Joe Hudson, co-founder of family-owned Burnbrae Farms, has died at the age of 94. He passed away Thursday at his home near Brockville surrounded by his family, his daughter Margaret Hudson wrote on LinkedIn.
Born on July 12, 1929, Hudson grew up on his family’s dairy farm, which was founded in 1891 in Lyn, near Brockville. At age 14, Hudson raised 50 hens for a school project. His interest in eggs and chickens ultimately led Burnbrae Farms to evolve into egg production in the 1940s under the guidance of Hudson and his brother Grant.
In the years since, Burnbrae’s operations have become an integral part of the Eastern Ontario and Canadian agricultural industry, supplying eggs to grocery stores across Canada and regularly expanding operations and products.
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In a post on LinkedIn, daughter Margaret Hudson, current Burnbrae Farms president and CEO, described her father as a “visionary” who “has left an indelible mark” on the family, community, egg industry and “entire agri-food industry.”
Margaret Hudson described her time working with her father for more than 20 years as an “intense and powerful experience.”
“I learned so much from him and had a lot of fun along the way. Not going to lie, it got frustrating at times,” the post read. “He was always late for meetings, and he called me in the middle of the night on a regular basis, but it was always worth it and he taught me so much, about business, about people and about life in general. I will forever be grateful to him for everything that he has done.”
Under Hudson’s leadership, Burnbrae Farms expanded across the country, developed egg products with extended shelf-life for use by such outlets as McDonalds, and launched Naturegg Omega 3 eggs, reduced cholesterol egg products, cooked egg products, and Naturegg Omega Pro shell eggs with omega 3 and lutein. Burnbrae was also the first company to achieve vertical integration nation-wide.
Though he officially retired in 2010, Hudson was still at the farm daily, his family said. In 2007, Hudson was the recipient of the “We Care Hall of Fame Award,” served for 31 years as a director of the Ontario Egg Producers, and was inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2012.
He also served as chair of the Hudson-Burnbrae Foundation, established in the early 1970s to provide financial support to education and other charitable causes in Eastern Ontario.
“We will miss his wise counsel, his incredible wit and the energy and enthusiasm he put into everything he did, including helping us to grow the business,” wrote his daughter.
