Egging them on

Piggott Eggs operates a sizeable fleet in a very specialist corner of the haulage sector. Irish Trucker traces the Co. Galway-based company’s success story.

You’ve all heard the term ‘walking on eggshells’. Not a particularly advisable pursuit. Well, imagine transporting millions of eggs back and forth across Irish roads, trying to ensure that your cargo reaches its destination in perfect condition. A tall order, indeed, but precisely the challenge being met with remarkable results by the winning team at Piggott Eggs in Gort.

If there exists a more delicate cargo than eggs - one that requires more care and specialist treatment in transit - then, sorry, I just can’t think of it off hand. No doubt the argumentative types among you, our esteemed readership, are now roaring the names of multiple fragile cargos at the pages before your eyes. All to no avail, I’m afraid . . . I can’t hear you!

Eggs it is, then. We’re all (me, myself and I) in agreement. Nothing needs more tlc when moving from A to B and Piggott Eggs is the very best in the business when it comes to doing things right.

Piggott Eggs is a family business which has been managed by Gabriel and his brother Pearse since the late ‘seventies. Since the two brothers took over, the company has been more aggressive in its fight for market share and - through the implementation of increased diversification, specialisation and professionalism - has grown steadily and consistently.
Today, Piggott Eggs ranks as one of the top five egg companies in the Republic of Ireland. Some boast.

Piggott Eggs is based in Gort and operates out of an expansive depot in the centre of the town. What exactly does the company do? Well, they produce, pack and distribute eggs and egg products. Egg products can include anything from egg mayonnaise to cooked egg, peeled egg or even liquidised eggs or egg whites, mainly for the catering trade.
In addition to all this, Piggotts also distribute some sugar and salt.

Piggott Eggs own a total of 100,000 hens which they keep at various locations throughout the country. Says Gabriel Piggott: “We own the hens and pay all the bills for their upkeep. We employ a number of farmers to manage the various farms.”
Most, but not all, of the produce is sold in the 26 counties. Outside of the Irish market, they also distribute some produce into Scotland and England. “We’re basically prepared to go wherever there’s demand so long as it’s feasible for us to distribute . . . wherever the market dictates,” notes Gabriel.

“But Galway, Clare, Offaly, Westmeath, Limerick, Kerry, Cork and parts of Waterford, Tipperary, Carlow and Laois are our main markets. Our hens produce both free range and commercial eggs and all our produce comes with our own packaging and brand names [‘Lakefield Free Range’, ‘Riverside Poultry’ or else just ‘Piggotts’]”.

Piggott Eggs does all its own distribution, except for the trips to Scotland and England which are contracted out to an independent haulier. Between drivers and administrative staff, the company employs approximately 15-18 depending on the time of year and also provides some seasonal and part-time employment opportunities.

The eight-strong fleet breaks down as follows: two artics, four rigids and two vans. Most of the trucks pull refrigerated trailers. One of the artics is employed full time collecting from the farms. Otherwise, the vehicles are involved mainly in distribution to wholesalers and shops. On a typical week, the Piggott fleet is out on the road five to six days.

When it comes to purchasing tractor units, Gabriel says he prefers to stick with DAF. He has one top of the range DAF 75, a DAF 85 and two DAF 45s. What about servicing? “The servicing of the DAFs is looked after by Truck Services on the Tramore Road in Cork. We find the staff there to be very efficient and helpful. They’re excellent and play a very important part in our success. When they say a truck will be back on the road in an hour, they stick by that. They do an excellent job and are always prepared to go that extra few yards to get the job done quickly and efficiently.”

Hauling eggs is obviously a very specialised line of work. What’s the secret? “Good packaging is the most important thing . . . and good solid trays. You don’t overuse the packaging or else it loses its effectiveness. So we tend only to use the trays a couple of times and then we burn them. When we collect eggs from the farms, we always use specialised trolleys.”

Still, despite all this attention to detail and commitment to excellence, profits are far from guaranteed. The industry is ultra-competitive and margins are tight which means turnover has to be massive to achieve satisfactory profit margins. Diversification is also important:
“We’re in the process of branching out into chilled distribution,” notes Gabriel. “We already have work lined up. We’re just waiting for the hauliers’ licence to come through at the moment. We should have that by mid-November and should then be up and running.

“In this or any other line of work, you have to be prepared to diversify and move with the times. Once upon a time, we did nothing but eggs but now we have to do other things as well. For example, hospitals and hotels now use long life egg which comes in one-litre cartons, so we have to supply that.

“We’re going to keep running all the lines together and will continue to diversify. You simply can’t afford to depend on one line anymore. We’ll always try to give the market exactly what it wants.”

You can’t ask for much more than that.