Tami and Melvin Kilback (far right) have been providing lunch to their workers for the past nine years. Photo by Lyonel Doherty
Cherry growers Tami and Melvin Kilback know how to attract a good workforce.
They feed them lunch.
In fact, they’ve been serving their workers lunch every day for nearly 10 years. And in return they receive much respect and loyalty.
In only eight days the small farm on Kilback Road harvested 40,000 pounds of cherries – a bumper crop this year, according to Melvin.
“If you feed them (workers) they show up every day,” he stated, noting their sign out front advertises that a hot lunch is included as part of employment.
Not many growers offer that. In fact, not many growers offer portable toilets, fresh water for washing, and showers – a fruit picker’s oasis.
Last Thursday the menu was potato and egg salad, fresh vegetables, garden salad and mouth-watering roast beef sandwiches. Juice and Rice Krispie squares also awaited the hungry group of 12 workers.
“We always ensure they get a good meal, and they work better (for it),” Tami said.
She pointed out that fruit pickers from Quebec always seem to get a bad rap from local residents. But there’s a totally different mindset on the farm.
They average 15 workers a day, but some days there are 28, Tami said.
They start picking at 5 am and finish at 12:30 for lunch.
“They don’t have money and they are hungry. It’s a small act of kindness,” Tami said.
Twenty-one-year-old Catherine Bouchard from Quebec said this is her first time picking cherries.
“They (Tami and Melvin) are very good hosts. They are very open . . . it’s a great place to work.”
Bouchard said it’s great that their employers provide them with lunch and other amenities, such as toilets. She noted that other orchards are very different and don’t offer this.
Bouchard said the hardest part of the job is waking up at 4 a.m. to start work.
