Niels and Grete are showcasing the entire production: "If you're afraid that people will come and take pictures, you should probably do something else."

The air is heavy with feathers, dust, and chicken clucking as Niels Riis opens the door to his barn at Hinge Søgaard in the East Jutland hills.

In many ways, he resembles the egg producer one might expect to meet: a middle-aged man in black work clothes with a hen in his arms and a leather sixpence on his head.

Next to him stands his partner in stark contrast. With an iPhone in hand and his cap turned backwards, Oliver Dinesen films another video for the Instagram profile 'Niels & Grete'. Here, more than 23,000 people follow the daily life of the organic egg producer.

The awkward duo has built a large profile on social media over the past years. But according to Niels Riis, the videos are about more than just selling eggs: They are also about transparency.

One of the biggest organic profiles

For many years, Niels & Grete produced organic eggs for the largest Danish egg packers, but when they experienced that the packing plant started demanding "quality discount eggs" and was pushing for intensification, they said no.

Instead, they set up their own packing facility, put their own names on the trays, and now deliver fresh eggs directly from the hen yard in Hadsten to the refrigerated shelves—without middlemen.

30,000 hens and 300 hectares

The production is also manually operated rather than robotized: Eggs are hand-sorted, and straw is manually spread inside the barn.

Niels Riis has shared everyday life on the farm on Instagram for more than ten years, and in recent years, the profile has grown significantly. Today, he is one of Denmark's largest Instagram profiles within organic farming, and he has shown that with his production, he dares to go his own way.

Besides help from a skilled videographer, Niels Riis points to one particular reason for the success: transparency. For Niels Riis, Instagram is not just about selling eggs but also about giving consumers an honest insight into everyday life on the farm. If agriculture wants trust from the outside world, it must also be able to withstand being seen, he believes.

"If you’re worried that someone will come and take pictures of your production, then you should probably reconsider whether you want that production. If you're truly afraid that someone is watching, why do you have that fear?" he says.

Therefore, Niels Riis and Oliver Dinesen try to show both the good and less glamorous sides of life as an egg producer.

"We show what we do, for better or worse. I think that’s what attracts people. They can see that their eggs are produced under proper conditions."

Although the Instagram profile is also a tool for selling eggs, it is just as much an opportunity to open the doors to an industry that many only encounter through headlines and debates. Therefore, Niels Riis is not afraid that other producers will try to copy the recipe by merely showing the nice sides of their production.

"To a large extent, consumers are smart enough to pick up when they’re not shown the full picture," he believes.

The most expensive egg in a Danish supermarket

Showing the production process also requires the courage to talk about the price. Niels Riis and Oliver Dinesen have never been afraid of that. In a time when price is a significant barrier to organic foods, they have instead made it a central part of the story about Niels & Grete.

Among other things, it was Oliver’s idea to call the eggs "Denmark’s most expensive eggs", and he says there was a very deliberate strategy behind that.

"Price point is a huge thing when talking about food. It’s something consumers encounter in supermarkets and can relate to. But we also wanted to provoke consumers a little to understand that it actually costs money to run a place like this," explains Niels Riis.

For them, the high price is not about hiding from debate but about being open about it. When consumers get an insight into the production, it also becomes easier to explain why the eggs cost more than those next to them in the supermarket. So far, the strategy seems to work.

"We’re not able to suddenly gather a bunch of eggs for a big sale, so we have a constant price. But gradually, we’ve built a close relationship with consumers, which means they buy our products quite consistently. We don’t see any significant fluctuations. Sales are very steady despite campaigns, crises, or anything else."

Grete-test

Behind the production of the Niels & Grete videos is an open and relatively unpretentious process, where Oliver Dinesen often contributes with the consumer’s perspective.

"I actually haven’t prepared much when I come here," says Oliver Dinesen.

Besides filming and editing the videos, he also functions as an external eye on the production.

"Niels likes to say that not much exciting happens, but there are actually lots of exciting things. It’s just hard to see them when you’re there every day."

Precisely that role as a curious outsider helps shape the content on the profile.

"We have the Grete test," says Oliver Dinesen with a smile.

"If Niels and I are in doubt about whether to make a video, we ask Niels’ wife, Grete. If she thinks it’s a bad idea, we usually end up making it," he explains with a grin, as he and Niels Riis head down the road to film yet another video.

A tractor demonstration against tractor demonstrations

Niels Riis and Oliver Dinesen are also not afraid to try new ideas. Some of their videos happen spontaneously when they get an idea they think is worth trying.

When the duo has reached the road, Oliver Dinesen turns to Niels Riis.

"Shall we do a tractor demonstration against the tractor demonstrations?" he asks.

"You mean like a demonstration against the tractor demonstrations at the universities and over in Copenhagen?" Niels Riis replies.

"Yeah, wouldn’t that be fun?"

"Yes, that could be quite fun."

Seconds later, they split up. Niels Riis goes to fetch a tractor, while Oliver Dinesen begins making signs.

Ten minutes later, a large red tractor is parked across the road. In front of it stands Niels Riis with a homemade sign that says: "Yes to more nature."

The idea is almost realized before Oliver Dinesen has finished suggesting it. The video is a good example of the combination of humor, spontaneity, and societal debate that characterizes the profile. Although some posts are about chickens and egg trays, others focus on discussions about nature, climate, and agriculture.

A simple piece of advice: get started

If the duo has one piece of advice for other producers wanting to get started on social media, it’s quite simple: Get started.

As Niels Riis explains, success didn’t come overnight. It has been built up through many years of storytelling from the farm.

"We’ve been at it for many years. Making videos and that kind of thing has been an art. It still is, by the way. But it’s okay that we do it a bit handheld and amateurish. As long as we tell the story."

Oliver Dinesen also emphasizes that you don’t necessarily need a professional videographer to get started.

"It’s just about getting started and mostly avoiding overproducing. That doesn’t require many resources. The first time I came here, I had a huge camera setup, but I quickly realized that wasn’t what was needed. So we actually scaled it down to a mobile phone and a set of microphones."

As Oliver Dinesen also explains, it’s not the production of the videos that should be the focus, but rather the authentic story of what you do.

"Anyone can go out and do these things. It’s about being authentic and showing a place that can carry it. Everything Niels does goes deeper than just making films and talking about ecology. It’s also about believing in it. And having a place you want to show."

The article is written as part of the project 'Animal Welfare as a Branding Factor for Organic Farming' with support from the Organic Farming Foundation.