In support of green foods and multiculturalism – at Famifarm, many nationalities come together every day
Famifarm Oy, a company owned by Järvikylä Manor in Joroinen, grows herbs and salads for the whole of Finland, all year round. Finns are a minority of the company’s employees. The multilingual and multinational work community has formed gradually and through referrals by old employees.
Greenhouse worker Medalith Ponce stands in the middle of a vast stretch of green. Ponce lifts up the plastic growing troughs and checks that the salads are getting water.
The company’s story begins in the 1980s in a greenhouse built in the attic of a barn in Järvikylä Manor in Joroinen. Today, the company’s salads and herbs are delivered all over Finland and parts of Estonia.
Jaakko Huovinen, Production Director, says that the first foreign employees in Famifarm’s greenhouse came from Estonia in the 1990s. Now, the production facility covers an area of 8 hectares. Employees representing 15 different nationalities from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America work in two shifts.
Over the years, the company has perfected its hiring process. The language requirement is Finnish or English.