Production Supervisor

The Fonta Flora Overview 

Located on the banks of beautiful Lake James and under the backdrop of the rugged Linville Gorge, we are an Appalachian farmhouse brewery situated on 15 acres of a historic dairy farm. Fonta Flora’s mission is to highlight the biodiversity and bounty of North Carolina agriculture through an endless array of contemplative libations. At Fonta Flora, we celebrate this concept by harnessing impactful relationships that contribute to localized agricultural economics. From these intentional partnerships, we build our community by helping to sustain our local food systems and the people responsible for its success. This meaningful business model provides synergistic opportunities through collaboration and empowers us to continue pushing the boundaries of what it means to create beverages with a sense of place and agricultural purpose.

We are currently seeking a full-time Production Supervisor to support our brewing team in our Nebo, NC production facility.

Job Purpose

The Production Supervisor is responsible for assisting in the many tasks required to create Fonta Flora beer and will report to and be direct support to the Production Manager. This candidate will be responsible for all hands-on duties related to all aspects of production. This includes brewing, packaging, cellar and barrel work, quality and maintenance. This candidate will work extremely closely with the Production Manager and Head of Brewing Operations daily to ensure all scheduled tasks in the brewery are being completed as needed. Daily tasks will shift between production sectors dependent on scheduling needs, so flexibility and enjoyment in all facets of beer production is a must in this position.

Candidates must share Fonta Flora’s commitments to quality, safety, business ethics, continuous innovation, local agriculture, and our own unique culture. The successful candidate for this role will be comfortable with repetitive tasks, physical labor, and standing/moving for extended periods of time.  

The candidate must be flexible and adaptable to different or alternating tasks during any given shift. This position will complete all supplementary tasks needed by the Production Manager to adhere to our brewing schedule. 

ERRDAY Job Tasks

Overall scope;

- Act as direct support for Production Manager and Head of Brewing Operations on all daily and weekly scheduled tasks anywhere within the production department

- Become fully trained and efficient in all brewhouse, cellar and packaging roles, with the ability to jump in when and where needed 

- Ability to act as a team leader, assisting all areas of production and having strong communication between packaging, brewhouse and management teams 

- Responsible for cleanliness and organization of all production areas along with other team members

- Strict attention to detail of all data collection on physical and digital logs throughout processes and updating Ollie Ops software for production tracking

- Assist with communication of raw material and parts inventory to Production Manager

- Lead Production Team with high morale, excellent problem-solving skills and overall assistance with all daily job duties

- Collaborate with the Production Manager and HR to thoughtfully and creatively foster a workplace culture that prioritizes respect, accountability, growth and team connection

- Focus on holding one’s self and others accountable on cleanliness and high standards of job functions

Brewhouse; 

- Ability to carry out independent brews and assist the brew team as needed. This may include milling in, mashing in, graining out, hop/ingredient additions, knocking out, CIPing brewhouse and fermenters

- Assist brew team with yeast harvesting and pitching, cell counts, gravity and pH checks

Cellaring;

- Complete all cellaring tasks including temperature changes, ingredient prep and additions, dryhop, yeast harvests, beer transfers and CIPs following strict SOPs
- Prepare fruit and other ingredients for the brewing process; including peeling, chopping, seeding, zesting, juicing, etc.

- Safely handling cleaning chemicals, and using the prescribed amount for each task

Packaging; 

- Assist packaging team on a daily basis as needed. This may include bottling, canning, kegging, keg washing and/or labeling and waxing of product
- Filling and palletizing kegs, cans and bottles in conjunction with Logistics Manager and/or Packaging Lead, and assisting with warehouse movement and inventory as needed

Quality and Maintenance; 

- Operate and maintain all brewery equipment; including mill, all brewhouse equipment (vessels, valves, burners, flow meters, controllers and probes), fermentation tanks, hoses and parts, packaging equipment (all aspects of wild goose canning line, meheen bottler, and GW Kent gravity filler and rinser), and cellar (keg washer, brite tanks, glycol controllers)

- Assist Production Manager by working with suppliers and contractors to ensure all preventative measures are taken and all equipment is functioning to its highest potential

- Daily monitoring and collection of all quality points such as overall sensory, gravity, pH, clarity, DO and carbonation levels

- Ability to carry out cell counts and assist with other lab duties such as plating

Misc. 

- Maintain an orderly and safe work environment within department as well as entire facility
- Participate in regular departmental meetings to review issues and propose solutions

- Be a team player with ability to interact with all levels within the organization 

- Understand and comply with all federal, state, and local laws

- Proudly represent the Fonta Flora brand both on and off site
- Other tasks as assigned

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

- 4 years in brewing production setting, with some combination across brewing, cellaring and packaging

- Extreme passion for production work and the desire to learn
- Strong work ethic, self-starting attitude and positive attitude
- Must have excellent interpersonal communication skills and a teamwork mentality
- The desire to work in a fast-paced, growing company 

- Strong attention to detail and self-accountability when following schedule

- Must be 21 years of age or older at the time of application
- Able to pass a post-offer, pre-employment background check 

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS
- Able to stand for prolonged periods of time
- Able to stoop, crawl, twist, turn, lift, kneel, climb ladders and stairs
- Able to manipulate valves and clamps
- Able to read and follow written English instructions
- Able to regularly lift/carry 44 pound boxes
- Able to regularly lift/carry 55 pound bags above waist level
- Able to lift or move (with assistance) kegs or cases of beer up to 165 lbs

- Able to work four 10 hour shifts per week
- Able to work in a factory/production environment which may be loud, slick, humid, and hot
- Able to work in indoor and outdoor environment with moderate noise, sometimes slippery floors
- Able to comply with safe chemical handling procedures, including personal protection equipment such as gloves and goggles

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
- None

COMPENSATION:

• Competitive hourly wage and benefits
• Medical Insurance reimbursement 
• Time Off: Paid vacation, sick days, holidays, and parental leave
• Simple IRA: Employer-matched retirement savings
• Team Culture: Supportive, inclusive, and fun work environment
• Employee Perks: Discounts and beer perks
• Annual Work Shoe Reimbursement

- If you think this job was meant for you and you would love to be a part of our growing yet intimate team, please send your resume and cover letter with the subject of Production Lead  to careers@fontaflora.com . 

Fonta Flora Brewery does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we recognize our responsibility to embrace and promote diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) throughout all aspects of our company culture.