Horticulture and Production Assistant

• Company: Mereworth Wines
• Closing Date: 30-04-2025
• Location: Mereworth, Kent
• Salary: £26,500
• Hours: Fixed term
• Contact Title: Managing Director and Head of Production
• Contact Name: Scott Gebbie
• Contact Email: sgebbie@mereworthwines.co.uk
• Contact Telephone: 01622 817795
• How to Apply: Please apply with an updated CV and covering letter by email to Scott Gebbie at: sgebbie@mereworthwines.co.uk

Description

Summary:

Mereworth Wines is a grower and maker of Quality English Sparkling Wine. In addition to this, we have a vibrant cellar door offering tours, tastings, brunch, lunch, events and live music. Mereworth Wines manages vineyards, orchards, woodlands and mature trees. We are recruiting for a horticulture and production assistant to help grow all aspects of our horticultural businesses, maintain the venue grounds, assist with winery related production and improve our customer experiences while maintaining our high standards of quality and health and safety.

 

Horticulture:

- Manage and complete all necessary operations including: pruning, shoot thinning, wire lifting, spraying, trimming, topping, mowing, mulching, under-vine cultivation, mechanical leaf thinning, harvesting.

- Grounds keeping perimeters of vineyard, orchard and winery/cellar door.

- Manage within budgets, horticulture related labour agencies and chemical purchasing.

- Manage horticulture related HSE and COSHH including spray records, stock, purchasing, health and safety.

- Conduct routine safety inspections, cleaning and maintenance on tractors, forklifts and attachments.

- Monitor and identify vineyard, orchard and other plant related pests and diseases.

- Manage vineyard sustainability program and associated paperwork.

- Assist with planning, budgeting and forecasting.

- Ensure retail plant displays are well maintained and manage any associated third party relationships.

 

Production:

- Assist winemaking processes including: pressing, fermenting, chemical analysis, cleaning, racking, bottling, disgorging and labelling.

- Assist with production related H&S record keeping

- Conduct stocktakes, assist with NPD and trials, packaging and distribution

- Operate forklift

 

Other:

- Assist maintenance works in and around the winery and cellar door

- Keeping outside spaces around winery/cellar door clean, tidy and safe

- Identifying and reporting H&S issues

- Work to improve horticulture related customer experiences at Mereworth from plant retail, to tours and woodland trails.

- Assist on the bar if required during busy hospitality periods

- Other tasks as reasonably expected

 

Desired skills:

- Passion for plants essential

- Mechanically minded and eager to learn essential

- Horticultural or grounds keeping experience preferred

- Tractor driving experience preferred

- Winemaking or manufacturing experience preferred

 

Hours of operation: Mon – Fri / Tues - Sat: 8:30am – 5pm. Hours may change due to seasonal demands.