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Member Spotlight: Kreher Family Farms

May 16, 2024

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By Kreher Family Farms 

Since 1924, the Kreher family and its employees have farmed in Western New York providing fresh, affordable and nutritious food for families throughout our area. What began on a small 18-acre plot in Amherst has grown to include over 5,000 acres of farm land, three thriving egg farms, a rapidly growing compost & fertilizer business, and a new and exciting floral business.

Celebrating a century of local farming

As we celebrate our 100th year, we not only look fondly back upon the long journey we have taken as both a family and a business to get to where we are today, but also to use this unique milestone as the foundation on which we look forward to building upon for our next 100-years of business.

Over the past century, our business has not only grown in scale but also in scope. As noted, we have added on new businesses including fertilizer and floral production. The poultry and crop sectors have undergone tremendous changes during this period as well.

What began as subsistence farming for our family, starting with 54 hens, first evolved into a breeding and hatchery operation serving farms throughout the northeast. Eventually, egg production became the main focus and subsequently we have grown to include cage-free, organic, nutritionally-enhanced and pasture raised organic egg production, with over 2.3M hens total. We market our eggs under our Kreher label, Eggland’s Best®, Born Free®, Land-O-Lakes® and a number of private labels for retailers and foodservice companies throughout the region.

Likewise, our crop operation produces feed ingredients for our egg operations and collaborates with branded food manufacturers, bakeries, and brewers to produce grains and vegetables for further processing. We continue to pursue new opportunities as they present themselves.

Kreher
A framework of family values

Throughout this time, the Kreher shared values, which have been passed down from our 1st generation to the 4th, have served as a framework for our decision making, helping guide our leadership and company culture. These values encompass everything from how we treat one another, care for our flocks and farmland, to our sustainability efforts and how we view our role within the community.

Today, members of our 3rd and 4th generation lead the business alongside several non-family member leaders. We have an outstanding team consisting of over 400 dedicated and experienced team members who aim to do things right every day.

Pat Meehan, our CEO, joined the business in March 2022, as third generation family member Kurt Kreher announced his retirement. Pat has brought a wealth of CPG experience to our business including time with other similarly positioned, family-centric businesses including The J.M. Smucker Company and The Zidian Group. In addition to Pat’s industry knowledge, he emphasizes the importance of embracing and preserving both company culture and generational/ organizational storytelling, which follows the deep-rooted traditions instilled by our family.

Looking forward, our goal continues to be to grow a vibrant and resilient business to pass it along to our future generations as well as create a great place to work for our employees.

 

About Kreher Family Farms:

The Kreher family has built their reputation on quality, service, value, and caring for their flocks, customers, and community. Kreher Family Farms has been providing Western New York and beyond with fresh, affordable and nutritious foods since 1924. 

 

 

Disclaimer: The above commentary entails the views of the author and not necessarily the views of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. 

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