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Eggheads is the go-to podcast for egg industry professionals who are interested in leadership and innovation in the egg world. Host Greg Schonefeld explores the evolving world of modern egg farming, from the latest in cage-free innovations and organic certifications to navigating the economics of large-scale production. Whether you're an egg producer, supplier, or involved in poultry genetics, this show provides the insights and expert discussions you need to thrive in the industry. Crack open the science, strategies, and stories behind the egg industry’s biggest challenges and opportunities.
Michael Jimenez:
It gives me an opportunity to take over the market. Right now, it's just really focusing on Texas and being the best egg producer and largest in Texas. Then I can start going national. I can start going to Oklahoma, I can go to Florida, I can go to California with my egg.
Greg Schonefeld:
Big goals.
Michael Jimenez:
Yeah.
Greg Schonefeld:
I'm not going to doubt you for a second.
Michael Jimenez:
If people don't want to farm, I'll farm and I'll make it work.
Greg Schonefeld:
Hey, welcome back to Eggheads. I'm your host, Greg Schonefeld. My next guest is unlike any we've had before, namely because he's just 22 years old and a first generation farmer. Let's be honest, the egg industry isn't exactly top of mind for most kids dreaming about their futures. They might say, "I want to be an F-one driver, a quarterback in the NFL, or launch a tech startup in Silicon Valley." I, for one wanted to be a major league baseball player, yet becoming an egg farmer is exactly what our guest set out to do.
Michael Jimenez:
My name is Michael Jimenez. I'm the CEO and founder of JNZ Farms, and I am an organic pasture-raised egg farmer.
Greg Schonefeld:
Michael's story is as surprising as it is inspiring. It's a tale of determination, ingenuity, and learning to scale a business from scratch, literally.
Michael Jimenez:
I really got into farming because, well, I liked it to everyone. God gave me the chicken. It was at church where I got my first baby chick. One of the church moms was passing around baby chicks and I've always loved animals, so as soon as I saw the baby chick, I knew I wanted to get one, so I did. But it had to go through a little bit of convincing with my mom to allow me to keep the baby chicken, because she's not that fond of animals, but whenever she said yes, I just hopped on YouTube and I just searched up how to take care of a baby chick, but also understanding the commercial farming methods, the malpractices that commercial farms use, and I started getting introduced into that and really also understanding that consumers don't want that product and they want something better from somewhere that they can trust.
From there, I knew that that's what I wanted to do, is to provide that source, to be that product that people can trust and that people can go to, a fully transparent operation, and so I really started taking it serious.
Greg Schonefeld:
Well, that's a crazy progression to just get a baby chicken and then all of a sudden be thinking about commercial farms or those kinds of things. So it all started with that one baby chick?
Michael Jimenez:
I wanted to really understand how to take care of a chicken, so I took care of this chicken and I called her Peaches. And because she was the only chicken out there, she was very interactive with people. People could hand feed her, people could pet her, no problem. Once I started understanding, okay, she produces about an egg a day, how many do I need to get a dozen? And so I started going based off of numbers off of that. Okay, if I want two dozen, three dozen? Okay, if I wanted to make this a business, how many dozen do I need to be producing a day? So starting looking into those numbers and everything. As a kid, I've always had an entrepreneur spirit. I was always trying to earn money, so as soon as I figured out that this is a business and me raising my own eggs and that I can sell them is whenever it was like, "Okay, I'm going to get more chickens."
Greg Schonefeld:
When did it hit you that this could be a business? Was there a moment or a particular time that you can remember a feeling that, hey, this could be a business for you?
Michael Jimenez:
Yeah, I gave out my stuff for free, but people wanted to pay me for it. It was amazing, but then I also saw in the grocery stores. I've always looked up to Vital Farms and after I started understanding the story actually too of the founder of Vital Farms, I'm big on history and understanding stories and learning how other people's did things and to figure out how I'm going to do things. I just found it so interesting, and I was like, "Hey, I can get paid for this."
Greg Schonefeld:
And how old were you at that time, by the way?
Michael Jimenez:
I remember being a freshman in high school and just giving them away.
Greg Schonefeld:
And who were you giving them to? Friends, family?
