is to create healthy, enjoyable, and beautiful outdoor spaces-
all while maintaining a positive work environment, fostering relationships with the community, and prioritizing an allyship with nature.
We pride ourselves in clear and timely communication. We value all of the relationships we engage with and know that a successful project includes how smoothly the interpersonal relationship grew during our time on site.
We work with natural processes the best we can, so we can reduce energy intensive processes that pervade much of the horticultural and construction industries.
Our staff is what makes Orchard Keepers hum. We keep our staff engaged with trainings throughout the year and offer opportunities for growth. For full time employees we offer benefits including PTO, health insurance, 401K matching and annual raises.
After growing up in New England, Matthew headed West in 1997. He embarked on his horticultural journey up in Portland Oregon where he discovered his love for plants and working with nature. After training in sustainable agriculture in Italy and Wisconsin, he attended the famed UCSC farm and garden in 2003. With training complete in 2005, he started pruning fruit trees around Santa Cruz and called it ‘Orchard Keepers’.
With over 15 years at Orchard Keepers, Kim brings a unique blend of enthusiasm, education, and commitment to the company. Before joining the team, she traveled the world as a professional surfer, cultivating a deep respect for the environment. Kim holds a degree in Environmental Studies and Earth Sciences from UCSC, which fuels her passion for growing food sustainably. Her dedication to ecological gardening practices and her extensive experience make her an integral part of our mission to nurture healthy, resilient home orchards throughout our community.
Andy joined Orchard Keepers in 2016 to lead the Installation team and be the bridge between horticultural knowledge and the necessary building knowledge that creates a lasting garden and landscape. Andy has been working in landscaping since 6th grade when he started mowing the lawn at his family’s house for $5 a week, with services including blowing off the hardscape, hedging, and irrigation repair. Since then Andy got a degree in Hydrology, worked in habitat restoration, ecological stormwater management, nature based mentoring of youth, had his own contractors license, and worked in organic farming, farm operations, and facility management. As the leader of the Installation team, Andy does not get to do much of the building on the jobsite, but the real satisfaction for him now lies with listening to people’s dreams around what they want in their garden and landscape, and then guiding them through the process to bring that to life!
With a background in small-scale diversified vegetable and flower farm management, Kate joined the Orchard Keepers team in 2020. Her degree in Nutritional Sciences with an emphasis in International Security and Conflict Resolution from SDSU catalyzed a passion for understanding soil health- examining the impact soil has on the nutrient density of our food and how this affects public health. Approaching her career with an interdisciplinary mindset, Kate collaborated with a diverse range of food system leaders, from chefs to engineers to nonprofit foundations. Eventually deciding to go back to school and earn her degree in Landscape Architecture from Merritt College allowed her the opportunity to blend her dedication to local food system work and enthusiasm for ecological landscapes as part of the Orchard Keepers team.
Amy brings 10+ years of administrative experience and a Psychology degree to her role at Orchard Keepers, having previously worked in property and facilities management for several large companies. She is thrilled to be out of the corporate world and working for a locally owned company with such strong values. Amy finds the most rewarding part of any job is the people, and loves that as office manager she gets to be the link across all teams while fostering an efficient and positive work environment. Most days you can catch her riding her orange bike into the office, and trying to get others to do the same!
Orchard Keepers is always searching for exceptional people to join our team. Throughout the year, we hire for both our installation unit and our maintenance team. We work hard and enjoy what we do. We are rooted in the fundamentals of horticulture and take time to understand the processes of nature. We are proud to offer health insurance and a retirement plan to all of our full-time employees. We want to hire people focused on making a career out of this work.
