Apple Ridge Farm

Last Updated On: febrero 17th, 2023 at 08:48AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
1198 Pennell Road
Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, 18353

Primary Contact: Brian Bruno
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 814-574-5971
    Email: applefrm@ptd.net

Website: https://www.appleridge.net

Internship information

General Farm Description: Apple Ridge Farm is a 7 acre sustainable diverse farm specializing in Certified Naturally Grown produce, hydroponic lettuce, and pasture raised chickens and pigs on the farm end of our operation. On the value added farm product side of the operation in specialize in wood-fired brick oven organic flour sourdough breads, pot pies, soups, baked goods, pastries, and other farm themed value added products. We're a farm with virtually zero waste! We sell to about a dozen natural food stores and cafe's, and at about a dozen farmers markets in addition to our on farm store. We also have a couple of joint venture businesses on the side. One is a partnership with a brewery on a Neapolitan pizzeria and the other is a partnership with a former apprentice on a kombucha and fermented vegetable business.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: Late Winter / Early Spring
Internship Ends: late - november
Number of Internship Available: 2
Application Deadline: Until filled
Minimum Length of Stay: 6 months

Internship Details:

Each year we hire 2 new apprentices to work a season with us, generally one focused on the farm and one on the bakery. Apprentices work 5 days a week, 10 hours/day along side our year round crew. Farm team members start every day taking care of animals, moving pens, etc. The bulk of the day is spent planting, weeding, and/or harvesting vegetables, and the day ends with animal care and egg washing. We participate in the PASA (PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture) 2 year Apprenticeship program which includes 200 hours of technical coursework, free admission to all workshops and conferences, and a very organized apprenticeship in which skills are learned and assessed. And it’s free! We graduated our first PASA apprentice in 2021 and he went on to partner with us on a new joint venture fermented foods business that is growing rapidly. Many of our former apprentices have end up joining our team for additional seasons in management roles after the apprenticeship ends!

On the bakery side of the equation every day is different. We make bread 4 days/week and take the other 3 days for other baked goods and value added farm products. We process a lot of the produce and chicken that our farm produces and value add it in the bakery. Everyone works 1 farmers market each week to see how we market our products and to make the connection with our customers. These positions are intended for people who are interested in learning new skills, improving existing skills, and considering working in either farming or baking in the future. We expect everyone on our team to work with a sense of urgency and at a professional pace.

Educational Opportunities: Learning farming techniques, baking techniques, farm product marketing

Skills Desired: Prior work experience in either farming or baking is a plus. A proven job history is definitely a requirement

Meals: Our apprentices are able to pick produce as needed, glean leftover market bakery products (you'll always have plenty of bread and sweets), and get deeply discounted rates on our other frozen and shelf stable products. You also get access to anything in our farm store at cost.

Stipend: Yes, it starts at $400/week and increases during the season.

Housing: yes

Preferred method of Contact: email