team building Archives

Bramble Chili Cook Off + winning chili recipe

January 26, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Competition was fierce at the Bramble Berry office for our first annual Bramble Chili Cook Off! The only requirements were to cook up the heartiest, spiciest, best possible pot of chili, and there was no shortage of entries. From vegetarian to Cincinnati-style to extra spicy, for a blissful afternoon, the office was a hardy chili lover’s dream.

You can’t have chili without corn bread! This was a delightfully spicy jalapeno cornbread made by our Customer Experience Manager, Kevin. It paired perfectly with everyone’s chili.

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Bramble Berry Gets Muddy

September 28, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

We can’t help but be a squeaky clean office — we’re surrounded by so much soap all the time! So when Order Manager Carla heard about the 2nd annual Muds to Suds Relay Race, we couldn’t wait to dive into a muddy pool or three. The race took place early Saturday morning, and we had 13 Brambleberrians participate from all departments including customer service, packing and shipping. They couldn’t wait to get muddy!

The team beforehand. So nice and clean! Part of the race included a costume contest, and we came dressed as the Bramble Berry Super Soapers.

The race course covered a little more than two miles, and wound through the beautiful Hovander Park in Ferndale, Wash. There were plenty of obstacles along the way, including four (!!!) mud pits, an army-style cargo net crawl, several walls and obstacles to climb and lots of sand pits, which conveniently stuck to all that sticky mud. In total, there were an incredible 22 obstacles throughout the course.

We were obviously the most spirited team in the whole race =)

Luckily all this dirt, mud and sand was for a great cause. All proceeds from the event benefited the Whatcom County Boys & Girls Club, which offers programs that many Bramble Berry parents utilize. My better half, Chris, sits on their board and was named the Whatcom County Volunteer of the Year for the Boys and Girls Club; we were all thrilled to support this worthy cause.

A Super Soaper sloshes her way through a muddy river.

Taking a little swim!

There was no shortage of sand and sawdust to stick to all that mud.

A Super Soaper takes a quick break on a wall obstacle mid race.

Michelle, from shipping, got caught up in the suds right before the finish line.

Cassie and Nikki, from the warehouse, celebrate the end of the race. Everyone on Team BB completed the race in under an hour.

Lauren, a packer extraordinaire, shows off the strength that got her through the race.

Carla didn’t hesitate to dive into any muddy obstacles. She was the impromptu team leader and encouraged everyone to participate in the race.

Inna, Kari, Carla and Carla’s daughter Ember celebrate the end of the race before heading off to the showers.

Inna was covered in plenty of dirt and suds but still couldn’t help but smile.

After the race everyone took a much needed shower. Pretty soon though, the grass started to get muddy and everyone was dirty all over again.

Every racer got a free hot dog and drink at the end of the race. Team Bramble Berry relaxed in the beer garden with delicious beer provided by Boundary Bay Brewery.

Bramble Berry takes over the Bells Game

August 10, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

It’s not a Bramble Berry summer without attending a good old ball game, and last Tuesday the entire Bramble Berry team was in attendance to watch our beloved Bellingham Bells take on the Medford Rogues. So maybe there was more chatting, eating and drinking than baseball-watching, but it’s pretty safe to say that everyone had a fantastic time.

The Bells are Bellingham’s collegiate-level team, and play during the summer off season. With the stadium less than 5 minutes from the office, it’s a great way to spend an evening together as a team. We had a delicious barbecue catered by local favorite restaurant Boundary Bay, and it was great to see warehouse staff, office support staff and everyone’s kids, friends and spouses come together. Jamisen even got to throw the first pitch! He may have needed a little help throwing the ball all the way to home plate, but he had a wonderful time. I’m thinking a Little League team is probably in his future.

For snacks, we had the typical burgers and brew fare, but we were also delighted with an awesome tray of Boundary Bay’s signature Mac & Cheese. All the delicious food was quickly gobbled up by all kids, spouses and friends of Bramble Berry staff. Baby Lily was in attendance too, and totally enjoyed/slept through her first game.

Jamisen taking a few gulps of much-deserved lemonade after throwing the first pitch. He is growing up so fast! His vocabulary is practically college-level. Sharing is our big learning opportunity now and we’re working hard on that skill.

Our social media assistant Becky, left, and I are clearly paying very close attention to the game =) Er, um …. possibly talking about the latest Facebook post but we’re sure the game wasn’t affected by our brief lapse in attention.

More BB staff! On the far left is one of our wonderful customer care team members, Rachel. Slightly in front of her is our new Customer Experience Manager Kevin. Myself and Lily are in the middle, and Kevin’s partner, Keith, is to the right. If you look closely, you can see Chris and Jamisen snapping up the remains of all that tasty food. Yes, that is indeed Jamisen’s ankle =)

Jamisen with his newly autographed first pitch ball. He would not let it out of his hands for the entire game! It has a place of honor on a shelf right now, where Jamisen can gaze lovingly at it but not throw it. That kid can throw hard but has a serious lack of aim. I want my windows, and my knees, to remain intact. And yes, those are mini Toms in case you were admiring my son’s fashion sense. Ha ha. =)

A few members of our awesome warehouse team. Nikki is wearing the sunglasses, Kelsi is to her left and Cyrus, wearing purple, is to the right. They are all long term Brambleberrians and we feel lucky to have them pulling and packing your boxes.

As the sun set over the field and game headed into the 7th inning, everyone was still laughing, chatting and all around having an excellent time. Bells games are awesome team building events, and if you’re looking for a fun group activity in Bellingham or Whatcom County, they offer group discounts too! We can’t wait until next summer — take us out to the ball game!