Brittany
With over one year on the Packaging line under her belt, it is safe to say that, next to Cattie, Brittany has the second loudest, continuous, belly laugh. A great addition to the team, Brittany’s previous experience as a tin basher has come in very handy when it comes to dealing with temperamental packaging equipment (like Uranus) and making adjustments to “Black” the forklift. Outside of work her life remains busy juggling family, children and a household – yet she still finds time to enjoy the good things, like camping and slow pitch.
Emily
Another awesome addition to the KHC global melting pot, Emily is our “Filipino Machino”. Born and raised in Bacon Sorsogon, Philippines, Emily comes to Kicking Horse Coffee with textile manufacturing industry experience and gave up working an automated loom for a vertical form-fill packaging machine. Always positive, always smiling, always willing to help out, Emily does a great job, regardless of what line she has been assigned to work on. Now, if only we could keep her away from the rest of the gals that are trying to teach her more “colourful” words to add to her growing English vocabulary…
Janet
A packaging team member since 2005, Janet has brought a new level of humour to the already unique comedy line up in packaging. She enjoys chatting about the finer points in life – like camping, quadding and fishing up in Terrace. Her strong mechanical aptitude has helped out our PM program as an assistant to Fred, making sure those damn machines keep running. Highlight of Janet’s time at KHC so far? – working the line with Elana – now that is Funny! “What’s this button for?”
Kelly
There is a first time for everything, and for Kelly in Packaging, this has been the year of firsts; first time working for a coffee company, first time getting married and the first time to join a roller derby team. Originally hailing from the manufacturing belt of Ontario, Kelly plays a key role in packaging, helping manage a new quality control initiative by pulling and analyzing samples off all the lines, throughout the day. Let’s hope her experiences with “jamming” on the g14 and canning lines have provided her with the skills she’ll need once she hits that roller derby track…
Linnea
Mature beyond her young years, KHC’s Packaging Team Leader has big shoes to fill; luckily she wears a size 13. Continuously pushing the envelope with her ability to multi-task on four machines simultaneously ... in 3 different rooms she still manages to bring in a warm tray of cinnamon buns. Word has it that she has considered moving into roasting, but unless they can improve that cycle time of 18 minutes per roast, she will continue supervising and motivating the team on the packing side. When not pulling out her hair trying to figure out next week’s production schedule, she can usually be found planning yet another trip to other exotic locations (like Saskatoon??)
Lisa
After years of sniffing paint fumes, and wearing splattered “gangsta” coveralls, Lisa has decided to put away her paintbrushes (at least for the time being anyway) and explore the whacky new world of packaging technology. As one of our lead machine operators on the FresCo, Lisa is never shy to share an idea or opinion, and has helped get the new G14 running to the peak of efficiency. A great example of an employee referral gone good (thanks Steph) Lisa has become an awesome addition to the Packaging team lineup!
Lynn Ann
Years of being a nanny for L&E’s little angels could not have better prepared Lynn Ann for the daily action on the packing line. As one of our local gals with a growing family of boys, a job at KHC is a good fit given her hard-to kick Mocha habit. Her experience as a gymnastics coach and avid horsy gal has helped her keep the rest of the team on track with daily renditions of morning stretches and callisthenics around the General Packaging Machine.
Madeleine
What started as a simple trip out west to visit her long-lost sister has turned in the makings of a classic Western migration story. A graduate of McGill University, Madeleine continues to be less than upfront with her parents about where she is living and what she is doing. Always up for the next great adventure, she is loving life in the mountains - as long as she can get her daily fix of delicious Kicking Horse Coffee. Rarely one to miss a day of work (unless it is for some “angry white boy” music concert) she is great to have around; her smile and laugh continue to add much needed levity to the Packaging line and mail order desk.
Meredith
A breath of funky and fresh air, Meredith has enabled us to connect with our “artsy and inner sides”. An accomplished painter, Meredith seeks inspiration from the lines and emotions she experiences in the Packaging department - a shortage of either which there is never. Raising the bar on colourful outfits, Meredith is a dedicated worker who is never too hard to pick out on the line, with pants and shirts as bright as her smile.
Sandy
Packaging remains alive with the sound of Sandy’s chatter and laughter. Another one of our Packaging “Lifers”, Sandy’s responsibilities include setting the stage for daily production, and processing mail. Her uncanny ability to pull together roast lists, and process ever more complicated orders makes her a bit of a Kreskin. Spending as much of her off work time with her boys as she can (that’s Jesse, Tyler and the grandsons) Sandy is completely void of seriousness, and spends most of her at work time, trying to figure out ways to get back at Paul. Her biggest ambition? To retire someplace warm with plenty of sun, sand and cold beer.
Tatyana
or “Toots” as she is affectionately referred to by her team-mates is our Bulgarian connection in the packaging department. No stranger to hard work and recipient of our first ever RAVE Award, she keeps the rest of the gals in line with stories of working the factory line in the post war Eastern Bloc, where the biggest tragedy of all (other than a lack of personal and political freedom) was the lack of access to good coffee. Small in stature but big on Smile, she is a great addition to our Packaging Team!
