Why We Believe in Developing Our Team
At Nature Fresh Farms we grow fresh Tomatoes, Peppers, and Cucumbers, but we also place great value on developing a strong team of Grow-To People. Our people are the ones who truly make Nature Fresh Farms successful – they are a diverse team of passionate and driven individuals who are always reaching new heights, and every day we are inspired by them!
Wherever people discover their passion – whether it’s at the Farm level, Distribution level, Sales level, or Warehouse level – there are always opportunities for Nature Fresh Farms team members who have the right skill set, as well as willingness and determination to learn, to develop their careers with us.
If you are interested in pursuing a new career in the greenhouse farming industry, take a look at some of the career opportunities available in this growing sector, and get inspired by some of our very own team members who have recently experienced career advancement or growth within our company!
Job Opportunities in Greenhouse Farming
Greenhouse farming has always been a fast-paced, dynamic industry filled with many job opportunities and a lot of potential for career development. And what’s more, this sector continues to experience tremendous growth year over year, making it an exciting option for job seekers to explore.
Greenhouses are an essential part of our fresh food supply chain. A career in greenhouse farming means you are a part of feeding millions of people across North America with fresh, nutritious food! There are a wide variety of positions within our greenhouse farming operation, and each position contributes to the big picture in a meaningful way:
- Growers and Assistant Growers, Labor Managers and Supervisors, General Laborers, Bio Scouts, Trial Development, and other Greenhouse employees work directly with our greenhouse crops. The people in these important roles ensure our crops are properly maintained and our Tomatoes, Peppers, and Cucumbers are of the highest quality!
- There are many people who work hard each day to keep our greenhouse operations running smoothly. From Facilities Managers, to Energy Managers, to Maintenance crews, to Cleaning staff, there are many people whose day-to-day work involves maintaining the operations that allow our greenhouses to run.
- All the people in our Warehouses work together to accomplish a common goal: packing our produce efficiently and according to our strict food safety standards. There are a wide range of roles that exist in our Warehouses: Pack Line Managers, Supervisors, Line Leaders, Gatekeepers, Quality staff, Forklift Drivers, Pack Line Workers, and Box Makers are just a few of these essential roles.
- From a distribution perspective, there are many job opportunities at our Distribution Centers that are related to the movement of fresh produce to and from our facilities. We have a wide range of departments with important roles to play at this point in our supply chain, including Dry Goods, Inventory, Production, Commodities, Shipping & Receiving, and Quality Control. We also can’t forget our fleet of Truck Drivers who represent us on the road!
- There are also many office-level positions that are important to the success of our greenhouse operation – the people in these positions purchase supplies, keep our teams connected and informed, maintain our company’s relationships with retail partners and consumers alike, and manage our financial assets. This includes our Purchasing, Sales, Human Resources, Marketing, Compliance, IT and Technical teams, Procurement, Logistics, Finance, Administrative, and Kitchen teams.
There is more to a greenhouse operation than growing Tomatoes, Peppers, and Cucumbers – you need a robust team to take care of every aspect of the operation from growing, to packing, to shipping, to sales, and everything in-between.
For an even more in-depth look at all the different roles that exist in the greenhouse farming sector, check out our Fresh Produce Heroes blog!
Developing A Career with Us
With so many career paths to explore, there is also ample room for career development when working in the greenhouse farming sector.
Looking specifically at Nature Fresh Farms, our company has created a culture of internal mobility, which means opportunities for advancement and development are abundant for those employees who are willing to take initiative, be persistent in their work, and be team players. In short, internal mobility is not given freely at Nature Fresh Farms – it is earned with hard work, dedication, passion, and a commitment to continuous learning.
We are proud to recognize that many members of our team have experienced career transitions and progressions while working at Nature Fresh Farms. These individuals have proven they have the right stuff to take on greater responsibilities, different tasks, or new challenges that allow them to contribute in meaningful ways to our company’s success.
We want to shine a special spotlight on a few members of our team who have experienced a career transition in 2020 at Nature Fresh Farms!
Highlighting Our Team’s Accomplishments
Ryan C., Procurement Manager
After attending the University of Windsor and acquiring his BCom in Business, Ryan started working on the Sales and Marketing side of the power sports industry. After about a year, Ryan wanted to switch things up, so he decided to jump head-first into an industry he knew next to nothing about – fresh produce. Based in Leamington, ON, Ryan has progressed within our company to become one of our Procurement Managers!
“As soon as I got a taste for the work, I immediately enjoyed the challenge of working on the Procurement team. Now, as one of the Procurement Managers, I’m really enjoying getting to build and maintain relationships with our partners, as well as managing commodities on a larger scale.”
