09/29/2026
If you’ve ever admired our crisp, beautifully prepped produce at Minnetonka, you probably have Max to thank. 🥬 “I primarily work on keeping the wet rack pretty. The area of veggies in the produce department that get a shower every so often are washed and trimmed before being displayed. That’s me!” 🌟
After her sister encouraged her for years to apply, praising the co-op's kind community and values, Max joined our team and has been thriving in produce for over three years. 🙌 For Max, the absolute best part of the job is the connections she builds with people every day. “I love getting to know people. I’ve met a few customers that I now consider friends,” she shares. One regular customer even gave her a hand-painted card marking the exact time they met. “In the card she wrote, ‘Around June of 2024, we became friends.’ She later told me that she enjoyed coming in because she knew she would have a friend there. I hope to be that for every individual shopping at Lakewinds. Someone they can comfortably come to with questions, comments, or even just to tell me about their day. I hope to be a friendly face.” 😌
With the changing of the seasons, Max is especially excited about what’s arriving in produce. “It’s officially fall! 🍂 So that means we’re moving into squash and apple season. I’m specifically super excited for local apple season. To be able to support our surrounding farmers has made me feel so proud to be a Minnesotan and an employee at Lakewinds.”
Outside of keeping our produce looking fresh, Max is an avid home cook and baker who frequently shares her delicious experiments with her teammates. “From cakes to breads to galettes, my coworkers are often subjected to my culinary experiments once a week,” she says. “I hope to make something with the aforementioned local apples soon … maybe a pie!” 🍎🥧
Next time you’re in our Minnetonka store, be sure to say hello to Max, ask about her latest baking project, and pick up some fresh local apples! 😋
