Within the Gills Onions 32,000 square foot production facility, there are lots of moving parts – quite literally. Not only is there the equipment itself peeling, slicing, dicing and packaging our onions, but also phenomenal staff manning their stations every step of the way. Then add in all the information our sales department passes along regarding orders and the regular updates our delivery team needs. Simply put, there’s a lot to keep straight.

So just how do we keep things running smoothly? With the help of hardworking and dynamic employees like Alejandro Rodriguez, our assistant operations manager.

Working with a fresh product like onions can be tricky as we have limited time for the product to remain crisp before it’s unmarketable. Alejandro’s job is to be in constant communication with each department to ensure our customers receive exactly what they ordered at its peak level of freshness – all in a timely manner.

When he first joined the team in 2019, though, his workday looked very different as he lifted 30 pound bags of onions straight from the field to be peeled, ran large equipment and prepared pallets of product to be shipped out. He soon transitioned into our shipping department where he took on new roles as he worked with our sales and transportation teams.

After graduating from California State University, Channel Islands, the assistant operations manager role became available and Alejandro took a chance, tossing his name into the hat for the role.

A Can-Do Attitude

Just like with any other business, life happens and sometimes an employee who works on the line is unable to make it in. While he spends most of his day in an office setting now, he isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and lend a hand doing the same jobs he once did.

As Alejandro says, he’s more than willing to help in areas outside production, “it’s also shipping, maintenance and accounting – wherever I’m needed, that’s where I’ll go.”

We asked Alejandro where he thought his incredibly strong work ethic came from and he was quick to answer – his parents. Seeing “how they struggled makes me push myself harder,” both now and when he was in college. “Seeing them hustle throughout the day has pushed me knowing they’ve done that for so many years to support me.”

But this isn’t something new – we’ve seen his commitment to both his education and career since day one. When Alejandro first joined the Gills team, he was still a teenager having just graduated from high school. Soon after he became a full-time student during the day – splitting his time between two local community colleges before attending CSUCI, where he graduated. Alejandro accomplished this all while working here at Gills Onions on our night shift.

A New Appreciation for Agriculture

Even though other members of his family have worked in agriculture since he was young, including his parents, Alejandro has come to have more of an appreciation for fresh produce since starting here. Initially, he thought there wasn’t much of a difference from one onion to another. But he’s since learned that’s not the case at all.

“It’s a bit like cars – there’s your standard car used for transportation, a truck for heavy lifting and then you have luxury sports cars,” said Alejandro. “Not everything you see in the grocery store is the same thing – they have their own specific needs and uses.”

With his newfound understanding and appreciation for the fresh produce industry, Alejandro encourages consumers to look and see where their food came from. Raised in a community where many have a career based in production agriculture, he had a general idea of how products reached grocery store shelves. It wasn’t until he began working here at Gills Onions, however, that he started to get a better picture of the steps it takes.

“Next time you go to the store, you may wonder where this orange or that onion came from,” he said. “It’s not just from the fields to the store – it’s a whole process and is something I still have more to learn about.”

So the next time you find yourself browsing the produce section of your local supermarket, let Alejandro’s insights resonate, reminding us that behind every item lies a comprehensive and fascinating journey that continues to unfold.