

What advice do you have for other women in enterprising families?

We should never underestimate our worth as women in family enterprises. Just because generations before us were biased towards men over women in business succession does not mean that this was an appropriate approach. In fact, the statistics would suggest otherwise, and that the unique set of skills attributed to women is a huge advantage in terms of sustaining businesses in the family through the generations.

Today, family-owned companies account for [two thirds] of all businesses worldwide,  and, according to North American statistics, female-owned family firms experience greater family loyalty to the business, agreement with its goals, and pride in the business.

If taking care of the family is one of the important things we can do to successfully transition the business to the next generation, then women can play a huge role in helping with this process.

I have found that keeping the traditions alive that are great for the family, have also been great for ingraining shared values across our family members and for sustaining alignment as a business family. Those traditions include simple things like spending time together as a family, celebrating major holidays, at the cottage and on the farm and even going on vacation together. These shared experiences align us as a family, so we are better able to navigate some of the more difficult times we face owning a business together. These important traditions help us to answer the question of ‘why we stay together’, a critical question to ask as a business family.

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

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