Kitchen assistant and farming position (Davis)

We are looking for an experienced kitchen assistant to help us streamline our on-farm kitchen operations, or a farmer for our farming operations, or a combination of both positions. For the kitchen assistant, working under the guidance of the kitchen manager, you will prepare a variety of value-added products made with our farm’s organic fruit culls, including jams, native plant-based syrups, sun-dried fruit leathers and savory salsas. For the farming position, you will be growing, harvesting, packing and selling a variety of organic fruits. Qualified and hardworking employees will be given an opportunity to apply to advance into a management role in September.

Start date: Between March and June
Compensation: $12-14/hr
Hourly expectations: 20-40 hours/week (or 20-55 for the farming position)
The kitchen assistant position can be either a part-time (20 hours/week) or full-time position (up to 40 hours/week), and can be combined with fieldwork or marketing if desired.

Kitchen assistant responsibilities:
Ensuring food preparation areas are clean, hygienic and in compliance with food safety plans
Preparing, cooking and canning value-added products
Cleaning food preparation equipment, floors and other kitchen tools
Supporting others and facilitating an efficient, fast-paced work environment
Maintaining an inventory of packaging supplies
Maintaining an inventory of products for sale to a variety of direct-to-retail and direct-to-consumer markets
Farmhand responsibilities (optional):
Harvesting, sorting and packing fruit
Caring for fruit trees
Maintaining native-plant hedgerows
Delivering wholesale and CSA orders
Working farmers markets

Farming position responsibilities:
Harvesting, sorting and packing fruit
Annual fruit and vegetable production
Caring for fruit trees
Maintaining native-plant hedgerows
Delivering wholesale and CSA orders (optional)
Working farmers markets (optional)
Producing jams, fruit leathers, syrups, and salsas (optional)

Required qualifications for kitchen assistant:
Availability to work part to full-time June 1 – Sept 30 (flexible)
Previous commercial kitchen experience
Manual dexterity able to operate cutting tools and kitchen equipment
Excellent communication and conflict resolution skills
Ability to work in groups and enthusiasm to cultivate a positive work environment
Ability to lift 50+ pounds
Ability to stand on your feet for several hours
Driver’s license and ability to commute to work

Required qualifications for farming position:
Availability to work part to full-time March 1 – Sept 30 (flexible)
Previous farming experience
Excellent communication and conflict resolution skills
Ability to work in groups and enthusiasm to cultivate a positive work environment
Ability to lift 50+ pounds
Driver’s license and ability to commute to work

Preferred qualifications:
Flexibility in working weekends
Previous farming experience
Previous experience with group decision-making processes
Interest in a food systems career in restaurants and/or agriculture
Experience in any of the following:
Kitchen management
Wholesale or direct-to-consumer marketing
Social media or web development
Bookkeeping
Farm management (esp. blackberries, fruit trees and vegetables)
Crew management
Delivery coordination
Field equipment operation
Administrative tasks
Grant writing and management
Habitat restoration

About the farm.

Our goal at the Cloverleaf Farm is to produce excellent fruit while improving our soil, our environment, and our local community. Our vision is to create a thriving farm-ecosystem, burgeoning with insects, wildlife, and soil microorganisms, that minimizes water and energy consumption, as well as other external inputs. We believe in treating ourselves and our customers with care, and we strive to explore innovative farming ideas, foster creativity, and provide an educational forum for the community. As our farm continues to expand and diversify, we will develop new markets to further integrate the farm into our local food system. We have lots of ideas and plenty of work to do — and we could use your help!

The Cloverleaf Farm is operated by three partners — Katie Fyhrie, Kaitlin Oki and Emma Torbert. The farm currently manages a four-acre stone fruit orchard, an acre of mixed annual and perennial crops, a small citrus grove, and several native-plant hedgerows. We market our fruit and fruit-based value-added products to customers throughout the Sacramento and Bay Area regions via a number of grocery stores, farmers markets, our sliding-scale CSA, U-picks, and Ugly Fruit Club. We are currently initiating a process of converting our partnership into a worker-owned cooperative, and any employee would be eligible to be a member-owner after the season, if desired.

How to apply.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and interested applicants are advised to apply as soon as possible. If you are interested in this position, please complete a written application. We will review your application materials within one week and follow up with you to let you know if we would like to schedule a working interview.

Copy and paste this link for the written application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfecwy-lxuYL-SYtP7XNx_CZT55ar71-1dIFHWyjyzu0LSTA/viewform.