Ideas for ways and places to move and sell quail eggs

[ArcticCuddlefish]

I live in Washington state, USA and have more quail eggs than I need. I wanna share with you some ideas I had for moving them and the the local regulations, and hopefully y'all with think of other places to send eggs I hadn't considered!

First, the rules.

As of writing summer 2022, it is prohibited to sell any "cottage food" in Washington unless it is a shelf stable baked good. No pickling, freezing, drying, canning, cooking on the spot, nothing, even if you label it as a homemade good. I can't even whip up quail mayo at request right in front of them. So that's right out.

I can sell quail eggs where they are produced "on the farm" without regulation. If I can lead people to my house, they can buy eggs as is, but only for their own personal use.

If I want to sell eggs anywhere else, they fall under chicken egg guidelines, meaning I need an egg-handlers license and a formal business. That only amounts to like $130 the first year and $25 each year after that so worthwhile if I find regulars customers or places interested in carrying my eggs. If sold off farm, they need to be washed at a dedicated station, stored in a fridge, and dated. No bleach or soap, just a rinse in warm water (which doesn't seem like it'd add much benefit for quail eggs). That'd be fine, but for me, the biggest appeal of fresh eggs is the shelf stability that comes with leaving the bloom on, meaning no washing. Quail don't have salmonella, either, so it really does them a disservice to wash IMO. This regulation extends to farmers markets, grocery stores, restaurants - anywhere my eggs go must meet those regulations.

Exception to this rule is pet feed. In fact, I *must* leave them entirely unaltered and unprocessed if they are to be pet feed, or they get a new and rather inconvenient regulation schedule. I can sell them for dogs, cats, snakes, anything I want, so long as it's not for human consumption. Those can go to farmers markets, pet stores, whatever, but if I'm selling them as pet food at a farmers market I risk scrutiny from the WA Department of Agriculture. I'd be in the right, but it's no fun to fight regulatory bodies.

That's pretty much it for rules. Now the ideas I had.

1. With a license, I can sell to/through
a. farmers markets or people who already have stalls there
b. ramen shops in particular
c. other restaurants
d. Asian food stores
e. grocers specializing in fresh or local produce
f. other grocery stores
g. online sales
h. fancy-pants bakeries

2. No license I can sell
a. at home via internet/signs/etc
b. dedicated reptile store (there's only one I can find nearby)
c. local pet stores
d. *maybe* big pet stores, though that seems like it'll be a lot of bureaucracy
e. as fertile eggs for incubation

3. Non-sales
a. I can donate eggs to food banks nearby
b. I can stock tiny free food pantries if the weather isn't too hot
c. I can give them to people
d. the rules are pretty vague on bartering....

Of course I'm eating a lot of quiche these days, but can you think of any other places or people that might be interested in a steady supply of fresh local quail eggs?

As an aside, does anyone have a line on 6-cell quail egg cartons? The only I've found were from the UK, and being a US resident on the far side of the continent, that's about a dollar a carton as opposed to 40 cents per 12-pack domestically. 12 is fine, but 6 would be an easier sell for people just trying it out as a pet treat.

 

[vall]

I think you've covered everything. Bartering - look for crop swaps in your area, at least for summer. They are more low key than farmers markets.

 

[Butchers Wife]

I live in Washington state, USA and have more quail eggs than I need. I wanna share with you some ideas I had for moving them and the the local regulations, and hopefully y'all with think of other places to send eggs I hadn't considered!

First, the rules.

As of writing summer 2022, it is prohibited to sell any "cottage food" in Washington unless it is a shelf stable baked good. No pickling, freezing, drying, canning, cooking on the spot, nothing, even if you label it as a homemade good. I can't even whip up quail mayo at request right in front of them. So that's right out.

I can sell quail eggs where they are produced "on the farm" without regulation. If I can lead people to my house, they can buy eggs as is, but only for their own personal use.

If I want to sell eggs anywhere else, they fall under chicken egg guidelines, meaning I need an egg-handlers license and a formal business. That only amounts to like $130 the first year and $25 each year after that so worthwhile if I find regulars customers or places interested in carrying my eggs. If sold off farm, they need to be washed at a dedicated station, stored in a fridge, and dated. No bleach or soap, just a rinse in warm water (which doesn't seem like it'd add much benefit for quail eggs). That'd be fine, but for me, the biggest appeal of fresh eggs is the shelf stability that comes with leaving the bloom on, meaning no washing. Quail don't have salmonella, either, so it really does them a disservice to wash IMO. This regulation extends to farmers markets, grocery stores, restaurants - anywhere my eggs go must meet those regulations.

Exception to this rule is pet feed. In fact, I *must* leave them entirely unaltered and unprocessed if they are to be pet feed, or they get a new and rather inconvenient regulation schedule. I can sell them for dogs, cats, snakes, anything I want, so long as it's not for human consumption. Those can go to farmers markets, pet stores, whatever, but if I'm selling them as pet food at a farmers market I risk scrutiny from the WA Department of Agriculture. I'd be in the right, but it's no fun to fight regulatory bodies.

That's pretty much it for rules. Now the ideas I had.

1. With a license, I can sell to/through
a. farmers markets or people who already have stalls there
b. ramen shops in particular
c. other restaurants
d. Asian food stores
e. grocers specializing in fresh or local produce
f. other grocery stores
g. online sales
h. fancy-pants bakeries

2. No license I can sell
a. at home via internet/signs/etc
b. dedicated reptile store (there's only one I can find nearby)
c. local pet stores
d. *maybe* big pet stores, though that seems like it'll be a lot of bureaucracy
e. as fertile eggs for incubation

3. Non-sales
a. I can donate eggs to food banks nearby
b. I can stock tiny free food pantries if the weather isn't too hot
c. I can give them to people
d. the rules are pretty vague on bartering....

Of course I'm eating a lot of quiche these days, but can you think of any other places or people that might be interested in a steady supply of fresh local quail eggs?

As an aside, does anyone have a line on 6-cell quail egg cartons? The only I've found were from the UK, and being a US resident on the far side of the continent, that's about a dollar a carton as opposed to 40 cents per 12-pack domestically. 12 is fine, but 6 would be an easier sell for people just trying it out as a pet treat.

I'd get the license but I'd hate washing them. I'd give them the quickest sprinkle of water. I think online sales will be easier if you can offer a few more products to bring in a wider audience. I'd keep separate websites though, one for people food, one for pet food. Look for local producers of wild jams, jellies, honey, lavender... Buy a few of each product to have in stock to fill out an online store. Reselling packaged, branded, sealed, non-perishable food, even purchased from your local supermarket, is legal everywhere. I guess you'd have to include a chill pack for shipping washed eggs. Might as well sell raw dressed quail for pet food along with quail eggs. Mail the meat frozen and it'll still be cold when it arrives, and charge more for boneless breast. I hear a lot of dogs are getting sick on commercial dog food. Someone near me advertises raw goat milk for kitten food but goes to great lengths to describe how she's forbidden by state law to sell it for human consumption even though she's raised all her kittens on it for years. She sells it by the gallon - for families with a lot of kittens - and she has a waiting list. Check aliexpress.com for packaging - or literally anything else sold in American stores. It's dirt cheap, but it's China.

 

[Hourman]

For selling to the pet food market, maybe you could have brochures placed at veterinary clinics.

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

There are lots of farms selling raw milk CLEARLY labeled “for pet consumption only” …and most is bought by families who plan to drink it themselves. I think if you did the same, you could even put a “why only for pets?” info board at your farmer market stall…and then whatever people decide to do with the eggs is up to them . You could also sell hatching eggs at the same time.