Michael Jimenez:
My teachers, it was friends, it was family. It was anyone that wanted eggs could get eggs. It was crazy because after I gave it to one teacher, there was another teacher. "Hey, could I get some?" Another teacher. "Hey, could I get some?" And then the students. "What? My dad will like some. Could he get some?" And I was like, "Yeah, yeah."
Greg Schonefeld:
Wow.
Michael Jimenez:
So it just grew off of that, and I was like, "This could be a business. Hold on."
Greg Schonefeld:
Well, and not just that. I mean, that part is very exciting too, but I guess it's cool, this connection. It almost feels like you had an identity at that point, like, "That's the kid with chickens. That's the kid with eggs."
Michael Jimenez:
Yes, literally. In high school, I was the kid with chickens. It's interesting to see it from then until now, because even then, I had at least an idea that I was going to create JMZ Farms. I was like, "Yeah, this is going to be something that I'm going to make bigger."
Greg Schonefeld:
Peaches was a catalyst for Michael's evolution as a farmer. In the backyard of his mom's house in Cedar Hill, Texas, his passion grew and Peaches was soon joined by more and more chickens. Before he even realized it, Michael was scaling his operation, reaching over 20 chickens by high school. But then Michael decided to take a break from farming during his junior and senior years because, well, high school. The turning point came during a project for the Business Professionals of America Club where a class assignment required him to write a business plan, and of course the first idea that came to mind was chickens. That exercise reignited Michael's vision and laid the foundation for what would eventually become JMZ Farms.
Michael Jimenez:
I was like, "I need to get back on that JMZ Farms. That was my goal. I don't know what happened in between the time between then and now, but I need to get back on it."
Greg Schonefeld:
Basically, you wrote that plan and you knew it was still in you. Once you wrote it out, you had this feeling, "Okay, I got to go do it now."
Michael Jimenez:
Most definitely. So there was a regional competition of just all Dallas districts and I won in that, and then there's a competition for all schools in Texas, and I won first place for the whole state of Texas in the entrepreneurship category. If other people can see the vision and believe in it as much as I do, it's like, okay, this business actually could do something, and that really boosted my morale. I was like, "Yeah, this is it. Man, this is it."
Greg Schonefeld:
That's exciting. Then what happened next? Did you follow the business plan?
Michael Jimenez:
Crazy enough, no, I did not. I did not. Life went on. Farming is one of those things where you need to have a lot of land and you need to have acreage to be able to farm on pasture. The methods that I want to do, you need to have more acreage. You can't just have a backyard.
Greg Schonefeld:
Let's back up. After high school, Michael found himself working as an accountant, all while tinkering with his passion for farming on the side. He still had about 20 hens in his mom's backyard and even sold eggs to co-workers. He was still known as the chicken guy. One day at work, Michael ran into Mark, a property owner who knew of his chicken business. In a casual hallway exchange, Mark asked how his chickens were doing and then dropped the question that changed everything.
Michael Jimenez:
And he's like, "So what do you think you could do on five acres?" I was like, "Five acres?" I was like, "Shoot." Because I already did my business plan, I knew I could pull six figures. I was like, "I could pull six figures on five acres." And he's like, "Really?" And I was like, "Yeah." I was like, "I can have a business plan for you by Friday," and it was a Wednesday. I just needed to do a little revamping, any updating, just to give me some time because I knew I already had that business plan.
Greg Schonefeld:
True to his word, Michael presented a polished business proposal complete with projections, a farm schedule and a plan for pasture raised chickens. Mark was impressed and offered him the chance to rent the five acre property.
Michael Jimenez:
In March of 2023, I moved onto the property. I put up the sign and I did have a website going, and the website was to a landing page where customers were able to find out what JMC Farms was, but also sign up to put their name, email and phone number, so I got their contact information if they were interested in getting eggs in the future. Being that, I'm sure you know, chickens don't lay eggs until six months, I was buying them from baby chicks and I raised them all the way until six months and then that's whenever they start producing eggs. So because I moved onto the farm with my 20 hens, I was already sold out with all the eggs that they were producing, and so I ended up getting 250 more. And it took six months, but during the six-month period, I got a list of over 400 people that signed up to subscribe to eggs or that wanted to be notified as soon as eggs were available, and that's what really helped me get the subscription business going.
And the subscription part was like, I'm looking for reoccurring revenue. I don't want to ask myself, "Where am I selling my eggs next?" And not only that. I don't want to be at a farmer's market. It takes too much time, it's hot. I'm already outside most of the time. I don't want to be outside anymore, and people were just signing up.
