(....) steps from Eisenbahnstraße and even just (...) steps from Pücklerstraße, and you're standing in Kreuzberg's best-stocked farm shop. And not just from one farm, but from a wide range of producers directly from Brandenburg and beyond. Not only from vegetable patches and trees, but also from tofu and tea manufacturers, dairies, and cider mills. Beet & Baum brings them all together in the market hall in a lavish fruit and vegetable section, a long refrigerated counter, and shelves full of dry goods.

For over a decade, the creators have brought high-quality, organically produced and primarily regional food to the hall with a great deal of idealism, energy, and passion—in close cooperation with many small farms and artisan manufacturers.

In the beginning, the product range really gave the stand in the hall its name: green crates filled with fruit and vegetables from beds and trees in the immediate vicinity of Berlin. Biolandhof Zielke, Domäne Dahlem, and Gut Ogrosen were among the first to join Beet & Baum. Step by step, the range was expanded—but always with a focus on small producers who would otherwise fall through the cracks in the wholesale market. This was driven primarily by Jiro Nitsch, someone who knows them all. With decades of experience in organic trade and a family connection to organic farming, Jiro has made it his mission to offer small producers a platform, giving them the attention and recognition their hard work deserves.

And then sometimes the moment comes when you have to say goodbye to something that is very close to your heart. At the end of September, the Beet & Baum stand will close. The fact that they can no longer continue on this path is a difficult but logical step after years full of challenges, from the pandemic to inflation to global crises.

We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Thank you for your hard work, passion, perseverance, and for the trust that Beet & Baum has placed in our market hall community over the years.

And now? Your mind starts racing: How will I get my fruit and vegetables during the week? Don't worry! Of course it will continue!

Anyone who has walked through the Great Market in recent weeks cannot have failed to notice the most colorful stall in the market: a pink background, baskets full of oranges, avocados, kiwis, pomegranates, and grapefruits, alongside Brandenburg granola and, behind it, a broad grin and an outstretched hand offering a piece of juicy watermelon to try. The fruit and vegetables come from regenerative farms in Greece and the Canary Islands, as well as from partner farms in Brandenburg, and the grin belongs to Felix, the founder of Food Together. They will be taking over from Beet & Baum in October. Step by step, they will expand the range so that we will continue to have everything we need in the future.

Food Together shares a passion for good, sustainably produced food, knows every farm personally—and at the same time brings fresh momentum and new ideas. And the big news—soon there will also be products from their own small vegetable farm, just a few kilometers from the Berlin city limits. There, they will grow vegetables year-round using market gardening principles. So there will continue to be the freshest vegetables straight from the farm! And even for fruit that prefers to enjoy the Greek or Canarian sun, Food Together always guarantees the highest quality at fair prices. Fair prices at the point of sale, but above all for the producers, because they set their own prices. Direct relationships with producers and the shortest possible supply chains – this not only keeps the avocados from Crete fresh all the way to Eisenbahnstraße, but Food Together also ensures maximum transparency. On their website, for example, you can read exactly who grew the avocados!

“We don't see ourselves as a delicatessen, but rather as an everyday (organic) supplier offering unmistakable quality and freshness at fair prices – combined with the special experience of shopping at the market.”

Of course, Beet und Baum was more than just vegetables and fruit. We are working hard to build up a range of products as comprehensive as we were used to from Jiro and his team. Felix and his team will also be offering other packaged and unpackaged foods, fresh orange juice, and even flowers and baked goods in addition to fruit and vegetables—and all in organic quality! But we still need a little time for this, because good things take time!

For now, we are very much looking forward to this transition and to shaping the coming years together. We look to the future with mixed feelings – grateful for what has been and excited about what is to come. One thing is certain: it's going to be delicious!

And by the way: Beet & Baum will still be around! It will take a different form, but the Plattform Ab Hof will continue to operate and deliver regional products to the market hall.