Egg giant Cal-Maine diversifies business with purchase of Van’s waffles

The acquisition will significantly boost the company's growing prepared foods segment and solidify its presence in breakfast.

What happened

Cal-Maine Foods said Tuesday it would purchase Van's Foods waffles and other assets from Sara Lee Frozen Bakery for an undisclosed amount, expanding its reach beyond eggs. Sara Lee Frozen is owned by private-equity firm Kohlberg.

Cal-Maine, the largest egg company in the U.S., said the purchase is aimed at helping diversify its business and grow in prepared foods sold at retail.

Why it matters

The addition of Van’s is expected to increase Cal-Maine’s prepared foods annual sales by approximately 10% and volume by about 6%. Cal-Maine posted net sales of $4.3 billion in its 2025 fiscal year.

Cal-Maine is expanding its breakfast menu with the purchase of Van’s, a maker of gluten-free waffles.

Egg prices have come down significantly since the spread of bird flu, which has killed more than 150 million birds since 2022. Lower prices have led to steep declines in Cal-Maine's profits, with conventional egg sales down close to 60% in its most recent quarter.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Food Dive on 2026-05-12. The original report is linked below.