Early morning phone calls, texts, and emails flood in before 6 a.m. from restaurants, bakeries, and other businesses urgently seeking eggs.

Brian Moscogiuri serves as an egg broker and is the vice president of the wholesale distributor Eggs Unlimited. Operating from his home office in Toms River, New Jersey, he spends long hours on the phone, working to unite eager customers with farms that have excess eggs available.

However, the spread of avian influenza has led to significant egg shortages, causing wholesale prices to skyrocket — now averaging over $8 per dozen, a significant jump from $2.25 last fall. Mr. Moscogiuri recounts that his role has shifted from simply facilitating transactions to offering emotional support to his clients.

“The buyers are facing immense challenges,” he explained. “They are looking at prices for eggs that are three to four times higher than usual.”

Egg producers, particularly smaller, family-run farms, are equally concerned. If even one hen tests positive for the H5N1 strain of avian flu, the entire flock may need to be culled to prevent further contamination. “They might wake up one day to find their entire business could be gone,” Mr. Moscogiuri noted.

Despite the difficulties, the ongoing shortage that began in 2022 has created a significant advantage for one entity: the largest egg producer in the country.