Company description

L.A. Grocery & Café is an all-day café & market dedicated to intentional procurement, shorter supply chains, and minimizing waste through intelligent repurposing. 
 

WHO WE ARE:

We build authentic, enduring relationships with farmers, food producers, and our community one interaction at a time. We care (a lot!) about the people and places that grow our food, and we prioritize designing food waste out of our daily operations as much as we can. Warm and well-informed hospitality is paramount to our operation and we are always looking for service-minded people of all backgrounds to join the team.  

WHO WE HIRE:

We seek out team members who are not only passionate about food but are enthusiastic about its origins, producers, sustainability, and broader impact on the planet.  

HOW WE WORK:

The brands we choose to be on our shelves, the producers we choose to partner with, and the employees we work with are here because of their integrity and interest in a more resilient and accessible food system.  We’re committed to creating an organized, equitable, and fun environment for both our community and our team.

Our vision is to create a grocery store and café that directly connects our customers to sustainable farms and food producers across California, the West Coast and beyond. 

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Assistant Produce Buyer is crucial to supporting the Produce Buyer in the end-to-end purchasing process including twice weekly farmers’ market pick-up, produce merchandising, and collaborating with the Kitchen Team in repurposing overages and imperfect produce. You are expected to provide leadership in line with LAG&C values and promote a work environment in alignment with our mission and policies. 

ABOUT THE TEAM:

The Grocery / Produce Team at LAG&C is our center of gravity, dedicated to presenting the community with local, organic staples and just-picked produce from favorite farmers’ market vendors alongside pantry essentials and specialty items. Each member of the Grocery / Produce Team is an active participant and a bridge toward our mission of exploring generative food systems that enrich the lives of people and the places they live.

ABOUT YOU:

You have the ability to create enduring relationships with our kitchen team, farmers, artisans, ranchers and farmers’ market community. The ability to deliver concise and thoughtful education to our grocery team about these relationships and our current produce selection. You understand what is necessary to master perishable product organization, ordering and how to set pars in an environment driven by seasonality. You’re passionate about seasonal produce and the stories of our farmers and find joy in frequent trips to farmers’ markets.

WHAT YOUR TYPICAL DAY WILL INCLUDE:

Farmers’ Market Pick Up

• Drive the produce van to the farmers’ market with our produce buyer team 
• Help lead the buyer team through the market with efficiency
• Assist in checking all produce for quality and quantity accuracy. Remedy discrepancies in real time.
• Gather information from farmers about produce going out of season, new upcoming produce, and pricing 

In-store

• Unload produce into produce walk-in and be sure all produce from last market is in FIFO order
• Assist with inventory, receiving, in-store distribution, and overall management of produce
• Ensure all product quality, processing, culling and packaging specs are consistent and reliable to company standards
• Provide seasonal merchandising support for store

Admin

• Assist in the maintenance of retail price accuracy
• Update market availability and new seasonal offerings for kitchen team
• Create education supported by research for produce team
• Take inventory and create purchase orders for next market 
• Reconcile purchase orders
• Place orders based on farmer and distributor cut offs

WHAT YOU’LL BRING:

• Must be willing to work early mornings (including sunday)
• Must be able to regularly lift at least 50 lbs
• Deep understanding of Southern California produce and seasonality
• Experience in a retail/wholesale produce, restaurant and/or agricultural environment
• Extensive knowledge of the receiving and purchasing processes
• Ability to work within a team where timing and attention to detail are critical
• Ability to manage confidentiality with integrity
• Effective written and oral communication
• Proficient in Google Sheets/Excel and basic accounts payable

JOB TYPE + COMPENSATION RANGE

• Full-Time
• $27/hr - $30/hr

WHAT WE OFFER:

Competitive pay rates, a discount on virtually everything in the store, health benefits, accrued paid sick time, optional CA 401(k) plans, employee referral bonus program, and growth opportunities.

ABOUT OUR PROCESS:

• Apply: After receiving your application, we’ll take a short time to review our compatibility.  We will let you know either way what the outcome will be as soon as possible.
• Interview: This is your chance to get to know us and our chance to get to know you. We’ll have an introductory conversation to discuss the role and your background. Next, we’ll explore the role more specifically, likely with a few key team members. We encourage any questions you have about the job, the team, our values, or related topics at any point in the application process. We’d love to hear about the grocery store of your childhood or hometown!
• Decision: You will be contacted as soon as possible with the outcome. 
• We’re committed to a fair and inclusive hiring process.  If additional accommodations are required, please let us know.

STUFF TO BE AWARE OF:

LAG&C is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workplace and do not discriminate based on race, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other applicable characteristic protected by law. We invite everyone who meets the criteria for the job to apply. We will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted, or changed at any time at the discretion of management, formally or informally, either verbally or in writing. If your experience looks a little different from what we’ve identified and you think you can thrive in this role, we’d love to learn more about you.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $27.00 - $30.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline