From the first idea to its realization and up until today, several years have passed—and together we’ve achieved an incredible amount. We’ve tried to capture some key milestones from our founding story that show how our cooperative has grown and developed over the years. The list is by no means complete—there are countless other big and small successes along the way.
We look forward to continuing to shape PlantAge together with you, and to keep growing as a community—in the fields and in our hearts.
December 2017 – PlantAge at Greenmarket Berlin
After a year of planning and shaping our vision, we presented our idea of “farming without animals” for the first time at the vegan lifestyle market in December 2017. The feedback and interest were so overwhelming and positive that it gave us new courage and energy. It strengthened our desire to establish the market garden as a community-supported agriculture (CSA) project and to develop it collectively.
January 2018 – First CSA Meeting
Just a few weeks after PlantAge’s first public appearance, we held an information meeting. People could learn more about our plans and how to get involved. Many participants didn’t even want to leave afterwards—they were ready to start immediately and turn the vision of animal-free farming into reality.
That was the birth of the “organizing group,” which carried out the first projects together during the year, represented PlantAge at information booths, and hosted events to reach more people. It became increasingly clear that forming a cooperative was the right legal framework for our young project.
June 2018 – Next Organic Start-Up Award
In summer 2018, our commitment was recognized with the Next Organic Start-Up Award. We won the audience prize with the most votes, which was an important confirmation that PlantAge had a strong community behind it—and that together we could achieve a lot.
September 2018 – Cooperative Founded
On September 15, 2018, PlantAge eG was officially founded. A milestone in our history—the vision was finally becoming reality!
September 2018 – Land in Sight: Frankfurt (Oder)
After reaching out through the Horticultural Association, we were contacted by Thomas Bröcker in Frankfurt (Oder). Many orchards in the region were being abandoned due to price pressure and the uncertainties of climate change, which threatened harvests year after year. To preserve the landscape’s diversity, farmers in Markendorf (a district of Frankfurt (Oder)) were open to new and alternative projects like ours. With 6 hectares of land, we could launch our CSA and saw plenty of potential for the future.
November 2018 – Crowdfunding for Lease and Soil Preparation (€13,000)
To finance the lease and prepare the soil with green manure for the winter, we launched our first crowdfunding campaign. We raised an impressive €13,000 from around 300 supporters.
March 2019 – Build-Up Days
Even in the cold spring months, many people came to Frankfurt (Oder) to help us prepare for the first growing season. We renovated an old trailer for storage and shelter, built fences, trimmed hedges, and installed irrigation systems.
April 2019 – Simon Begins His Year-Long Internship
Simon was our very first “employee” and the first person to move to Frankfurt (Oder). It marked the beginning of a new era!
April 2019 – First Farm Tour for Members and Visitors
Amid blooming orchards and still-bare fields, we welcomed over 60 visitors to our very first farm walk. Many of them took the opportunity to join the young cooperative on the spot.
June 2019 – First Vegetable Delivery
Yay! The very first vegetable delivery was a big celebration. Of course, everyone was super excited. At that time, many international volunteers (via WWOOF) were helping us with cultivation and harvest. After the first successful delivery, we celebrated at Vereinte Talente in Moabit, where members also got to know each other personally. (Fun fact: two of them later married and now have a child together <3).
August 2019 – Tomato Tunnel Completed
One major project of our first summer was building the tomato tunnel. By August, it was finally standing—after the plants had grown unprotected for months. We were relieved, not knowing that the cover would collapse again just weeks later—right when an unexpected night frost severely damaged our tomatoes.
September 2019 – First Harvest Festival
Despite all the challenges of our first season—or perhaps because of them—we were able to truly enjoy and celebrate our very first harvest festival.
September 2019 – Veronika supports the office
As operations grew, so did the need for administrative and communications support. Veronika joined as our very first office intern, starting her career at PlantAge with a six-month placement.
November 2019 – Crowdfunding for Packing Hall (€22,000+)
2020 – Expanding Cultivation
In our second year, we expanded again by taking over an old apple orchard with around 900 trees, which we grafted anew and transitioned to biocyclic-vegan cultivation.
May 2020 – Volunteering During Corona Times
While 2020 meant isolation and lockdowns for many, little changed in our daily work: agriculture is essential and mostly outdoors. Our numerous volunteer days during the pandemic gave many people the chance to reconnect with nature and community. Each event brought 30–60 participants—an enormous support for us!
January 2021 – Vegan Block at WHES Demonstration in Berlin
Together with other groups, we organized a vegan block at the Wir haben es satt! demonstration in Berlin. Since vegan agriculture and diets often get little attention at the protest, which mostly highlights small-scale farming, we felt it was our role to bring that demand to the table.
April 2021 – Farm Visits with the Sarah Wiener Foundation
Since 2021, we’ve been hosting day trips for kindergartens and schools on our fields. Together, we explore the farm and prepare a fresh vegetable lunch. Children learn where their food comes from and how much work is behind it. The goal: to instill appreciation for healthy food and nutrition.
December 2021 - Online Shop
To support the biocyclic-vegan farmers in Greece—and to expand our product range towards full supply—we developed the online shop. Here, members can purchase additional products to complement their veggie box or have them delivered anywhere in Germany.
2022 – Expanding Cultivation Again
April 2022 – 1,000 Cooperative Members | 828 Packed Boxes
Two years after Covid, we reached our record: 828 vegetable boxes packed in a single week. It showed us that our fields and infrastructure could easily supply up to 900 households weekly. (Today, we deliver about 523 boxes per week.)
June 2022 – 860 Shares Distributed
In June, we reached our peak number of CSA shares. Summer is usually vacation season, so the record for packed boxes stayed at 828 back in April.
July 2022 – Solidarity Contribution
The solidarity model allows members to pay less if they cannot afford the standard box price. Other households voluntarily pay more to balance the costs.
November 2022 – Successful Winter Harvest Action
Together with many volunteers from the cooperative and beyond, we brought in the crops safely for winter storage.
May 2024 – Half Shares
Too many vegetables? We heard this a lot! The half share became the solution for households that eat less or are away more often. Every second week, they receive a full box instead of weekly deliveries.
May 2024 – Selling Surpluses to B2B (Restaurants & Organic Shops)
We had about 400 surplus lettuces that needed to be harvested immediately to free up tunnel space for tomatoes. Since member boxes were already full, we made a social media call—and ended up collaborating with LPG. From then on, restaurants, zero-waste stores, and others could also buy our vegetables.
August 2025 – Land for the Cooperative
Our next milestone? Buying the land we cultivate. Owning our soil and farmland will secure food supply in the long term and allow us to invest in sustainable development.
