A CORNISH family business is transforming the egg industry after investing in new game-changing technology.

Liskeard-based Country Lane Foods is a family-run business with over 40 years of experience in the UK egg industry, and now, it has successfully completed a transformative investment in a state-of-the-art egg grading machine.

The initiative has safeguarded jobs, created new full-time roles, and secured new customer contracts.

This milestone was made possible through a £200,000 grant from Cornwall Council’s Growth Hub Grants Programme. Part of the Good Growth Programme, which delivers the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. It has enabled the company to remain in Cornwall and avoid outsourcing operations to other areas across the country. At a time when the business was operating at full capacity and facing difficult decisions, this investment has not only preserved its local workforce but also positioned the organisation for national growth.

“At application stage, we were at a crossroads,” said Scott Lapthorne, owner of Country Lane Foods. “We were operating at maximum capacity and considering outsourcing all operations. Thanks to the grant, we’ve been able to invest in a key asset that allows us to stay in Cornwall, grow and provide real living wage employment to our team."

The new egg grading machine has doubled the company’s processing capacity, enabling it to meet surging demand driven by the retail sector’s shift to cage-free eggs.

“It’s fantastic to see how this grant has helped Country Lane Foods take a big step forward,” said Kirsty Miles-Musgrave from the growth hub.

“This project is a great example of how the growth hub, through the Good Growth Programme, is helping to deliver real, lasting impact across Cornwall,” she said. “Boosting local jobs, innovation, and resilience in our rural economy.”

The new machine introduces a suite of advanced features that modernise operations and enhance product quality through automation, real-time farm data analytics, feedback loops with producers, improved waste management and precision tracking to support sustainability goals.

This investment is more than a technological upgrade; it is a commitment to Cornwall’s rural economy and the UK’s food security. By choosing to invest locally, Country Lane Foods has been able to retain its workforce in Liskeard, create five new full-time jobs across operations, logistics, and quality control, strengthened relationships with regional farmers, ensuring fair pricing and long-term viability, and even reduced reliance on imported eggs, supporting domestic production and supply chain resilience.

“This project has given us the stability to grow, the tools to innovate, and the confidence to compete nationally,” added Scott. “We’re proud to be building a future that supports our team, our farmers, and our community.”

The organisation currently boasts a 45,000 square feet facility which has enabled it to pack around 1.5-million eggs per week and that number is only expected to go up.

The company says that it spends time actively researching and giving advice on the egg industry throughout Europe, ‘attending seminars, and governing industry bodies and groups’, ensuring that it never ‘sits still’.