UrbanGreen grows organic microgreens and edible mushrooms in an old bunker in the heart of Bonn. The group included students from the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Venturing (Chair of Entrepreneurial Behavior) and Business Start-ups in the Agri-Food Industry modules, as well as several alumni, including some from the Entrepreneurship and Business Management lecture and the Academic Writing module.
Co-founder Stefan Lindner gave us a tour of the farm and showed us how cultivation works inside the bunker. It was particularly fascinating to see how specially constructed grow tents create the necessary climate conditions to make cultivation in the bunker possible at all. Of course, we also got to taste the microgreens.
We were particularly impressed by the sheer tenacity behind the project. UrbanGreen now rents the bunker from the city—but it was a long road to get there, and approval only came after a very, very long time.
Practical hurdles were also an issue: so far, only one floor of the bunker has been converted because the conversion is very expensive and fire safety measures, in particular, are costly. Currently, five people work there. During the discussion about the business model, it became clear that the microgreens regularly sell out at the markets—this sparked a lively discussion with the students.
UrbanGreen sees itself as part of the local community and is happy to see activities taking place around the farm. For us, it was an all-around successful and very inspiring visit that was met with great enthusiasm by the students.
If you would like to find out more or want to visit the farm: UrbanGreen warmly welcomes visitors—more information at urbangreen-bonn.de.