Regenerating the Environment, Shaping Mindsets with Permaculture
Establishing a Sustainable Corporate Permaculture Garden
Our company’s central office relocated to the 22nd district a few years ago, to the former site of the Vegetable Research Institute (ZKI). The building, the plot, and the accompanying greenhouse had been abandoned for over 10 years. In the spring of 2020, we began practicing permaculture on the 3000 m2 plot to regenerate the environment.
The idea of utilizing the garden emerged during a lunch break. One of our colleagues at the time, Gábor Molnár, was offered some rocket lettuce from Italy, sparking the thought of harvesting salad greens from our own garden. It was considered an innovative initiative for a company committed to zero waste and healthy product manufacturing to provide its employees with pesticide-free vegetables and fruits.
Permaculture Garden around an Office Building
The philosophy of permaculture aligns perfectly with our company’s philosophy and sustainability efforts. Thus, despite the absence of similar office gardens in Hungary, the company management readily approved the project. To avoid misunderstandings, the garden was not created to fulfill the approximately 60-ton monthly raw material demand of the cold-pressing facility; instead, seeds used in the facility are sourced domestically or from EU farms. However, the 3000 m2 office garden was perfect for transforming into a small urban oasis.
What were the steps of the transformation?
- Continuous soil regeneration
- Employing three composting methods (thermal composting, vermicomposting, static composting based on the Johnson Su method)
- Striving for water self-sufficiency to minimize dependence on extreme weather conditions
- Creating numerous new habitats (bee pasture, aquatic habitat)
- Establishing a forest garden and kitchen garden to preserve biodiversity
- Planting a Miyawaki forest
- Creating a rainwater collection pond
- Initiating seed saving
What do we do with the vegetables grown in the garden?
The garden provides pesticide-free vegetables to the company’s employees, supplies seasonal ingredients for “Grapoila” recipe developments, and offers opportunities for office workers to relax, engage in gardening, and discover new vegetables and flavours.
An Idea Born at Lunch…
The permaculture project has brought us much more than what we initially thought. The garden has now grown into an educational base, where guided garden tours and workshops related to permaculture and processing garden production (e.g., fermentation, salad making) are held. Interested individuals can also participate in seed swaps and obtain pesticide-free seedlings.
Knowledge Transfer
We are delighted to share our experiences with so many garden enthusiasts from the district, who, having gained insight into this regenerative farming method, take home and apply what they have seen here. Our open days attract more visitors each year, surprisingly not only from the neighbourhood but from all over the country as well.
Share the Surplus!
Following the principles of permaculture, we donate surplus seedlings to charitable causes every year. In 2021, it was a homeless shelter that received them, while in 2022 and 2023, several kindergartens and a school were recipients, starting vegetable beds and flower gardens with the children participating.
Experiential Permaculture
Workshop for Young People We believe it is important for young people growing up in the city not to become completely disconnected from nature but to know, love, and respect it, as it forms the basis of environmentally responsible thinking. That’s why in 2022, we developed an experiential education program, hosting several school classes. We tailor the workshops to the respective age group, sensitizing as many young people as possible to environmental protection and sustainability.
The Garden as a Great Meeting point
We maintain close ties with the Budafok basket community, urban gardening circles, and starting in 2023, we began collaborating with Maci Kindergarten from the district, supporting them not only with seedlings but also participating in the kindergarten’s sustainability master program.
In 2023, our garden received the “GROVE” certification from MAPER, and in 2024, it serves as a PDC training venue.
Accolades for the Garden
Fortunately, there is increasing interest in sustainable farming, and we are happy to share the knowledge accumulated here and demonstrate this philosophy in practice. Hundreds of people visit our garden during open days every year, and upon seeing this functioning model, they are encouraged to embark on their own implementation on their properties. We are proud not only of our little garden but also of the enthusiastic team whose efforts have made the once-abandoned land fruitful and richly populated. Over the years, we have won awards thanks to the sustainability-minded company management, our employees, and colleagues involved in the permaculture project:
- 2nd place in Green Innovation and Green Economy NIVOD Prize (MATE Green Innovation Competition 2023)
- 3rd place for Green Entrepreneurship of the Year Award (MATE Green Innovation Competition 2023)
- Environmental Protection Award 2022, Business Category (KSZGYSZ 2023)
- Sustainable Future Award – Best Female Leader (BCSDH, 2022)
- Greengage Supportive Tools, Educational Projects – Category Victory (PPH Media, 2022)
- European Sustainability Hero Title (Generali Enterprize, 2021)
We hope to inspire others with Grapoila’s eco-friendly solutions – both in the food industry and in everyday life.