Company description

We are a 60 acre, MOFGA Certified Organic vegetable farm that grows about 25 acres of vegetables for our CSA and wholesale customers. We are in our tenth year of production and are growing each year to meet the demand for local, organic produce.

As a mixed vegetable operation, all staff on the farm get to be part of seasonal produce production in the short-season climate that is Mid-Coast Maine. The work is variable, challenging, and rewarding. We work in all weather; we work as a team to meet the tight deadlines of harvest and delivery. We pride ourselves on creating a great work environment and providing upward growth for committed staff.

Our wash and pack house (aka “the Carrot House”), is a 40 by 100 ft building out of which we wash, store, pack and ship nearly all of the vegetables that we grow. Our washpack houses a large cooler, a “cool room” for warmer storage produce, an office, breakroom, dry storage areas, and the main washing area. The position of wash and pack crew will be based out of this facility. Our produce is sold via two primary outlets; CSA and wholesale, each of which may entail its own details in packing, quality, and processing procedures.

Job description

Position: Farm Wash and Pack Crew

Tentative Start Date: March - May 2025

Primary Supervisor: Wash Pack Manager, Eric Farm Owner

Position Type: Full time (40-45 hours in April - December; 35 hours January - March)

Wash/Pack Position;
If you love the idea of working on a farm, working with fresh vegetables, and being part of an amazing crew that feeds Mainers, but don’t necessarily want to do field work, this is a great job for you! The Washing and Packing Crew is primarily responsible for the processing, washing, portioning, packing, and storage of crops harvested. This is an entry-level position ideal for candidates with experience in food processing, preparation, or production, farm based experience is preferred. Crew members may spend some time working in the field, but be focused on assisting with the post-harvest washing, processing, and packing operations. Crew members will be guided by managers, but will be trained to engage in an independent manner as much as possible. The work can be fast paced and is sometimes tedious, but is varied throughout the day and based on time or year or day of the week, time may be spent working alongside the field crew.

Responsibilities;
-Assist with the washing, sorting, processing, and packaging of harvest produce to fulfill orders for wholesale customers and for our own CSA needs

-Keep records of produce that has been washed and counted for fulfillment

-Follow SOPs and Quality Standards to maintain an efficient work flow that accomplishes daily work goals.

-Communicate quality or quantity concerns to managers and address challenges effectively

-Will work alongside field or harvest crews at certain points during the week.

-Assist with the custom-packing of CSA shares two mornings each week, alongside most of the farm team

Job Requirements;
-Must be on time, responsible, and reliable

-Must be able to work with team of employees with a focus on collaboration, positivity, efficiency, and effectiveness

-1 year of working in vegetable production is preferred, but not required. Other experiences in fast paced, production or quality control positions would be valued

-Ability to spend hours working on your feet, lift 40-50# repeatedly to the waist, and work in cold conditions occasionally when necessary

-Good attention to detail, and ability to identify and troubleshoot quality issues with vegetables in real time.

-Comfort with basic math, counting, taking/recording inventory and production values

Hours;

40-45: April-November Monday-Friday 7:00 until 3:30/4:00 pm

25-30:December-March 8am-3:30pm, 5 days per week

*There is some schedule flexibility, so if you are interested, but these hours are not compatible with your schedule, please still apply.

CSA Delivery weeks are generally busier than off weeks for this position and may require extended hours to ensure all necessary work is completed. Additionally, Wash Pack Crew may be expected to assist with CSA pack line setup before crew shows up, start time will be 6:00am on Wednesdays and Thursdays of delivery weeks, working with Eric on the setup. Those weeks are as follows;

Spring Share ( 7 bi-weekly shares, February 12th through May 11th)

Summer Share (16 weekly shares, delivered June 3 through September 20th)

Fall Share (6 bi-weekly shares, September 30 through December 13th)

“Winter Season” Mid December-Mid February

Lunch is an unpaid ½ hour, and employees are given a paid 15 minute break mid-morning.

Pay: Starting pay $18.00/hr. More with demonstrated farm experience.

Benefits:

Earned time off - Accrual of 1 hour per 40 hrs worked. PTO rolls over annually with no penalty and is not capped until 60 hours
A CSA share free of charge all seasons employed (value ~$30/week). Plus additional seconds and bulk veggies if desired.
35% Discount on purchased-in items such as eggs, cheese, flowers, etc.
Matching Retirement (simple IRA) contributions of 3% of income after 3 months of employment
Gear Stipend seasonally ($100 June/$100 January)
Technology stipend monthly if you use your phone at work for farm communications
8 Paid holidays/days off on farm schedule (in addition to ETO)

Compensation

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

Application instructions

Deadline

April 20, 2025