Overview:
Rainbow Farms Co. brings naturally colorful eggs to the South Pearl Street Farmers Market, connecting customers with local farms and the story behind their eggs.
Before shoppers even reach the Rainbow Farms Co. booth at the South Pearl Street Farmers Market, they notice something different. Cartons filled with shades of bright teal, olive green, chocolate brown and cream colored eggs stand out among the produce and baked goods on the street.
The first question is almost always the same.
“Do the different colored eggs taste different?”
The answer is simple: the eggs aren’t dyed. The unique colors come naturally from the heritage breeds of chickens that lay them.
“As a chef, you get a little disconnected from where food comes from and the source,” said Thach Tran, owner of Rainbow Farms Co. and professional chef. “I’m always obsessing over the quality of food.”
While the colorful eggs are the attention-grabbers for shoppers, Tran hopes customers leave with a deeper appreciation for where their food comes from.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tran picked up a new hobby and started raising backyard chickens in Arvada. The idea brought him back to his childhood in Vietnam, where he grew up in his grandmother’s restaurant and his family kept a small flock of chickens.
“I never thought in a million years I’d become a serious chicken farmer,” Tran said.
What started as a post-shift hobby soon turned into the burgeoning business of Rainbow Farms Co.
After raising more eggs than friends and neighbors could use, Tran began looking for a way to share them with the community. That opportunity came through longtime friend and fellow culinary professional Jesse Albertini, owner of Sfoglina Pasta in Denver, who offered him half of her farmers market booth.
Tran brought 30 dozen eggs to his first market, expecting to have a few cartons left over. Instead, they sold all 360 eggs before the market closed.
Today, Rainbow Farms Co. partners with five local Colorado family farms and sells more than 200 dozen eggs on busy market weekends.
Unlike commercial operations that often rely on breeds selected to lay nearly one egg every day, Rainbow Farms Co. focuses on heritage breeds that follow a more natural laying cycle of three to four eggs a week. The slower production allows farmers to prioritize animal welfare while producing rich orange yolks and bold shell colors.
One of their five partner farms belongs to Jim and Brennan Hansen in Carr, Colo.
The Hansens connected with Tran after responding to one of his Facebook posts seeking local farmers and the partnership soon helped expand their production.
“We look specifically for breeds that produce a variety of colors,” Jim Hansen said. “They have lots of room and lots of protection to roam around freely.”
Their hens enjoy a mix of wheat, barley, oats, and steam-rolled black corn, in addition to fresh vegetables, creating a nutrient-rich diet that helps produce the vibrant yolks and eggshells.
If you’re interested in knowing where your food comes from, local farmers are a great source of that,” he said. “There’s more personal care put into producing the best product.”
From the chickens that lay the eggs to the cartons customers carry home, every detail reflects the company’s mission. Even the logo tells part of the story. It features a whimsical “uni-chicken,” a chicken with a unicorn horn. The logo celebrates just how unique, naturally colorful eggs can be.
For Tran, however, the greatest reward isn’t selling hundreds of eggs each weekend. It’s the relationships he’s built with local farmers, fellow small-business owners and customers who want to know where their food comes from.
“What I love most is visiting all these different farms,” Tran said. “You really get to know the families behind the food.”
For Rainbow Farms Co., every carton tells a story, one that starts on Colorado family farms and ends at a neighborhood farmers market, bringing a little more color and connection to the community.
