Great year-round career opportunity in beautiful Door County!
Job description:
Family owned and operated since 1955, Lautenbach's Market, Winery & Cider Co produces and distributes quality fruit and fruit products to the growing tourism industry in Door County. The 100 acre family estate is home to a market, winery, cider mill, orchards, vineyards, and an outdoor guest area. Many of the award winning wines, ciders and juices are produced using fruits grown on the property - including cherries, apples, grapes, raspberries and pears.
Our commitment to creating a good work/life balance for our family of employees, while living in a beautiful place, makes this a great opportunity for qualified applicants.
Position Summary: Looking for a positive team player with great physical stamina, good judgement, and the eagerness for growth to lead and take ownership of their role in the company and its success. This position blends hands-on orchard and equipment maintenance work with technical, problem solving, planning and project management skills, while focusing on efficiency, safety and teamwork.
Reports to: Grounds & Equipment Manager & Director of Production
Responsibilities & Duties
- Pruning, tree planting, pest control, irrigation and harvest prep.
- Tree and vine maintenance.
- Manual and automated harvesting of fruits.
- Set up and closeout of seasons.
- Pesticide application including fertilizing and weed control.
- Orchard & grounds mowing, weed eating and upkeep.
- Operate various farm equipment safely and efficiently.
- Assist in juice processing, winery production, fruit grading & retail stocking.
- Equipment & Infrastructure
- Maintenance, repair and operation of orchard equipment (tractors, sprayers, forklifts) and related farm infrastructure.
- Conduct regular inspections and assessments of all farm equipment to ensure optimal performance.
- Troubleshooting & routine maintenance of production and retail equipment (coolers/freezers, fruit press, bottlers, compressors and others).
- Routine maintenance of infrastructure (painting, construction tasks, driveway & others).
- Routine cleaning and snow removal.
- Assist in coordinating and performing routine maintenance and complex repairs with team or external vendors, minimizing disruption to production schedules.
- Assist with management of equipment inventory and help coordinate purchasing of new equipment as well as disposal of old assets.
- Team leadership, problem solving & safety
- Assist in recruiting, training, scheduling and supervising field staff (regular & seasonal), ensuring high quality work and adherence to safety protocols and state compliance.
- Identify opportunities for process improvement.
- Adapt strategies for weather impacts, pest outbreaks and water supply issues.
- Help develop & implement plans for spray applications, irrigation and fertilizer management based on field evaluations and crop development stages.
- Maintain detailed records (spray logs, water use, yield data), monitor weather, and report field conditions to the Orchard Manager and/or Director of Production to support decision making.
Qualifications
- Must be a United States citizen with a clean, valid driver’s license and high school diploma or equivalency, with an additional level of higher education preferred.
- Minimum of two years proven and verifiable experience in agriculture, commercial horticulture, or other farm related experience.
- Must have proven and verifiable experience working with a variety of tools, equipment and machinery; basic computer skills preferred.
- Must have strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, time management, and cognitive skills.
- Ability to maintain professionalism, customer service, quality, and cleanliness.
- Must be highly organized and detail oriented, with the ability to work well under pressure, and at times in a fast-paced environment, while maintaining a great attitude.
- Ability to work independently, but possess strong team and project management skills.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, which includes early mornings, some weekends and longer hours during peak harvest seasons.
- Must have great physical stamina and the ability to lift 50-100 pounds.
- Ability to obtain a private pesticide applicator license required.
Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
- Ability to maintain visual and mental concentration, possess functional sensory abilities, fine finger and broad manual dexterity, and eye-hand-foot coordination in order to monitor the team and operate equipment and systems.
- Ability to be on feet for long periods of time, have a full range of upper body motion, bending, stooping and kneeling regularly, lifting 50-100 pounds, and moving freely about the orchard, vineyard and all other work areas.
- Ability to work in a physically demanding role primarily in an outdoor environment during all types of weather conditions
- May experience stress from high work load during peak harvest seasons and due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Salary Package: includes base, insurance stipend, and annual performance bonus.
Benefits: Employer match retirement plan, employee discount, paid time off, holiday pay.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $47,000.00 - $57,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
Work Location: In person
