Part-Time Position
Preferred Start Date : July-August, 2021
The Farm Operations Lead at Don Bugito will be responsible for day-to-day tasks associated with the whole rearing, breeding and harvesting of the insects. The Farm Operations Lead will be in charge of supervising the farm team while maintaining and improving the facilities and farming methods. In addition, this role is also responsible for coordinating and growing the farm wholesale channel, and assisting in the creation of a data entering and inventory system management while working closely with the sales associate staff of Don Bugito. The farm is located in West Oakland at the O2 Artisan Aggregate.
Who we are
Don Bugito, is an edible insect food business that offers tasty edible insect snacks in sweet and savory flavors. Our goal is to rescue ancestral food practices by reintroducing edible insects into the food market. We have been in business since 2011, being the first ones to offer edible insects in the Bay Area. Don Bugito was founded by Monica Martinez, a native of Mexico City and is inspired by the food from her childhood and Mexican Prehispanic Cuisine. Our goal it's to celebrate cultural diversity through food with a focus on sustainability, edible insects offer a great option for protein packed foods grown sustainably. We own our farm operations and we are looking to become the first organic and non-GMO certified insect farm. We believe good food should be accessible to everyone, all our products are minimally processed and free of any hard to pronounce ingredients or artificial anything. We are all about good food, good flavors and good experiences! We are tiny, but mighty! More information about Don Bugito, the Prehispanic Snackeria, is available at our website: https://www.donbugito.com/pages/about-us The business is located in KitchenTown in San Mateo California and in West Oakland.
The Farm Operations Lead will oversee and manage Don Bugito’s farm operations site. We are in the startup growth stage and doing something very unique which means wearing many hats and learning and delivering on the spot. Below are the major tasks and a general description of the job, be aware that this position should be open for role changes as we grow.
- The position requires handling insects in different stages of development, preparing insect feed, maintenance of clean insect trays, scheduled biweekly transfer of insect eggs and overseeing equipment maintenance and cleaning.
- It will be in charge of maintaining and coordinating the food supply for the insects, it will be in charge of communicating and placing orders from providers.
- The Operations lead will be responsible to lead research and execute more efficient methods for processing and cleaning the insects as well as growing the monthly yield production, for this, it will work in partnership with the CEO.
- It will be responsible for certifying the farm organic and non-GMO, the CEO will help with some direction and guidelines for this.
- It will oversee and possibly update the harvesting methods and the creation of logs and data entering.
- It will also help setting, launching and overseeing the agricultural wholesale channel for the frass and chicken feed products. It will work closely with and in partnership with the marketing and sales team from Don Bugito.
- It will supervise part time farm assistant(s), interns and volunteers, and reports to Don Bugito Management.
- It will maintain the whole space in a clean and organized condition.
The ideal candidate is:
- Excited about positively impacting the food system
- Passionate about sustainable alternatives
- Interested in learning about sustainable farming and working with insects
- Adaptable and available to work many hours alone and as part of a group
- Extremely organized and clean
- Responsible and can follow basic instructions
- Able to work in fast paced environment,
- Able to stand for long periods, for the majority of the shift
- Able to lift and carry up to 50lbs without assistance
Desirable skills and knowledge include:
- Basic understanding of biological systems
- Entomologist, Biology or Sustainable Agriculture major
- Proficient on basic computer skills including excel and word
- Experienced working on a farm setting
- Experience with wholesale and product development
- Hands-on and basic fabrication skills
- Great writing and communication skills
- This position is part time 20 hours per week ( 4 hours a day M-F) $19-22/hour depending on experience.
- This position has room for growth and to become a full time position as we grow.
- We are also looking for adding benefits to full time positions.
How to Apply
Send a cover letter, resume, and three professional references by email to Monica Martinez [email protected] with the subject line “Farm Operations Lead.” Position is available until filled.
