Apprenticing Opportunities
Apprenticing opportunities at ola mahina gardens
We have openings to join our farm team for the upcoming spring and summer seasons! We are completely full until early March, and are interviewing now for openings beginning in spring of 2024. We prefer folks who can stay at least 3 months, but also have sometimes have rare openings for shorter stays.
We look forward to welcoming you to one of the oldest organic vegetable farms on the Big Island of Hawaii. We produce a variety of gourmet greens— primarily lettuce, kale, bok choy, and arugula, along with a Kona coffee orchard and a good mix of tropical fruits and some medicinal herbs. We are located in the heart of the coffee belt on the sunny Kona coast, and have a very accessible and convenient location a short walk from two villages and public transportation and a 15-20 minute drive to beaches and town. We love folks who are truly interested in learning about working on and running a diverse family farm.
We expect during your longer-term stay with us you will come to take daily leadership for one or more aspects of our work on the land, grow comfortable teaching and leading others, and that both you and the farm will be positively changed by your time with us. We ask for a commitment to work 25 to 30 hours each week on assigned farm tasks, including agritourism and property maintenance and improvement. We try to get most of our work done on weekday mornings, typically finishing up by early afternoon. This leaves most afternoons, evenings, and weekends free to explore the nearby walkable communities of Kealakekua and Kainaliu, catch a ride into Kona, or plan an excursion to the beach or other island wonders.
The work space in our warehouse where we wash, prep, and package our lettuce.
The farm operates Monday through Friday, starting the day at 7am. This leaves most afternoons and weekends free for adventure, relaxation and beach time. Monday and Thursday are harvest days, when we process, package and deliver product throughout the area. Tuesday and Friday are prepping and planting days, spending most of our day out in the field. Friday is usually spent seeding all of the lettuce starts, as well. Wednesday we spend caring for the coffee and doing other farm maintenance projects.
As well as use of the facilities, we try to meet apprentices' food needs. We provide a food stipend of $50/week as well as everything grown on the farm. Our own coffee is available for those who are interested. We try to accommodate weekly trips to the market, although there are many markets within walking distance. We are located in the small town of Kealakekua, which hosts a post office, cafe, bank, and other conveniences. There are laundry facitilites on the farm. So far our apprentices have found this arrangement healthy and enjoyable.
The community space in our warehouse where our apprentices hang out and cook meals.
An apprentice tent on the farm.
Each crew member at OMG has a private furnished tent as well as access to a shared kitchen, living area, bathroom, and outdoor shower.
What to Bring:
If you are coming to stay on the farm, be prepared for warm weather and dirty farm work. Long sleeve shirts and pants are good to have for sun protection and for kneeling in the soil on planting days. A pair of work gloves is a great asset, as is a pocket knife of some kind. A good flashlight or headlamp is a great thing to have for getting around the farm at night. Bug spray and sun screen will certainly come in handy. We have some sheets and blankets, but most apprentices travel with a sleeping bag or bedding of some sort. There is great snorkeling and swimming nearby, so whatever equipment you have for those activities is very useful. Other than that, just bring your personal belongings and a good helpful attitude.
If you are interested in coming to the farm, please fill out an Apprentice Application and e-mail it to kealaolafarm@gmail.com.