2023 Natural Grocers Environmental, Social, and Governance Report

Natural Grocers ® is excited to partner with Egg Innovations™ for our newly introduced private-label eggs from regenerative certified farms. Egg Innovations was founded in 1999 with a mission to raise hens in ethical free-range and pasture-raised environments as nature intended, while also being a successful business.

This vision from John Brunnquell, Ph.D., a third-generation farmer, reshaped the egg category. Egg Innovations’ leader meticulously thought through every detail of a chicken’s life, including the barn design, to build a system that enables the chickens to engage in their natural behaviors. From that intense study, a fine-tuned process for raising hens was put into practice and eventually adopted on a larger scale. Since then, Egg Innovations has expanded to 50 family-owned farms and more than 1,000 acres of pastureland dedicated to egg-laying hens for regenerative farming. Egg Innovations’ approach to regenerative egg farming includes restoring and maintaining soil health, increasing biodiversity, and creating a symbiotic relationship between chickens and the environment. Egg Innovations owns the hens and provides management oversight of every pasture, to promote the healthiest hens and the healthiest farmland. This

ownership and oversight allows Egg Innovations to implement sustainable practices, promote higher biodiversity, eliminate all synthetic pesticides on farms, construct multi-tier vegetation on pastures, and utilize ground covers. These practices are intended to benefit the animals and the land itself. By pioneering the first regeneratively certified farms in the industry, Egg Innovations is yet again innovating the way eggs are produced in the United States. Egg Innovations is the first egg producer to commercialize regenerative farming of free-range and pasture-raised laying hens on this scale. Egg Innovations’ advances in regenerative agriculture are ingrained in its mission and culture. For additional information about Egg Innovations and their commitment to regenerative agriculture, please visit their website: https://egginnovations.com/.

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FISCAL YEAR | 2023