I was squeezed into greatness: my first year at lemonjello

When I walked into lemonjello on my first day, I was, by any honest measure, a lime. Green. Unsure. A little bitter about my previous job, which was also at a fruit company, but a much less yellow one.

Within an hour, someone handed me a lemon and said, “This is yours now.” I asked what it was for. They said, “Exactly.” I have thought about that conversation every day since.

The onboarding was very thorough

Week one covered the fundamentals: holding a lemon, admiring a lemon, and the company’s founding principle, “When life gives you lemons, lemonjello!” Nobody could explain it, which is how I knew it was profound.

Week two was mostly about posture. Did you know there is a correct way to stand next to a lemon? There is. I will not share it here. You have to earn it.

I have never been squeezed this lovingly by an employer.

What I actually do all day

People ask what a Senior Pith Engineer does. The pith is the white, spongy layer between the peel and the fruit. It holds everything together. So, in a very real sense, I hold lemonjello together. My manager says this is “technically not true,” but she says it with a smile, and that smile is lemon-shaped.

Twelve months later

I now lead a team of four Pith Engineers. We have shipped zero products and countless dreams. My manager says I am “basically a lemon now.” I cried. It was the happy, citrusy kind of crying.

If you are thinking about joining, my advice is simple: bring a cutting board, an open mind, and no expectations whatsoever. lemonjello will exceed all of them.