History

In March of 1915, Mr. and Mrs. James Fassio sold their bakery in Wyoming and moved to the rural village of Hunter, Utah, in the Salt Lake Valley. Mr. Fassio embarked on a new life as a farmer after investing in the acquisition of 45 acres of land. Due to the lack of a market for the crop of wheat for the first few years, Mr. Fassio bartered some wheat in exchange for fifty hens so that they could help consume the grain. The Fassio Egg Farms enterprise started with these humble beginnings.

By 1925, the flock had grown to 350 layers; by 1928, the layer enterprise had become the principal means of generating income for the family. Discover more.

In 1942, the oldest son, Chester Fassio, tied the knot with Katherine Uzelac, and the couple took over management of the farm from Chester’s father, James Fassio. In the years that followed, the number of layers at the ranch increased to 35,000. The fire in 1945 was the true impetus for all of this expansion. The Fassio family’s rented chicken coops were damaged in the incident, so they decided to construct their coops in their stead. The farm was able to go one step closer to being a viable company due to this choice. Within a short period following that, Fassio Egg Farms established itself as the most successful egg producer in Utah.

On the first 45 acres in Hunter, Utah, where the processing plant, distribution warehouse, and central office are now located, these facilities were erected during this period. At this point, the once-known city of Hunter had become the city of West Valley due to its expansion and development.

In 1965, Chester’s son Dick decided to participate in the continuation of the family business in some capacity. To pursue his studies, he will attend Michigan State Institution, which is widely regarded as the best university for studying poultry science. After receiving his diploma in 1969, he moved back to Salt Lake City and immediately started taking on new duties within the organization. In 1974, he tied the knot with Joy Schneebeli, and the couple has since had two sons, Vinnie and Tony.

Once Dick decided to get engaged in the farm, the Fassio family decided to significantly expand the property. In 1965, Chester acquired 128 acres in the Utah town of Herriman. As a result of this growth, the flocks increased to a total of 270,000 layers and had the potential to brood 80,000 pullets. Additionally, the processing facilities were brought up to date.

The hiring of Wayne Phillips took place in November of 1976. At Fassio Egg Farms, Wayne has worked in a wide variety of roles throughout the years, but he is presently the Ranch and Feed Mill manager, which means he is in charge of managing all of the activities at the Brooder, Lake Ranch, Erda Ranch, and the Feed Mill. Through the years, Wayne’s perseverance, hard work, and commitment have contributed to his and the organization’s growth and success. The year 2006 marked Wayne’s 30th anniversary with Fassio Egg Farms.

Once again expanding their business in 1977, Fassio Egg Farms bought a brooding plant on 36 acres. Three miles to the north, 98 acres were acquired, and the name “Lake Ranch” was given to the new enterprise, which resulted in the addition of 240,000 layers. In 1981, the same area saw the construction of a feed mill, which was the first step toward achieving vertical integration. Fassio Egg Farms had a greater degree of control over the quality and pricing of its products since it produced its feed. The feed mill’s computer system can produce 30 tons of feed every hour with very little human intervention.

Another vital member of the Fassio team joined the company only three years after the completion of the Lake Ranch expansion. In February of 1980, Angelo Maratta went to work for the first time. Angelo, much like Wayne Phillips, has worked in various capacities within the organization throughout the years. Currently, Angelo serves as the Processing and Maintenance Manager. Angelo’s responsibilities in this position include the daily gathering, washing, sorting, packaging, storing, and transporting of over 600,000 eggs. He is also responsible for the storage of these eggs.

After eight years, in 1988, Brian Tedesco was finally allowed to join Fassio Egg Farms. Brian, much like the other essential personnel, worked in a variety of various capacities across the organization. At the moment, Brian supervises the daily activities at the feed mill and the Lake ranch.

On June 20, 1991, Fassio Egg Farms began construction on a new location by breaking ground. The first four laying houses opened on November 1, 1991, and housed 86,000 pullets. After it was constructed in December of 1992, the new facility had a capacity for 344,000 laying hens. Construction was done on several new buildings, including more on-site office space, an egg processing facility, a chiller, and dry storage. The structure, cages, and machinery used to collect the eggs were all examples of cutting-edge technology. Due to the ranch’s high level of productivity, Fassio Egg Farms was able to discontinue operations at its Herriman facility. On August 30, 1992, Herriman collected its last egg before abandoning the practice.

Vinnie and Tony, two of Dick and Joy’s kids, received degrees from Colorado State University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, respectively, between 1994 and 2001. In 1999, after completing his education and receiving a degree in Agribusiness, Vinnie returned to work at Fassio Egg Farms to assist in the company’s expansion. Tony obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Management in 2001, after which he continued his career on the east coast working for a large, multinational food processing corporation. Tony pursued his study further and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Westminster College in the state of Utah in 2006.

Up to 2001, the West Valley plant was responsible for processing, warehousing, and distributing all of the eggs produced at the ranches. Along the same lines as the expansion that took place in 1965, the father-and-son duo of Dick and Vinnie began the next growth project for the firm in 2001. The overall layer capacity of Fassio Egg Farms has increased by 182,000 as a result of this development, which included the addition of two other houses. At this point, Fassio Egg Farms had reached a layered capacity of 772,000 throughout its facilities. Once again, the most advanced technology in the business was used to construct these brand-new homes at this location.

This ranch is now home to the company’s processing facility, warehouse, and distribution center, formerly in West Valley. The new lay homes were constructed in 2001. As a result of the move, the ranch is now operating as an in-line facility. Following the installation of a brand new Diamond 8300 Egg Grader machine, the business was presented with several options to improve its productivity and product quality. The West Valley facility served as the headquarters for the company throughout.

Tony Fassio decided to return to Fassio Egg Farms in June of 2004, and he collaborated with Dick and Vinnie to assist with expanding the business in this capacity. After taking over those tasks, Tony is now responsible for the company’s finances, operations, and human resources. Because of this, Dick and Vinnie could direct their efforts on a different growth project.

Since the early days of Fassio Egg Farms, the egg business has seen significant transformations since 2005. In 1986, there were roughly 2,500 manufacturers in this business; by 2005, that number had dropped to approximately 270. Dick and Vinnie recognized the significance of the firm’s total expenses needing to be reduced, in addition to the need for the company to increase its overall efficiency, for the company to continue to be a leading producer in an industry that is seeing consolidation. Dick and Vinnie’s ability to anticipate ahead have been influential in the company’s development of a decisive edge over its rivals thanks to their efforts. In addition, two additional lay homes were built, each of which had similarly cutting-edge technology. Simply using this technique resulted in an extra layer capacity of 330,000, equivalent to an increase of around thirty percent in the number of birds.

Because of the enormous flock sizes housed in the two buildings, a bigger brooder capacity was required. In conjunction with this extension, two of the structures at the Lake ranch that were being used as layer houses were shut down. While one of the buildings was renovated in 2005 to accommodate a brand-new brooding facility, the other building was left vacant with the idea of turning it into a brooder at some point in the future when the total bird capacity required it.

For more information, visit their website or call them at (801) 969-9831. Continue reading…