Polar Egg in the Northwest Territories: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Polar Egg of Hay River is described by the Government of the Northwest Territories as the territory's largest commercial egg operation. In a region where the 2021 Census of Agriculture counted only eight farms in the entire territory, an egg business with a territorial quota of more than three million dozen eggs is the closest thing the NWT has to a large-scale farm.
| Location | Hay River, South Slave region, Northwest Territories |
|---|---|
| Founded | Polar Egg brand launched in 2012 as an egg grading and marketing company (Canadian Poultry Magazine) |
| Sectors | Table eggs; egg grading and packing |
| Scale | Territorial quota of 3,083,608 dozen eggs, about 121,211 laying hens (GNWT); about 50,000 hens in the existing barn with a new barn planned for about 100,000 more (Cabin Radio) |
| Why it is elite | Largest commercial egg operation in the NWT per the GNWT agriculture sector profile; major expansion backed by a CanNor loan |
| Ownership | Bought in 2023 by Matt Vane and Jeff Bisschop of Knutsford Ventures Inc, per Cabin Radio |
| Official website | GNWT Agriculture Sector Profile (describes Polar Egg and the NWT egg quota) |
History of Polar Egg
Eggs have a bumpy history in Hay River. Canadian Poultry Magazine reports that Polar Egg launched in 2012 as a grading and marketing company, roughly a decade after a local grading operation for human consumption shut down. In the years between, the local station had graded eggs only for industrial use and shipped them south.
The magazine describes an investment of about half a million dollars by Hay River Poultry Farms Ltd., backed by roughly $150,000 from territorial and federal governments for equipment, upgrades and staff training. The station employed seven people and graded 30,000 to 50,000 eggs per day. Cabin Radio later reported that Matt Vane and Jeff Bisschop of Knutsford Ventures Inc bought the farm in 2023; Mr. Vane also operates egg farms in Chilliwack and Kamloops, British Columbia.
What Polar Egg Grows and Raises
Polar Egg is a table egg business built around the Hay River grading station. According to Cabin Radio, the farm keeps about 50,000 hens in an existing barn, with a new barn designed for about 100,000 more, near 150,000 in total. The project was described as roughly $15 million, partly financed by a $1.2 million CanNor loan, adding the barn and a new grading facility, with production expected to roughly triple once construction finished.
The GNWT agriculture sector profile puts the territorial egg quota at 3,083,608 dozen eggs, equal to about 121,211 laying chickens. The 2015 magazine profile says eggs came from Hay River Poultry Farms and Choice North Farms; the sources do not spell out how these businesses are related, so confirm with the company before assuming one corporate structure.
How Polar Egg Makes Money
Retail egg sales
Cabin Radio reports distribution through North West Company stores such as Northern and NorthMart, and the GNWT profile lists sales in Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson and Yellowknife. The owners said they hope to reach more retail chains.
Bulk and foodservice eggs
Canadian Poultry Magazine reported that loose eggs were also sold in bulk directly from the facility, mainly to large users such as bakers. Cabin Radio adds that the owners hope to supply NWT school food programs.
Grading and packing services
Because the grading station is CFIA-approved, the 2015 profile notes that any farmer could sell eggs to it. Grading and packing for other producers spreads the fixed cost of equipment across more dozens of eggs.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Polar Egg
Processing capacity unlocks production. Hay River had hens before 2012, but without a licensed grading station the eggs left the territory. Putting the grading step back in town gave local producers a path to the retail shelf, and the later expansion again pairs new barn space with a new grading facility.
In a small market with high freight costs, a fresh local product can hold its place beside southern product if quality, packaging and delivery match what retailers expect. Territorial, federal and CanNor support also appear at each stage alongside owner capital.
Anyone who has watched the sun hang around Hay River for most of a June day knows these hens have a long working day, and the idea of a flock under that kind of daylight is exactly the sort of detail that makes farm.FM smile. We take our farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes seriously, and a barn of 150,000 hens sorting out who gets the good perch on the shore of Great Slave Lake is a gift to all four, with respect to the people who keep the northern breakfast table stocked.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
How to Contact Polar Egg
Website: https://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/en/agriculture-sector-profile
No official Polar Egg website, address or phone appeared in the sources used for this page, so the link above is the best verified public page about the operation. Contact the GNWT Agriculture and Fisheries office or Hay River retailers that stock Polar Egg for current business contacts. Details checked November 2026.
Polar Egg Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- GNWT agriculture sector profile - Territorial overview naming Polar Egg as the largest commercial egg operation and giving the egg quota
- GNWT Agriculture and Fisheries - Territorial agriculture strategy, programs and contacts
- AAFC funding release for NWT growers - Federal announcement of 2021 funding for three Hay River operations
- Cabin Radio on the Polar Egg expansion - Independent coverage of the new barn, hen numbers and owners
- Canadian Poultry Magazine profile - Trade magazine history of the 2012 relaunch and the grading station
Polar Egg FAQ
Where is Polar Egg located?
Polar Egg is based in Hay River, on the south shore of Great Slave Lake in the South Slave region of the Northwest Territories.
How big is Polar Egg?
The GNWT lists the territorial quota at 3,083,608 dozen eggs, equal to about 121,211 laying hens. Cabin Radio reported about 50,000 hens in the existing barn and plans for a new barn holding about 100,000 more.
Who owns Polar Egg?
Cabin Radio reports that Matt Vane and Jeff Bisschop of Knutsford Ventures Inc bought the farm in 2023.
Where can I buy Polar Egg eggs?
The GNWT profile lists sales in Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson and Yellowknife.
Polar Egg shows what scale can look like in the Northwest Territories: one egg operation, one grading station and a market that stretches across a very large, thinly populated territory. For the wider picture of farming in the North, including greenhouses, community gardens and the Hay River growers, see the Northwest Territories farms guide and the other profiles in this region.