Manitoba egg farmers are reaping the rewards from a menu option growing in popularity within the restaurant industry.

Experts say breakfast sandwiches are leading to an increase in egg consumption.

Industry representatives say its making way for new egg farms and the possibility of increased growth in the future.

Landmark-area resident Jeremy Klassen-Dueck never imagined he’d become an egg farmer.

Two years in and the University of Manitoba engineering student has no regrets.

He and his wife run a 6000-hen operation southeast of Winnipeg.

"We were able to build our barn because of the increasing demand,” said Klassen-Dueck.

According to Manitoba Egg Farmers, retail egg sales have increased 30 per cent over the past 11 years in the province and rose 5.5 per cent over a recent 52 week period.

Experts say egg farmers like Klassen-Dueck can thank the breakfast sandwich for most of that increase.

"When we look at the consumption of breakfast sandwiches through the restaurant channel over the last five to seven years the growth has been very steady year over year,” said Robert Carter, a food service analyst with NPD Group in Toronto.

Chains like McDonalds and A&W started offering all-day breakfast in Canada in 2017 and now Tim Hortons is experimenting with the idea, too.

Egg farmers in Manitoba already produce more than 72 million dozen eggs each year but industry representatives say numbers will rise if demand keeps growing.

"So that has an enormous impact on our egg sales,” said Manitoba Egg Farmers director of communication & public relations, Brenda Bazylewski.  “Of course, when egg sales increase farmers receive more quota and we have new entrants into the system."

Down the road from the barn Klassen-Dueck and his wife operate his mother-in-law Catherine Kroeker-Klassen has a flock of 16,000 hens.

Kroeker-Klassen got into egg business 15 years ago and expects to see continual growth in the industry.

“We like to go out to eat the odd time and on every menu I am seeing eggs in various different forms and its great,” she said.  “That thrills me.”

Klassen-Dueck said he likes the all-day breakfast offering from a both a consumer and producer perspective.

"We have definitely been consumers as well as producers," said Klassen-Dueck.  "My wife and I may have gone to restaurants at midnight to go pick up some egg sandwiches."