Greg Schonefeld:
So now you've got interest, you have demand. Now you're scaling up your operations. How did that go? Any surprises or challenges?
Michael Jimenez:
Yeah, crazy. A lot of surprises, a lot of surprises, and one of the biggest things was predators. I didn't understand the predators out here, and I had a big loss to that so I ended up getting a livestock guardian dog, but of course you have to train him and it takes time. But he was out on the field taking care of the chickens at six months old, and honestly, it was amazing. After that, I really didn't have any issues other than whenever the season of the cold would come. That's whenever packs would come, and I would see three surrounding him and I was like, "Okay, we need to get another one." But he was standing his ground, man. That dog, my boy Gunner, I love him, but he's a Great Pyrenees and he was there to protect the chickens.
Greg Schonefeld:
And he wasn't part of the business plan, right?
Michael Jimenez:
No, he was not originally. No. No.
Greg Schonefeld:
Yeah. These are the things in entrepreneurship that you learn along the way and you've got to problem-solve. What else? Because I'm thinking about are you doing everything soup to nuts? What do you feed the birds? What about the packaging? What about the distribution?
Michael Jimenez:
One of the biggest things that I knew that I wanted to go for was the organic certification.
Greg Schonefeld:
Now remember, Michael is in Texas, a state with its fair share of regulations when it comes to producing and selling eggs. While not overly restrictive, the rules are clear, and Michael made it a priority to understand and follow them to the letter.
Michael Jimenez:
So what are the guidelines to producing a solely certified organic egg? Once I understood those guidelines, crazy enough, USDA provides all the information you need online, and if you need information, you can reach out and they can answer any questions that you have. I found the guidelines to producing a certified organic egg, and once I started understanding that guideline, I based my business plan around that. Okay, it needs to be fed certified organic feed from day one and has to be only organic feed. The ground that it's on needs to be organic. No chemical can be sprayed on it within three years. It's very interesting, and I had to understand those things. I didn't know any of those things.
And then understanding permits. If you have more than a thousand birds, now you have to get a permit to sell your eggs, stuff like that. If you're in stores, you have to have insurance. But as time went on, I started to slowly learn that, and now, even speaking to now, it's crazy that I even know those things. But I didn't think that I knew those things, but now I do, now that I've been in this for a while, now that I'm thinking about it.
Greg Schonefeld:
Michael knew early on that if he was going to succeed, he needed to do things the right way, right from the start. That meant fully understanding USDA organic certification requirements and building his entire business plan around those guidelines. He also made it a priority to source locally, working with a feed mill in Gonzales, Texas, to create a soy-free organic mash tailored to his needs. He'll be the first to tell you he's not an expert in feed formulations, so he relies on the mill's expertise to ensure his chickens get exactly what they need to produce high-quality eggs. As we all know, farming has a lot of variables, and a feed partner with expertise is one of the partnerships he can rely on to get his budding farm off the ground. What about the packaging, and how are you moving eggs about if you've got subscription buyers?
Michael Jimenez:
The packaging came up looking at egg cartons and understanding, I really wanted to make a difference in my packaging and in my branding as JMZ Farms. So there's a guy who does egg cartons with twine, and so I found that so clean and it looks organic, it looks elegant, and so I wanted to include that twine in there. So I was like, "It'll be a nice little bow to make it look nice." I also have an egg sticker. It's like the shape of an egg and it has my logo and all the information that you need that the USDA requires, like your phone number, address and a farm name that the eggs are produced by.
Greg Schonefeld:
And then when it comes to actually packing the eggs, I guess you're going out hand collecting them yourself, hand packing them, and then are you delivering them too in your truck or car?
Michael Jimenez:
So every day, I go out in the afternoons, I collect my eggs and then I come back in, clean them off. Texas does require you to wash your eggs if you do sell them. I package them up in their cartons, and on the weekends, that's whenever I do my deliveries, mostly on Saturdays, but I do Sunday deliveries as well. But yeah, I personally deliver them in my truck. I drive. I'm roughly driving for maybe three hours of the day delivering eggs to my customers, meeting them face-to-face and saying hi.
Greg Schonefeld:
So you get that personal face-to-face contact with your customers?
Michael Jimenez:
Yeah. Oh yeah, most definitely, and it's always nice to have an interaction with the customers.
