Job Posting: Equal Exchange banana team -- logistics and sales

OKE USA FRUIT COMPANY - Banana Logistics and Sales

Full time regular position (~45-50 hours / week)

Salary: Dependent on experience

Benefits: 100% individual health insurance premium coverage and significant portion of dependent coverage, vacation, holidays and sick days

Location: Equal Exchange Headquarters, West Bridgewater, MA

In 2006, three entrepreneurial organizations came together to create Oke USA. Their goal was to introduce small farmer, fair trade bananas to the US market. Today, Oke USA operates as the banana importing arm of Equal Exchange. We invite you to join us. Together we can create a more just food system and a healthier planet.

Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Logistics (70%): producer relations support, fruit procurement, ocean transportation, quality control, customs, U.S. transport, and coordination of weekly fruit supply to ripeners and distributors;

• Sales (10%): account maintenance, new sales, store visits and events, pricing and financial analysis;

• Marketing and education (10%): grassroots marketing to build store and consumer awareness of brand mission through demos, social media, print, store staff trainings, educational lectures;

• Team (10%): work with the Oke team to manage new sales, supply chain development and creative thinking around building alternative fair trade supply chains

Qualifications:

Required

• Ability to manage complex logistics
• Resiliency
• Problem solver
• Team player
• Ability to work independently
• Time management skills
• Ability to relocate to Boston area
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally
• Ability to work under high stress in a fast paced environment
• Attention to detail alongside the ability to think big picture
• Commitment to making a difference and passion for issues related to sustainable agriculture and food systems!

Preferred

• 2 or more years in produce
• Experience with perishable commodity logistics
• Experience with Latin American producer groups
• Spanish language skills

Email (preferred) or mail a cover letter, resume and brief answers to the three application questions below to: info@okeusa.com

Oke USA, 50 United Drive, West Bridgewater, MA 02379

Questions:

If you were a small scale banana farmer, what would you want out of a relationship with Oke USA?

The top five banana companies (Dole, Chiquita, Noboa, Fyffes, Fresh Del Monte) account for more than 80% of world banana market. Oke USA operates at a minute scale in comparison. What are the some of the challenges associated with this difference in scale and how would you approach those challenges?

Oke USA must compete with other produce companies on the most conventional terms while also carrying out our fair trade mission. What do you bring to a company with this challenge?