Rose’s First Employee
Rose Biggi’s first employee was named Esther. She was originally hired to babysit Rose’s sons, but Rose figured she might as well help put lids on jars, too. Esther started at 15 cents/hour. She quickly took over the job of making product deliveries and eventually ran the entire horseradish preparation department (with an “iron fist” as Roses’s son, Geno, puts it). Esther worked for Beaverton Foods for 63 years. She never missed a single day of work and never asked for a raise (though she was given them!). Rose loved her like a daughter and the kids considered her family. To this day, Geno credits her for teaching him how to work hard: “I was very fortunate to work with Esther and my mom for over 40 years. I never once heard them say they needed a break. Some days they worked 12 to 13 hours, taking only a few minutes to eat and then get back to work.”
