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Superfresh Growers® values our farmworkers, and we work hard to create a safe and supportive workplace. In the blog piece before this, we shared some of our farm workers' activities to nurture and harvest delicious Superfresh fruit. The following are some of the efforts we do to support our team.
We value farmworker safety and want to ensure all our employees have a voice. We offer an anonymous hotline to empower employees to report health and safety violations. It also allows them to anonymously voice their opinions, concerns, and comments to effect change.
Superfresh Growers works to keep farmworkers safe by investing in modern orchards where platforms can be used. Platforms keep our workers safe, as they are tethered in, preventing ladder falls. In the winter, farmworkers can prune without stepping through snow, keeping their shoes dry. During harvest and the heat of the summer, platforms are equipped with bright LED lights to light the way in the early morning. This helps to protect workers from the heat of the day.
Using platforms when pruning and picking helps to keep our workers safe.
Our orchard team also organized mobile break stations, creating a safe and clean break time area outside the orchards. The stations include folding picnic tables and tents. The stations create shade, a safe and comfortable place to take breaks and eat meals, and increase orchard food safety by creating a distinct break area.
Our mobile break stations provide farmworkers with a safe and comfortable place to break and eat meals.
We believe in creating opportunities for our employees, their families, and our community. We offer multiple college sponsorships. We also sponsor the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business program, a free, comprehensive business certificate course accessible to people across the Yakima Valley. We believe in safe, clean, and affordable housing. Superfresh Growers is committed to providing the most up-to-date H-2A worker facilities. We also partner with Habitat for Humanity to create affordable housing for our community. We provide year-round training and development on horticulture, communication, personal financial management, business management, and other topics employees request.
Supporting our farmworkers is deeply important, and we greatly value their work. Above are just some ways we support our farm team to create a safe and supportive environment. Thank you to all of our farmworkers this week of National Farmworker Awareness Week and every week where farm work is done around the clock to protect and harvest each piece of Superfresh fruit.
