Getting fresh quail eggs and meat from a farm in Kalmunai to a Cargills Food City branch in a different district is not as simple as loading a van. It requires a consistent process, strict quality gates, and a relationship of trust built over time with the supermarket's receiving staff.
Here is how we do it, every day.
Packing starts the night before
The evening before a supply run, our team weighs and counts products for each destination branch. Packets are vacuum-sealed on-site, labelled with the production date, best-before date, batch number, and net weight. Every batch gets a unique identifier so we can trace any packet back to the flock and feed lot it came from.
Morning quality gate
Before loading, a supervisor checks a sample from each batch — appearance, seal integrity, and weight. Any packet outside tolerance is set aside. We would rather leave a packet behind than have it returned from a branch or, worse, reach a customer below standard.
Quail eggs are candled to detect cracked shells or cloudy yolks. Meat packets are checked for colour and seal. Products are moved to our vehicle in insulated crates to maintain temperature during transit.
The supply run
Our driver follows a fixed route designed to minimise time between farm and shelf. Each branch receives its order along with a delivery note listing every product, quantity, selling price, and the corresponding batch numbers. The branch's receiving staff sign off on arrival, and we log any discrepancies immediately.
For Cargills Food City and Keells branches, selling prices are agreed per product type — our pricing reflects the chain's category. Private supermarkets may carry a different price. This structure is what allows us to be fair to each partner while keeping our own margins predictable.
Returns and follow-ups
Approximately eleven days after each supply, we check in with the branch. Unsold or near-expiry stock is collected and counted — these returns are logged against the original supply so our profitability figures stay accurate. A high return rate at a specific branch triggers a review: is the branch receiving too much stock? Is shelf placement poor? We would rather adjust quantities than let returns climb.
This discipline is what lets us offer consistent freshness to Cargills and Keells — and it is why branches request more stock when they trust that we will honour the relationship.