Profiles

Profiles
male migrant worker posing for camera, while standing in front of farm

Juan J., Guest Worker at Nature Fresh Farms

“Nature Fresh Farms is a door that opened for me to have better opportunities.”

Hailing from Guatemala, Juan J. was a mechanic before he decided to come to Canada and join our country’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Juan made the decision to come to Canada because he wanted to give his family a better life and be able to bring more opportunities back with him to Guatemala. It has now been four years since Juan joined our team to support our greenhouse operation!

It’s very common for people back in Guatemala to grow and harvest different crops – Juan would like to pursue this same career once he returns to Guatemala: “After I’m done working here, I want to be with my family back home, but I would also love to be independent with my own business. I think I would like to either grow pineapples or coffee – I want to buy my own land with the money I’ve made here.”

For Juan, Nature Fresh Farms represents opportunities to learn and have a better tomorrow: “Nature Fresh Farms has helped me learn about growing in greenhouses, but they have also given me the opportunity to learn English and learn how to work with different people. These people have become like my family.”

One of Juan’s favorite ways to spend his free time is playing soccer. In Guatemala, he played in a high-level soccer league, so in 2019, he started organizing a Nature Fresh Farms soccer league with a large group of our Guest Workers!

Every day that Juan comes into work, he knows he needs to complete all his tasks safely and efficiently. Juan also knows he must respect and follow all the rules and regulations we’ve put in place to maintain our team’s health and well-being. Juan is one of our #GrowToPeople!