FARM JOB: MERVILLE, BC – Merville Organics, CSA & Market Staff Member

Looking for a farm job on Vancouver Island? Merville Organics in Merville, BC is hiring a CSA & Market Staff Member for the 2020 season! 

About Merville Organics

Merville Organics Growers Co-operative is a co-op of 3 small farms located in Merville and north Courtenay in the Comox Valley, working together to sell our produce at the Comox Valley Farmers Market and through a popular Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.  Our farms are all Certified Organic through Islands Organic Producers Association (IOPA).  We are passionate about food security and sustainability in the Comox Valley, increasing the accessibility of local, organic produce to everyone in our community, and collaborating to support each other and our farm businesses.

Desired Qualities

We’re looking for:

• A skilled communicator who’s friendly and fun, and passionate about food (growing it, cooking it, or hopefully both!)
• Some organic farming or food-growing experience. We need someone who knows their veggies and can answer customer questions about what something is, how it’s grown, and how to eat it.
• A very responsible individual who can work alone and unsupervised, and will be responsible for timely set-up, meeting daily deadlines, fulfilling checklists, record keeping, and reporting back to farmers.
• Ideally 10+ years of driving experience, clean driving record, and comfort with driving a truck towing a 10ft cargo trailer. Must have your own vehicle to get to our hub farms in Merville and North Courtenay.
• Valid FoodSafe or MarketSafe certificate, or be willing to get either one (required for working at the Farmers’ Market).
• Excellent customer service skills and energy for 5 days/week of customer interactions.
• Punctuality and good time management. CSA pickups run on a set schedule that both we and our customers have committed to.
• Ability to do heavy lifting (up to 40 pounds) and work outdoors in all weather – CSA pickups and markets are outside and run rain or shine. Each shift requires a significant amount of lifting up to 40-pound totes in and out of the trailer.

Job Tasks

The CSA & Market position is roughly 21 hours per week in June and September, going up to 27 hours per week in July and August. Paid training will be a few hours a week from mid May to early June and will include a bit of time on each of our farms, so you can get to know each co-op member and see how each farm is run. This is important as you will be a link between our CSA customers and our farms.
Wage is $15/hour plus a weekly CSA veggie box.

Duties Include:

• Staffing 3 CSA pickups each week (3 different locations – one will coincide with the downtown Courtenay market for July & Aug)
• Helping out at the Saturday Farmers’ Market in Courtenay
• Staffing the Sunday Farmers’ Market in Cumberland
• Communicating regularly with 3 farmers via text and email
• Organizing and loading produce and supplies for markets and CSA pickups
• Driving a truck and trailer to markets and CSA pickups

Job Details

Term: Training begins mid-May and the position runs the length of our Summer CSA program, June 5 – September 23.

Hours: Between 21 and 27 hours per week (more hours in July and August, slightly less in June and September.)

Wage: $15 per hour plus a weekly CSA veggie box.

To Apply

Resume, some info about yourself, and minimum of 3 references. to mervilleorganics@gmail.com

Learn More About Merville Organics

Website: www.mervilleorganics.ca

Facebook: facebook.com/mervilleorganics

Instagram: @mervilleorganics

View more farm jobs and apprenticeships here.