My job is full of variety and I love that. As a Sales Specialist for Farm Source here in our Ashburton store, no day is ever the same.
I am lucky enough to be both working in the store but also do all the deliveries too – so I get to be out on-farm dropping off orders, and while I am there, I can chat with our farmers and see how they are going.
Our Co-op is all about the farmers, and being able to stop, chat with them and see how they are going often leads to me helping with some advice and being able to make note of what they might be ordering the next time we catch up.
I didn’t start off as a farmer – far from it. I moved to New Zealand from the Philippines in 2008 where I had worked for years in a call centre. I had come to New Zealand on a holiday and knew I wanted to come back and live here – what a beautiful country with so many great open spaces.
I started out working on a dairy farm in Oamaru, then throughout the years, we worked in Waimate, Ashburton and also Putaruru in the Waikato – before I headed back into sales. But I missed being in the farming industry and then I saw the opportunity to work with Farm Source and knew it combined my sales experience with my farming knowledge – the perfect job for me.
I have been at Farm Source Ashburton for almost five years now and I love it. We have a great team here and it’s all about our farmers. So much of what we do is about having a great relationship with them and making sure we have their needs sorted, and can give them the advice they need and then for me, I get what they need delivered to them when they need it too.
Being the delivery driver adds variety to my role and also means I get to see the farmers in their sheds and can chat with them about any issues that pop up or any new needs they have. Our team at Farm Source is so good – we are there to offer advice, give the latest information on new products, and make sure they have what they need at every step.
Farm Source stores are so much more than just a shop. It’s a place where advice can be given, or just a great stop off for our farmers to have a coffee, or use one of our spaces to catch up on some work while they are in town.
Stop by your local Farm Source store today to check out the latest products available, or chat to the friendly team about your farms needs.
