The result is a product of which all involved are proud. They claim their yolks are golden and their whites don’t run. And they have plenty of satisfied customers to back up their claims. 

Massachusetts News 
By Curt Lovelace 

November 1--George Bass is an egg farmer and an egg lover. That’s why, when it was discovered, a few years back, that his cholesterol level was 100 points higher than doctors thought it should be, he refused to give up his two eggs per day. What he did do, however, was to help prove that eggs are not the culprit many thought they were in causing high cholesterol. He also created a better egg. Along the way, he also lowered his cholesterol reading to where the doctors wanted it to be. 

Bass is the founder and guiding light of The Country Hen, an egg farm in Hubbardston, Massachusetts. His eggs, though costing three to four times the price of others, sell extremely well in 16 states. There are basically two reasons that such an expensive product is so popular, according to Bass. First, they simply taste better. Second, they are higher in Omega-3 than commercially produced eggs. Referring to himself as the "head character" at the farm, Bass is happy to show people around – and to talk to people about the health benefits of his eggs. He also doesn’t mind talking about the "head character." 

Always an Agri-Innovator 

Bass, who was educated at Yale and the Wharton Business School, went into agri-business in a semi-conventional manner. He bought and operated a very successful egg farm in Bogota, Colombia. There, although his farm was a commercial venture, some of his ideas were not. For instance, Bass claims to have been the first to put his brand name on eggs. When his Colombian eggs went to market, each was stamped with the name "Huevos Oro, The Golden Egg." 

Bass learned that he could be thrifty and still take advantage of modern innovations, while marketing his golden eggs. Years later, long after semi-retiring, then re-entering the egg business, he’s still on the cutting edge of the business. In a sense, however, he’s gone backward.  

Though he was proud to be thrifty – he kept four hens in a cage and in dimly-lit houses – Bass now feels that he was wrong in the manner in which he treated his birds. Today his birds roam free in large, well-lit buildings. They get at least 16 hours of light every day and get a specially-prepared diet. All the grain is ground on the premises of The Country Hen. 

Medical Benefits 

What about these Omega-3s, Massachusetts News asked Bass. What are they? And how do you know your eggs have them? Bass was more than equal to the task of answering these simple questions. He explained that Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid. These are "good fats," which have been demonstrated to reduce heart disease, decrease blood cholesterol and lower blood pressure.  

According to Bass, more than 2,000 studies have been conducted on Omega-3s, from documenting the dietary intake of isolated Inuit to a British physician who lived on seal meat, fish and water for 100 days. In spite of the fatty foods this brave researcher was eating, all indicators of so-called "bad cholesterol" went down, while his "good cholesterol" readings went up. Seal meat and fish are rich in Omega-3s. Bass ran several experiments of his own, which he refers to as his "guerrilla research." From elderly participants to lacrosse players to gerbils, Bass tested his theories on a wide variety of subjects. Generally, the subjects were split into two groups with one group eating two eggs every day during the test. The control group ate no eggs. One test lasted a year. The results were encouraging. The Omega-3 eggs seemed to create a decrease in blood cholesterol 

More than Medicine Involved 

Lower cholesterol levels and related medical reasons are not the only reasons people flock to the stores to buy Bass’s eggs, however. Some folks like his commitment to the hens, too. One writer, who let her reasons for purchasing his product be known wrote, "I am very heartened to know of your commitment to the proper treatment of your hens. I would rather spend more for better eggs from non-exploited hens." Bass adds that not only has he been happy to give his chickens a happier, more productive life, but it’s also good business. His hens have a much lower mortality rate than those at commercial egg farms. For some people, it’s the taste that keeps them coming back for more. A woman from Connecticut wrote, "It’s great to be able to eat eggs again and even to put meringue on a lemon pie. Your eggs taste the way my grandpa’s did when I was a little girl and helped gather them from the nests." 

Folksy Touch 

Each carton of The Country Hen eggs contains more than eggs. Included with each purchase is a copy of The Farm News, a sort of "Egg Farmer’s Almanac," with trivia, local news, weather, farm happenings and copies of letters from happy customers. Bass isn’t shy about including endorsements from newspapers or quotes from medical experts on the charms of his product.  

It’s easy to see that the folksy bit isn’t an act, however. Though he lives in Chestnut Hill, Bass says that he spends more nights in Hubbardston than at home. His regular business attire consists of flannel shirts with red suspenders. A member of a church in Boston, he is also a regular donor to good causes. He is particularly interested in pro-family organizations. 

Continued Growth 

Though he is 68, Bass has no intention of slowing down now. He plays tennis a couple of times per week. He’s also busy making plans for the growth of The Country Hen. One of the things he’d like to do next is to come out with a good, organic chicken pot pie – one with a good, healthy crust and nice peas and onions. Not only would this bring more business in, it would also allow Bass to kill the chickens in a more humane manner. 

Bass would also like to continue learning. He says, "I’ve been in the chicken business 25 years and there’s still a ton of stuff I don’t know." But he does know that his eggs are good for him. He’s still eating his two eggs per day. 
 

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