Organic Sprouts & Microgreens

Hiring: Sprouts and micro green kitchen
Company: Salt Spring Sprouts and Mushrooms
Location: Salt Spring Island, Gulf Islands, Capital Regional District BC

Salt Spring Sprouts and Mushrooms seeks an enthusiastic individual to work in our sprout production kitchen.

Work days involve preparing our organic sprouts for farmers markets and wholesale clients on and off island. The work takes place indoors and in a relaxed, music, conversation and podcast-infused commercial kitchen environment. You will be primarily processing and packaging sprouts into individual market units and for larger wholesale accounts, harvesting microgreens and preparing our delicious “sprout rolls” and dressings for the farmers markets we attend. Work days typically average about 6 hours in length. We attend 3 farmers markets per week and have wholesale clients on Salt Spring, in Victoria and the Cowichan Valley.

While we are not certified organic, we follow organic practices. We use certified organic seed for all our sprout and microgreens production and we do not use any pesticides, herbicides or synthesized fertilizers in our gardens. We, unrelated to our paid work, compost all of our food and yard waste, make compost teas, and use mulch to increase soil fertility in our outdoor permaculture gardens. For more than a decade we have planted and tended a wide array of trees, shrubs and plants to increase our food security, support our aesthetic vision and to nurtue an increasingly wide array of microorganisms, fungi, insects and birds. We value both people care and earth care in our approach to gardening and food production.

Specific qualities we are seeking in applicants include: positivity, ease in working with/sharing space with others, fast and efficient approach to work, organizational skills, ability to perform physical tasks in the gardens like digging, pushing heavy wheel barrows, turning compost, etc., and perhaps most importantly, folks who share a passion for health, wellness, nature, community building and homesteading.

On any given work day, members of our team will be expected to harvest and package sprouts and microgreens, prepare sprout rolls and dipping sauce, take loads of sprout waste in wheelbarrows to our compost piles, wash the trays that our microgreens are grown in and clean our commercial kitchen at the end of a work day. We require our employees to work one (or more, depending on competency and desire) of our farmers markets per month. Ample training is provided for this specific task before one would be expected to work a market on their own. A drivers license is very helpful in this regard. There are also occasional garden tasks to perform, however we do not use any heavy equipment or machinery and this is a rarity during our work days. Extra curricula land projects, which are totally volunteer based, may include compost-building, irrigation, cover cropping, humanure, soil building, planting, weeding, harvesting, seed-saving, etc. Opportunities abound to spend time on land projects. Investment is flexible and rests on an individual's desire to learn, explore and expand their knowledge through engagement and self-direction.

Term: We are seeking to fill this position from April or May 1st until the end of October, however there are opportunities to extend beyond the summer based on a check-in/review. Please do not apply if you are unable to commit to the whole term.

Hours per week: We require a minimum commitment of 3 days (approximately 18 hours) per week and 1-2 market shifts per month.

Wage: We offer a starting wage of $22/hour potentially rising to $25/hour based on a performance review after two months. The opportunity to live on a thriving permaculture homestead and learn from experienced land stewards is also a major benefit for those wishing to pursue a homesteading lifestyle.

Accommodation: We have rental space on our homestead for either a couple or an individual and can discuss the specifics during our interview.

Apply — Please respond with a little information about yourself, any relevant past experience, interests/hobbies, and why you are interested in pursuing this opportunity. Candidates need only apply if they are able to commit to the full season (April/May until the end of October). Please also provide a resume in your application. Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca. Apply to: sssprouts@gmail.com