Stemilt Growers celebrates Farmworker Awareness Week

Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers is using Farmworker Awareness Week to celebrate its companywide Equitable Food Initiative certification.

The company is also highlighting its continuous improvement achievements that its EFI leadership team in Pasco, Wash., recently completed, and is sharing appreciation for its employees through a new celebration, according to a news release.

On March 21, the release said Stemilters Day kicked off the spring season and Stemilt’s Farmworker Awareness Week celebrations. 

“Our first-ever Stemilters Day celebrated took a moment to celebrate the great work that our team members, or 'Stemilters,' put in each day,” West Mathison, president of Stemilt, said in the release. “Our Stemilters nurture orchards and fruit, pack and ship fresh fruit all year long, and perform many other duties to support us as we produce world-famous fruit. It was fun to celebrate the first day of spring by showing our appreciation for Stemilters and how they unite around traits like dedication, appreciation, collaboration and motivation.”

The March 25 kickoff to Farmworker Awareness Week led to more sharing and celebrating from Stemilt, according to the release. The company is using its social media channels to inform consumers of its commitment to EFI, and the progress it has made since becoming the first in the tree fruit industry to fully certify its company orchards and warehouses with EFI, the release said.

“Through EFI training and the formation of leadership teams, we proudly met 300-plus standards and brought continuous improvement into our culture at Stemilt,” Mathison said in the release. “This is meaningful, and helps us make our intentions a reality. Today, we have nine committed EFI leadership teams that collaborate on ‘small’ changes that have big impacts on driving excellence throughout Stemilt.”