Farm Team Member

Company Description

Laulima Farm is a 13‑acre organic agroforestry farm nestled in Kipahulu Valley of East Maui, along the Road to Hana — one of the most lush, remote, and biodiverse corners of Hawaiʻi. The farm started in 1996 and over the years we have grown a mature, highly productive food forest: hundreds of varieties of tropical fruits, coffee, cacao, herbs, spices, and vegetables, all grown together as an edible ecosystem.

Walking around the farm you’ll see large overstory trees like avocados protecting our smaller shade‑loving trees such as cacao and coffee. In between those, you’ll find shrubs of hot peppers for our hot sauce and root crops of ginger and turmeric, all tucked in together with our nitrogen‑fixing ground cover of perennial peanut.

“Laulima” means many hands working together in Hawaiian — and that ethos is at the core of how we farm. A small, committed team lives and works on the land year‑round. Most people who come stay for one to two years. We’re open to someone becoming long‑term farmily, but we know that develops naturally, over time, through check‑ins and honest conversation.

What matters at the outset is that you’re genuinely interested in at least 6 months, since training a new team member is a real investment of everyone’s time and energy.

Our fruit, coffee, and farm products are sold directly at our roadside farm stand and café on the Hana Highway, where we get to share the story of regenerative agriculture and the delicious fruits of our labors with visitors and locals every single day.

The Position

This is a work‑trade role with a clear path to additional paid work. It’s both a farm field crew and farm shop & barista position. We’re open to applicants who aren’t interested in working the shop – most of the crew does, but we typically have one or two people focused purely on farm work.

Work‑trade schedule:
Monday–Wednesday, 8:00 am–4:30 pm (15‑minute break in the morning, one‑hour lunch break, ~22 hours/week)

• Hand‑weeding our agroforestry orchards (our perennial peanut ground cover requires consistent, methodical weeding; this is a large part of the job and an excellent way to gain intimate knowledge of all the plants)
• Coffee berry picking during fall harvest season (1–2 days/week)
• Annual vegetable gardening
• Farm landscape maintenance and mowing
• Working shifts at our roadside farm stand and café

• An additional day at the farm stand (9:30 am–5:00 pm) – you run the stand solo, sell what we grow, and can make and sell your own organic baked goods, keeping 100 % of the profits and tips.
• An independent work day on the land
• For hardworking, land‑skilled people, there is generally no shortage of additional paid work available in our neighborhood (weeding, landscaping, tree work, house cleaning)

• Your own private sleeping cabin on the farm
• Communal kitchen, dining area, bathhouse, laundry, shared space with a crew of 3–5 people
• Your own large personal garden beds to grow what you like
• Extensive access to food from the farm—abundant fruit, salad greens, herbs, and vegetables year‑round
• Delicious farm‑to‑table lunch on all work‑trade days (Monday–Wednesday)
• Access to a wood‑fired sauna
• High‑speed Wi‑Fi in communal spaces
• Daily immersion in a mature, thriving agroforestry system

• Passionate about plants, food, and regenerative agriculture
• Interested in and suited for communal living – interpersonal maturity matters
• Self‑directed with the ability to work independently after training without needing constant supervision
• Physically capable and has a good attitude toward repetitive outdoor work, rain or shine
• Open to constructive feedback and follows instruction well
• Wants to build real skills and deep knowledge of agroforestry, tropical food systems, and off‑grid living
• Prior farm experience is a plus, but character, work ethic, and genuine interest in plants and growing food are most important

Minimum 6 months required. Our ideal candidate is looking for a 1–2 + year commitment. There is so much to learn here—just learning all of the different plants we grow on the farm takes at least a couple of years!