On a recent journey to southern Vermont, I visited Cavendish Game Birds to tour the facility and learn more about their captivating success story during this pandemic. Cavendish was established in 1988 by Bill Thompson, a chef who initially started raising pheasants, selling them to local restaurants. His brother, Rick, was convinced to join his brother’s endeavor, and in 1998, they purchased a 75-acre farm in Springfield, Vermont.
They started selling other game birds as well, from quail to ducks. Over the years, they eventually chose to specialize in raising quail and their eggs. They worked to produce quail that were 25-30% larger than usual, and even their eggs were jumbo-sized.
Pre-Covid, about 90-95% of their business was with restaurants. Obviously, once the pandemic struck, restaurants temporarily closed, some for over a year and others permanently shut down. That devastated Cavendish, so they began to pivot to retail, which took time to grow and certainly didn’t provide the regularity or extent of work like the former restaurant business. They sold quail and their eggs at local farmers markets and online through Facebook Marketplace, seeking ways to survive.
Due to one of their ads, Rick was contacted by Thang Nyguyen of Williston, Vermont, who initially wanted to buy quail eggs. After placing a few orders, he then had a special request: could Rick provide quail Balut?
Balut is basically an unhatched egg, which contains an embryo, and is most often a duck egg. The egg is hard boiled and then consumed out of the shell. It likely originated in China and came to the Philippines in the 19th century, where it acquired its name, Balut, and primary fame. It is also found in a number of other Asian nations, from Cambodia to Vietnam. Quail Balut is much less common, and seems more of a Vietnamese delicacy.
At first, Rick was leery of the idea, but over time, he reconsidered the idea, especially as the business needed more revenue streams. Thang was very pleased with the quail Balut, desirous of even more. Rick started shipping Balut around the country, and because it was so perishable, he needed to ship it by air, which also was less costly than other shipment methods.
One day, while waiting in line at the airport to ship his next supply of Balut, he noticed that the Vietnamese man in front of him in line was also shipping Balut, chicken and duck. They got to talking and the man was very interested in quail Balut, soon after becoming another major customer for Cavendish. What were the odds of standing in line at the airport behind another Balut seller?
Rick received great praise for his quail Balut, and this new business helped Cavendish survive and thrive. Combined with their new retail business, Cavendish did well, despite the pandemic.
They now produce about 15,000 Balut eggs each week, and that will increase to 18,000-22,000 in the fall and winter. Their incubators can hold about 30,000 quail eggs, and those intended for Balut are incubated for about 12 days. Nearly all of their Balut is consumed by various Vietnamese communities across the country.
At the end of our tour, we stopped at Rick’s house to sample some Balut. Rick stated that making Balut is simple as you just hard boil the eggs, and then can add whatever topping you want. Vietnamese consumers commonly eat it with salt, pepper, and a side of rau răm, a green that resembles cilantro in some ways.
With our Balut, we had a few condiments, including salt and pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and hot sauce. For my first taste of Balut, I tried it without any condiments. I broke a tiny hole at the top of the egg and then drank the soup, which was very pleasing, almost like a savory chicken broth.
Then, I removed more of the shell until I could remove the embryo and egg, and popped it into my mouth. It was tender and savory, with almost a consistency of liver. There was nothing off-putting about its taste at all, and there was not a crunchy texture either. Maybe if it were a larger duck egg, you might encounter a crunchier element, but not in the tiny quail eggs. I ate a few more eggs, trying a little salt and pepper, and once with some soy sauce, and those elements helped to elevate its taste.
Next, Rick fried up some of the Balut with oyster sauce, and it too was tasty, and might be an easier way for some people to try Balut. With the dark sauce on them, they don’t look as much like a quail embryo. Balut is definitely an item where pre-conceptions prevent many people from sampling it, yet if they only tasted it, they might realize that it is not like what they think. It might not become one of your favorite dishes, but it also would not be something you would refuse if offered.
Cavendish Game Birds is a pandemic success story, pivoting from its primary business to something uniquely related, but which they never would have planned to do on their own. No one could have predicted that a Vermont farm would become well known for quail Balut.
For more information on Cavendish, you may read Richard Auffrey’s more detailed article at: http://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com/2021/09/cavendish-game-birds-from-quail-to-balut.html
