We organise farm visits in the Berlin area which are specifically intended for gastronomes and farmers. Our aim is to share knowledge about agricultural cultivation methods, spark a conversation around product quality, and show the connection of individual ingredients to our whole food system. Through these farm visits, we bring producers and cooks closer together and nurture their mutual appreciation.

Siebengiebelhof

The organic Demeter farm has 110 hectares of land, half of which is pasture and half arable. They work exclusively organically and dynamically under the Demeter label and strive for a circular economy. In the farm’s own cheese dairy, the milk from the horned cows is processed into raw milk cheese, quark and yoghurt. Furthermore, all calves grow up on the farm with their mothers. No calf is sent to the livestock truck! They raise the offspring – male and female – themselves and keep them on the farm until the end of their lives.

We were definitely able to find out more about what everyday life on the farm is like. Their commitment to animals and farmland is impressive! Siebengiebelhof lives by the principle of a circular economy and practises pasture-based livestock farming. The pigs play an important role as waste recyclers for the cheese dairy and effectively use the 3,000-7,000 liters of whey that are produced. Their herd of cows mainly graze on pasture and are also fed exclusively home-grown fodder. The pastureland that we humans cannot use for our food can be turned into delicious cheese and meat by the cows.

We also talked a lot about a topic that is often ignored in milk and cheese processing: male calves. What actually happens to them in the conventional food system? Ve is looking for better options for her calves and together we considered how agriculture and gastronomy can work more closely together.

Siebengiebelhof: Website | Instagram
Fotos Yannic Pöpperling: Website | Instagram