{"id":633021,"date":"2026-09-23T01:54:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T01:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/633021\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T01:54:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T01:54:13","slug":"we-couldnt-believe-it-cork-businessman-age-6-goes-viral-with-egg-selling-biz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/633021\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We couldn’t believe it’ – Cork businessman, age 6, goes viral with egg-selling biz"},"content":{"rendered":"

When this Cork<\/a> kid started selling his own produce to save up for a trampoline, his family wasn’t sure how it would go. But hours after they set up his ‘mini-business<\/a>‘ – it saw overwhelming demand, with people driving for miles to get eggs from his favourite hen, Rhonda.<\/p>\n

Jack Hurley from Ballinhassig village, age 6, set up his own ‘Honesty Box’ last week with a helping hand from his mom Fiona. These mini-shops are a popular concept in the UK and have been picking up steam in Ireland in recent years. They work on a good-faith basis – where items are stored with price tags in a publicly accessible box, and shoppers are trusted to fully pay for whatever they take.<\/p>\n

Little entrepreneur Jack hand-painted the family’s<\/a> old mini-freezer for the project. His mom Fiona also had special stickers printed in Bandon<\/a> for decoration and to show the price of a carton – six eggs for \u20ac3. Not bad for produce from free-range chickens, all of which the six-year-old cares for tirelessly before and after school.<\/p>\n

In fact, he minds them with barely any help from his family – but does get the odd hand, especially from his 3-year-old brother Brian.<\/p>\n

Jack got all of his hens for his sixth birthday, and they are named Rhonda, Bluebell, Henifer, Ms. Peck, Pearl and Barbara. When asked why Rhonda was his favourite – Jack said it was because she was the first to lay an egg, and also because she “likes being held.”<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/p>\n

Jack Hurley by his Honesty Box, holding his beloved hen Rhonda(Image: Fiona Hurley)<\/p>\n

On Friday last week, the Hurleys put the Honesty Box outside their house with a fair few egg cartons, alongside a Spiderman lunchbox to collect cash. They expected the stock to last for at least 7 days. Little did they know however, a Facebook post Fiona had put up about Jack’s business the night before – showing an adorable pic of him with Rhonda – had already gone viral.<\/p>\n

Rebels from across the county were only too willing to support the Cork boy’s venture, sharing it across social media<\/a> groups. And locals showed up in force to support him as well, turning up outside the Hurleys’ driveway in droves to pick up some of Jack’s produce.<\/p>\n

After selling out two days back-to-back, Fiona had to share another Facebook post – thanking everyone for their support, and saying that they had completely sold out to stop anyone from making a wasted trip.<\/p>\n

The good news though is Jack’s venture is only just getting started. The box will return outside their home every Sunday from now on. All of the earnings from the honest box are going straight to the six-year-old – which he said he wants to spend on “more hens, a bigger hen house and a trampoline.”<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/p>\n

Jack with his chickens at the family farm(Image: Fiona Hurley)<\/p>\n

This wasn’t Jack’s first time trying to make a small bit of cash on the side. He has also sold eggs to his mum and grandmother before. On one occasion, he even stood outside his own house with a homemade sign and a few egg cartons, and managed to sell one to a very kind family driving past.<\/p>\n

Fiona told Cork Beo: “We were actually laughing, we couldn’t believe the response to this… This year for his birthday we decided to get him six hens. Jack absolutely loves animals. We were at an animal farm in Kerry recently, and there wasn’t a single animal that he was afraid to hold.<\/p>\n

“He wanted a trampoline, so we taught him about selling eggs. We have a beef farm here, so the chickens have loads of space to roam. The first thing Jack does every morning before school is let them out, feed them, give them water. We collect the eggs in the evening. He’s very good in fairness, he does it all almost completely by himself.”<\/p>\n

The box has no camera, and Jack is trusting the public’s goodwill to remain honest and not take his eggs without paying full price. Thankfully, all’s going well so far – and the little Cork businessman is overjoyed at the huge reaction to his efforts online.<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/p>\n

Jack holding Rhonda alongside his little brother Brian<\/p>\n

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen big success for an Honesty Box in Co. Cork. Last year, young Cork baker Anna Jane O’Leary also saw a huge response to her little ‘unmanned caf\u00e9’ near her home in Castlefreke by Clonakilty<\/a> – which she made from her old childhood playhouse. <\/a>Things went so well, she even launched a second one just weeks later.<\/a><\/p>\n

And in recent months, she expanded with her own Flour Patch Caf\u00e9, which opened at Owenahincha Beach. Anna regularly shares updates about her businesses on TikTok<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>, showing what she’s stocking and sharing notices when items have all sold out. Outside the Honesty Box work, the Cork baker also makes and sells her own custom cakes.<\/p>\n