Greg Schonefeld:
That's great. Any interesting feedback you can share there? What you hear from them or what kind of things they say?
Michael Jimenez:
One of my amazing customers, he made me smile big one day. He's like, "Man, I went to the farmer's market and I bought some eggs from there, and whenever I compare them to your eggs, they are not the same. They say they're pasture raised, they're free-range and organic, but when I crack open your egg and I crack open their egg, their egg is completely bland, yellow, it looks very light. Yours is dark, vibrant, and it just looks totally..." He even showed me a picture too, and you can tell, it's one yellow egg, one orange yolk. It looks very different, and I'm just like, "That's nice." And there are people who notice that difference, but also people taste the difference. A lot of customers tell me that. They're like, "I can taste the difference. If it's not your eggs. I don't want them."
Greg Schonefeld:
The whole thing conjures up a cool image for me. I think about the milkman that you just see back in the day on TV or something.
Michael Jimenez:
Exactly, yeah.
Greg Schonefeld:
And you just don't get that anymore, the personal touch on that, and that's exactly what you're getting through your operation. And that's got to be an experience that not many people are having, unless they're buying eggs from you, so I think that's really cool.
Unlike many traditional farms, Michael didn't inherit a legacy of agriculture. Farming wasn't a part of Michael's upbringing. It was something he brought to his family himself. From the early days, Michael's younger brothers were always willing to help, cleaning coops, caring for the chickens and learning alongside him. That spirit of collaboration carried over to JMZ Farms where his brothers continued to contribute. Michael says it wasn't hard to get them involved because for them, it's more than work. It's about heart and family coming together to build something meaningful from the ground up.
Michael Jimenez:
Brothers are always going to support each other no matter what, and that's exactly what it is. It's just that they're going to be there no matter what.
Greg Schonefeld:
That's cool. I've got three boys, so that's inspiring for me to hear. I hope they have the same kind of thing you're talking about there. You and your brothers are really working closely together, supporting each other. Each have defined different roles or different strengths bringing to the table, and you're really focused on the sales and marketing. Maybe one more thing in this area. I'm curious on farming, any values that you feel like it's taught you, just living a farming lifestyle?
Michael Jimenez:
Discipline for sure, and responsibility. This is an everyday job. There's no day offs whenever you do it, so being able to work outside every single day and waking up six in the morning to go feed your chickens, or going out there at six in the afternoon to refill their waters and collect the eggs. It taught me a lot of discipline, and I think it's honestly made me a lot more mature too, and understanding life and also really appreciating life in itself. Everything that I'm doing here on the farm, it all has repercussions in a good or bad way, so I want to make sure I'm doing it all in the best that I can. It's taught me a lot, also just respecting nature.
Greg Schonefeld:
That's interesting. What do you mean by respecting nature?
Michael Jimenez:
Let's say if I don't move my hens in the correct amount of time, the grass can deteriorate and it'll turn into mud and then grass wouldn't be able to regrow in that area for a longer period of time, so it'll take longer for grass to regrow if I keep the chickens in that area. So being able to systematically move these chickens throughout the pasture and then move them back to that same paddock within three weeks and have grass regrown. So understanding those kinds of laws of nature, how much time does the grass need to rest? Those little things, and well, are the chickens happy? Making sure that's all good.
Greg Schonefeld:
I do think that's cool because if you don't grow up with that or get exposure to that, how many people in our country today, you grow up in a classroom and then you move on to an office? And to have that first hand observation of nature, just the practical experience with the world around us.
Michael Jimenez:
Yeah, it all goes out to everything. One of the biggest things that also got me into agriculture was that we are running out of farmers. I saw it as a great opportunity to bring in JMC Farms because there aren't a lot of farms out there and that we need to get new farmers to start farming. So me being young, me telling my story, me just going out there and telling people what I've done from day one and how I started would inspire others for them to even start farming. That's the main goal of everything. If you want to do something, no matter what, no matter who you are, no matter what you're doing, you can do it. That's the whole idea about JMC Farms, is that you can do it. No matter what anybody says, it's possible.
