Company description

Our mission is to honor our family farm legacy, engage our community, empower our local economy and tread lightly.

Peter Fraleigh purchased this land in 1798 and formally established and named Rose Hill Farm in 1812. Six generations proceeded him and in 2001, the New York State Agricultural Society honored Rose Hill Farm and then owners Dave and Karen Fraleigh, as the only fruit orchard among ten Bicentennial Family Farms.

Two decades ago, Dave and Karen Fraleigh listened to their customers’ requests to pick their own apples and recognized their yearning to reconnect with the land. They subsequently transitioned the farm from a wholesale apple orchard to a Pick Your Own model and expanded the crops to include cherries, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, apples, pumpkins and winter squash.

In 2015, Bruce and Holly Brittain and Chris Belardi purchased Rose Hill Farm. Our shared vision is to grow the family friendly Pick Your Own orchard, be effective stewards of the land, utilize holistic growing practices to improve the health of our crops and our land, and preserve the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley.

In January 2020, the team launched a winery brand (including a range of wine, cider and co-fermented fruit wine) under the name Rose Hill® and opened the Taproom at Rose Hill Farm in August of the same year.

We value transparency and seek to educate our customers about what we do and how we do it. We employ environmentally sound, humane and sustainable farming practices. We are committed to preserving the environment through the use of renewable energy, water conservation and responsible farming practices. We hope to become a place where our patrons can learn and enjoy and connect with the land and each other. We look forward to sharing our farm with you!

Job description

We are a small, tight-knit farm crew who are passionate about wholistic land stewardship, sustainable practices, hard work, social justice, and building community. Every employee is a valued and respected member of the team, and every effort is made to allow your individual strengths to shine.

We are currently seeking a weekend Farmstand Crew Member to oversee our pick-your-own fruit checkout area. 8:00/9:00 - 5:00 shifts on Saturday and Sunday required for the duration of our harvest season, June through October. Shifts will be primarily solitary, except for peak cherry, peach, and apple weekends. Additional winter work may also be offered in other areas of the farm if desired. Compensation is $18-$20 hourly (depending on experience) plus tips.

Desired Experience and Qualifications:

• Possess an understanding of the need to work quickly and maintain efficiency throughout the day.
• Positive, engaging personality.
• Willingness to work independently and as part of a larger team, with positivity and maturity.
• Eye for detail.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, etc for extended periods, and lift up to 25 lbs.
• Strong sense of organization and proactive problem-solving

Responsibilities include:

- Managing Farmstand Calendar / Coordinating the Team

• Confirm farmstand staff travel and vacation dates, input into calendar. Manage requests for changes. Ask for help with any holes.
• Designate a floater for each day – someone who will temporarily work the stand for lunch and bathroom breaks.
• Develop Farmstand customer service standards: how we greet customers, how we manage complaints and resolve conflicts. Write them down. Relay them to the team. Incorporate feedback and refine this periodically.
• Set the standard and train others to follow a comprehensive opening and closing checklist.

- Customer Communications

• Describe to customer what’s picking: fruit varieties, taste, and features (best for jam, baking).
• Describe to customer any logistics: where they are located, how to get there, wayfinding tips, insights like how to pick a peach without damaging the fruit and for best shelf life. You are a valued fruit expert/resource!
• Monitor current picking conditions and availability. Walk out to the field in the morning, summarize conditions for staff, check back before your lunch. Relay text updates to those responsible for updating website, social media, and voicemail.
• Solicit customer feedback – what are people most excited to pick, are there complaints, can people find the ripe fruit (if not, we need a map, more signs?). Consider how we can improve the experience, relay during next team meeting.
• If a customer has a question, try to find someone who can help, consult the FAQs on our website, or relay info@ email address. We hope each customer observes we are a knowledgeable and well-coordinated team, friendly, patient, and resourceful.
• Expect to answer questions about what’s picking next and our fruit season schedule. This is also a great way to conclude a conversation and boost returning customers/repeat business.

- Farmstand Inventory

• Maintain an electronic list of all Farmstand items, by categories: snacks, drinks, fruit picking containers, merchandise, paper products, cleaning supplies, trash bags, hand sanitizer. Review list at appropriate interval, note when items are running low and order more or coordinate with management.
• Re-stock drinks, snacks, merchandise
• Write down customer feedback: Are folks looking to buy honey? Do we have enough kid friendly healthy snacks? Do moms want a different type of kids juice?
• Coordinate re-ordering of merch.
• Identify new value-add opportunities.

- Farmstand Appearance

• Develop standards for Farmstand appearance: clean, tidy, organized, great signage.
• Train others to follow a comprehensive opening and closing checklist.
• Creative ideas: arrange fresh wildflowers, initiate community bulletin board.
• Helpful resources: print a recipe relevant to the fruit currently picking.
• Maintain lost and found.
• Purge any items that don’t belong in the Farmstand. Ask if you’re not sure where to relocate.
• Routinely purge any spoiled fruit from the cooler (send to compost). Remind others to note/ date anything that goes into the cooler.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

May 14, 2024