A Tagline with Meaning
In 2016, we announced the formation of Versova, a holding company with a shared management team to manage the business functions of our farms, Centrum Valley Farms and Trillium Farms first, and now including Iowa Cage-Free and Center Fresh.
Versova is the formation of two concepts – “vers” – the Dutch word for fresh – and “ova” meaning egg. The name is a reflection of our heritage, of our dedication to our combined team of employees, and of the vast opportunities to position our farms for innovation, stability and flexibility.
Following this announcement, we began to evolve what else Versova could be, and how we grow and develop our farms and our teams. In that process, we considered what else we could say about who we are, and that conversation developed into the creation of a tagline for Versova: A family of companies; a company of families.
In unpacking that tagline, it’s easy to understand why it works so well for Versova. We are a family of companies. Under our management group, we have four individual farm companies, each with their own distinct identity. As we grow, that list may expand as well with additional companies, but all under the Versova banner.
Perhaps more importantly, Versova is a company of families. Our rich history includes a number of families who grew from deep roots in egg production, including the Deans, Hennings and Boomsmas. Indeed, there are more than 25 families represented in our partnership and Board, each of whom has a voice in our business.
Those founding families today still are involved in Versova, and we’ve been joined by many others along the way. Of equal importance is the value we place on every team member and his or her family. Our company of families today extends well beyond those initial founders to include fathers and mothers, children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, cousins, siblings and more. Our more than 1,350 team members each brings their own family, their own roots, and their own story to our Versova company of families.
Across the board, families – and the accompanying values and caring – are at the center of what makes up Versova. And I couldn’t be prouder to be at the helm.