"We don't produce eggs, we look after hens". This is the philosophy of Pazo de Vilane, a family company specialising in the production of free-range eggs from free-range hens and a pioneer in bringing them to supermarket shelves.

Its co-founder, Nuria Varela-Portas, an Economics and Business Studies graduate, left her job and her life in London in 1996 to set up this project with her family and restore their old 18th century family manor house, located in Antas de Ulla, in the heart of the A Ulloa region (Lugo). "Many people thought it was madness: investing in the countryside in the 1990s and, above all, raising hens," he recalls. But they continued with their commitment, convinced that they could carry out an inspiring and ambitious project that would have an impact on rural Galicia.

The mission and values of Pazo de Vilane took shape through many conversations with the Varela-Portas family, as Nuria recalls, always with the clear idea in mind of doing things in a different way, because "innovation is not only possible with an R+D+i laboratory, it can also be achieved through ideas, processes and ways of doing things", she points out. "It was clear to us that we wanted to create an umbrella brand that would cover agricultural products and that this brand would manage the entire value chain," he explains. And so it was. They started from scratch with 50 laying hens. Today they have 220,000 hens, producing four million dozens of eggs a year, which are marketed throughout the country. They have a staff of 50 people and 16 farms, including some associated farms that apply the same production model under daily supervision.

Sustainability and animal welfare have been two priorities from the beginning: "We wanted to act under the principle of one health, that is to say: healthy animals, healthy people and a healthy environment". Pazo de Vilane's free-range eggs are different from others thanks to how the hens are cared for. The birds each have 4 m2 of green pasture outside. Thus, a small flock of 5,000 free-range hens enjoys exclusive use of 20,000 square metres of land. This, together with the feed and climate of Galicia, gives the product quality, nutrients and a unique flavour.

Design has also been a key part of the company's strategy. Its iconic box of free-range eggs was designed by Pepe Barro in 1997. "He designed a wonderful box with no expiry date, which has been working for 25 years and transmits the values of Pazo de Vilane: naturalness, sustainability, animal welfare, care...", he explains. The recyclable and reusable packaging has received several awards and has been presented at industrial design exhibitions. It is also part of the book ABC DESEÑO. Diccionario do deseño e da innovación en Galicia, published by the Xunta and the Didac Foundation.

After 27 years in business, Pazo de Vilane has become a leading SME. Nuria Varela-Portas recognises that the road has not been easy, but she assures that being a family business gives them "resilience and robustness" and stresses that what has moved them most "is the love for Galicia and for the project". With their sights set firmly on the future, their challenge is to continue producing quality agricultural products, based on sustainability, innovation and continuous improvement. "We want to be a company that builds a sustainable society for the future: one that is environmentally sustainable, socially just and economically inclusive," he explains. Not surprisingly, they are moving their philosophy towards an equally inspiring one: "We take care of hens by taking care of people".