Read Ryan’s full Grow-To People profile here!
Shirleen B., Distribution Center Coordinator
Originally from Jamaica, Shirleen B. came to Canada as part of a contract work program in 2013. It was difficult at first because she had to leave her family behind, but our team encouraged Shirleen to keep working toward her goal. Shirleen has now worked with us for 7 years, and recently transitioned into a new role as our Distribution Center Coordinator!
“It may take me a day, a month, a year, but eventually, I will achieve my goal! I believe developing my interpersonal skills, adaptability, leadership skills, and self-confidence have all helped me achieve success here at Nature Fresh Farms.”
Read Shirleen’s full Grow-To People profile here!
Tere V., HR Specialist/F&H Safety Coordinator
Tere V. moved to the United States from Mexico when she was a teenager and her parents were looking for new work opportunities. Her father has always worked in agriculture, so he encouraged Tere to explore it herself – which is what led her to work at Nature Fresh Farms! Tere has recently transitioned into a new role at our Delta, OH facility – she is now our Human Resources (HR) Specialist and Food & Health Safety Coordinator.
“I have learned a lot since I started at Nature Fresh Farms, and I have come to really love my job! I’ve had the opportunity to develop and use many transferrable skills, and I’ve also become more determined and developed greater perseverance while working with this team.”
Read Tere’s full Grow-To People story here!
Mahe M., Retail Sales Administrator
When Maheshwari (Mahe) M. moved to Canada in 2016, she went to the University of Windsor and completed her Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering with a major in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. After honing her skills as a Coordinator in our Logistics department, Mahe moved into a Retail Sales Administrator position in early 2020!
“Spontaneity and being able to react to situations as quickly and effectively as possible has been a very important skill for me to learn. I’ve also enjoyed learning about how each of our retail partners has unique expectations and how to manage them properly.”
Read Mahe’s full Grow-To People profile here!
David W., HR Systems Coordinator
When he was 10 years old, David W. and his family moved from Mexico to Canada and haven’t looked back since. David arrived without having any English reading or writing skills, but after a few months of teaching himself, David was soon able to read, write, and speak English enough to begin school. David graduated high school, began his full-time career at Nature Fresh Farms, and recently transitioned to a new role as our Human Resources Systems Coordinator!
“While overseeing the internal HR systems our Human Resources team uses (such as HCM and Priva) and analyzing the data they collect, I’m able to do a variety of tasks every day that keep things interesting. I like that I get to work with numbers, work on the technical side of these programs, and also work with people from all over the company – it’s a little bit of everything.”
Read David’s full Grow-To People profile here!
Vania V., Operations Manager
Vania V. was born in Bolivia, but she has been living in Fulton County, OH since she was 11 years old. Coming up on 4 years with our company, Vania has been working at our Delta, OH greenhouse since November 2016. After holding a position as our Human Resources Manager for just over a year, Vania has officially transitioned into a new role as our Operations Manager in Delta, OH!
“Throughout my career at Nature Fresh Farms, I have developed many skills that have helped me grow and find opportunities. Some of those skills are problem solving, managing, and the most important, thinking innovatively.”
Read Vania’s full Grow-To People profile here!
Dylan C., Commodities Manager
About 8 years ago, Dylan C. was looking to make some extra money during the holidays, so he took what he thought would be a temporary job in the Leamington greenhouse farming industry. Dylan ended up enjoying the work thoroughly enough to make a full career change! Last year Dylan joined the Nature Fresh Farms Commodities team, and we are excited to recognize his recent role change to become our Commodities Manager.
“I welcome criticism and have a strong willingness to learn – tell me what I need to improve on and I’ll do it! I also have the drive and work ethic needed to work well under pressure, which is a must in a fast-paced industry like this. And I see challenges that can be overcome, not problems.”
Read Dylan’s full Grow-To People profile here!
Tina P., Line Leader
For the first 13 years of her life, Tina P. and her family lived in Mexico. Soon after her family made the move to Canada, Tina started working on field farms picking Cucumbers, planting Tomatoes, and even harvesting apples. But it was four years ago that Tina switched to the greenhouse side of agriculture and she started working in one of our Warehouses where she is now a Line Leader!
“Everyone here works as a team, and everyone is always happy and friendly with one another. An important part of my job is to have everything set up properly for when people come into work – if everything is set up nicely, we will have a smooth day together.”
Read Tina’s full Grow-To People profile here!
Grow Your Career with Us!
Are you looking for a new challenge? Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced dynamic environment where every day is different? Do you have goals for advancing your career? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider applying for one of our open positions on our Careers page!