Greg Schonefeld:
Farming is a lifestyle that doesn't allow for much flexibility. Michael will tell you himself, he often has to leave parties or dinners early to make sure the chickens are fed and the eggs are collected before dark. It's not something he sees as a nuisance though. As he puts it, these chickens come first, no matter what, but for Michael, this dedication is about more than just the day-to-day hustle. It's an investment in the future, but with growth comes opportunity to shift focus and Michael is already thinking ahead about how to scale JMC Farms, bring on employees, and even explore what's next for his business.
Michael Jimenez:
Thankfully enough, God has allowed me to meet amazing and great people, and one of my customers have purchased 25 acres over there in Bridgeport, Texas. That's where I'm going to be moving to. I'm going to be renting 12 and a half acres from them, a rent to own situation where I would end up owning the whole 12.5 acres, and if I would want, I can purchase the other adjacent 12.5 and then have a whole 25 acres for my farm. Currently, right now I'm on five acres, so we're doubling almost in acreage size to the new land, and so I'm going to be doubling the flock size.
Changing the location of the farm from here where I'm at right now, it's an hour away. So having to understand, how am I going to be able to manage the deliveries that are right here in this area if I'm an hour away? So looking into even shipping eggs. Are we going to start going nationwide? JMZ nationwide, starting to ship eggs locally using local couriers and UPS or FedEx, that's the avenues I'm looking at right now because I'm understanding, okay, how am I going to be able to do this at a more efficient model?
Greg Schonefeld:
Okay. You said the distribution will be a little more challenging, the way I'm understanding, that the scale maybe opens things up too and you'll expand your reach some too, and being able to conquer that hour distribution might be a pathway to conquer some longer distribution distances as well.
To open things up further takes marketing, but Michael's marketing isn't just about selling eggs. It's about sharing his unique story. As a 22-year-old Hispanic farmer, he's inspiring curiosity and connection.
Michael Jimenez:
What makes me stand out is my story. I'm a young Hispanic individual that's into agriculture. That's what makes me stand out. It's like, "Who is this kid and why is he doing it?" That's what people are interested in. And not only that. I gained a lot of social media followers from kids my age that also want to start farming. There's like, "How do I get in? How did you do it? How did you write your business plan? What does your business plan look like?" So then understanding, okay, people actually want to get into this and they like it.
Greg Schonefeld:
Well, it's certainly a really cool story, because it's just passion every step of the way. You get this baby chick, and most people might think, "I'll throw it some scraps and it'll be fine," but you go dig in on YouTube, learn everything you can and you're going to do it right. And then you're like, "Oh man, what other cool thing could this lead to?"
Michael Jimenez:
Exactly.
Greg Schonefeld:
And I just see you taking every step at a time, solving problems, and it's a really cool story. But man, this was really fun. Really fun, and really, really great to meet you.
Michael Jimenez:
Yes, sir. Most definitely.
Greg Schonefeld:
Michael introduced me to his YouTube channel where he shares his day in the lifestyle videos, capturing the ins and outs of daily life on JMZ Farms, and I have to say, after speaking with him, it was inspiring to see his operation in action. From carefully moving his chickens across the pasture to meticulously packaging eggs for his customers, Michael moves with a clear sense of purpose and intentionality around the farm. It's evident he puts in the work and his goals are nothing short of ambitious, doubling his flock size, expanding to over 12 acres, and exploring nationwide shipping. But as I told him during our interview, I don't doubt him for a second. His vision is sharp, his determination is relentless, and now the real challenge begins, scaling up JMZ.
Thanks for listening. It's been one heck of a year. We'll be taking a short break for the holidays, but we'll be back with a new episode on January 17th. And hey, you can egg-spect a lot more eggheads in the new year, but until then, we hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday season. I'm Greg Schonefeld. Can't wait to see you again in 2025.
I am curious, Michael. How do you prefer your eggs?
Michael Jimenez:
I'm a big scramble person, fast and easy. You just scramble them up, get that piece of bread, slap them in a sandwich and eat an egg sandwich.
Greg Schonefeld:
I'm guessing you've had a lot of that, lots of eggs around at the farm there.
Michael Jimenez:
Oh yeah, most definitely. That's my dinner most of the time.
Greg Schonefeld:
Do you eat that daily?
Michael Jimenez:
Oh, for sure. Most of the time, that's dinner.
Greg Schonefeld:
You do? That's dinner? Yeah, breakfast and lunch and dinner maybe some days?
Michael Jimenez:
Yeah.
Greg Schonefeld:
That's great.