Why team building with City Fruit?
Team building with City Fruit provides your company with the opportunity to strengthen your team while serving the Seattle community. Team building events can facilitate team members’ inter-communication skills, increased motivation and productivity, and improved moral and mental health. Employees have shared with us that after events, they feel better-connected and inspired to create change in tangible ways.
City Fruit provides onsite training, tools and materials– you provide a tax deductible donation of $1,000 – $2,500 and a team of 5-20 people, depending on the activity. All events are led by experienced staff who may be accompanied by local orchardists or other experts.
Opportunities
Orchard Stewardship Work Parties
Harvest an urban orchard to prevent food waste and nourish our community! Tour an urban orchard with a tree expert and learn more about its history before caring for the trees! There are many ways we can tailor what you and your team do utilizing our staff and volunteers. Events can be adjusted to last between 2-4 hours; no experience necessary. Depending on the season and interest, your team members can participate in:
• January-March: Winter pruning (ideal group size 5-10)
• March-May: Spring mulching (5-15)
• March-May: Spring tree-planting (10-20) – pending on-going community projects.
• June-September: Summer pruning and fruit bagging (5-15)
• August-October: Summer and fall harvest (5-20)
• September-November: Fall orchard clean-up (5-15) and
• November: Winter Integrated Pest Management (5).
Jam Making (anytime during the year; most fruit available July-October)
Redirect food waste and nourish our community. Join an expert jam maker and learn the ends and outs of jam making. Team members leave with a jar of jam while knowing the fruit that they helped process will stock the pantries of local food banks and meal programs. These events last between 3-4 hours and can be hosted in a residential or commercial kitchen. Ideal for 4-6 people.
Cider Pressing and Harvesting Windfallen Apples (late August-November)
Gather your team and meet at an urban orchard to harvest windfallen apples and turn them into cider! Fruit on the ground is one of the leading causes of pest damage and food waste. A City Fruit team lead will help show which windfallen apples can be used and how to wash and process them into cider. Team members will leave with a growler of cider and the remaining harvested windfallen fruit will be distributed to our local partners to be made into apple sauce and cider for the community. This event typically lasts 2-2.5 hours.
Sort and Package Fruit (late August-November)
Learn about City Fruit’s important contributions to food justice and feeding our community by sorting apples for food banks and cider making. This event will be held at a partner cidery and team members will enjoy a pint of locally made cider! This event is limited to 21 and over.
Team Building FAQ
How do I set up a Team Building Day?
Fill out our team building inquiry form. A City Fruit team member will then contact you with event options based on your inquiry. We will work with you on scheduling and customization of the event, pending the season and needs of the orchards or availability of the fruit. Prior to finalization of scheduling, we will send you a donation form and instructions for the day of the event. All participants must register online and sign a waiver. The sooner your team schedules their event, the more likely we’ll be able to fit your desired dates, session type, and location. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
What can we expect?
Your team will have the opportunity to better connect with each other while creating tangible change within our local food system. City Fruit will provide all training, tools, and staff for a successful event.
Why do you ask for a donation?
A tax deductible donation covers the cost of materials, session planning, and event supervision. In addition, the donation supports City Fruit’s work to provide organic, high quality fruit to our community partners.
How much do we donate to host a team building event?
Donations are on a sliding scale from $1,000 – $2,500 per event, with factors such as team size, event type, and cost of materials, equipment, and space rental defining the donation amount we request. For example, our culinary team building events (jam-making and baking sessions) may have a higher suggested donation in order to cover costs like a kitchen rental, the purchase of materials such as preserving jars and baking tins, the purchase of perishable ingredients, and an honoraria for any experts helping to facilitate the event.