GMB PODCAST EPISODE 010: The Green Market Berlin

Hey guys, what’s up, I’m super excited to welcome Steffi Witt from the Green Market Berlin on the GreenMe Berlin podcast today. Thank you so much for coming on the show. How are you doing?

S: Nice to see you. I’m fine and you?

I’m good! It’s so good that we can hang out and chat a bit today. You know, the Green Market is always one of THE events that I’m really, really looking forward to.

There’s such a happy, positive vibe, always a stunning location, so much inspiration, heaps of delicious new foods to try - and some people might know that I’m a massive foodie. So for me, it’s just incredible to see how the vegan world is changing, how colorful, creative, healthy and really yummm plant-based food can be.

But I’m not gonna drift off, of course there’s so much more than food at your market.And I already came by last year and did some quick interviews on the spot with a few of your green heroes. I’m gonna put a link to that article down in the show notes.

I think it might be fun to compare. Cause I know that since then - only within less than a year - SO much has changed! And I can’t wait to hear all about it.So, let’s do this, shall we?

First of all… it’s the 11th time you’re organizing The Green Market Berlin now - MY GOD! It’s a huge number! It would be great if you could paint us a little picture of what the whole event stands for and what it means to you?

S: The Green Market is for everyone who is interested in a vegan lifestyle. A lot of people start first with the food and don’t know that beauty products, and also the clothes, leather, wool etc. belongs all together. They don’t have time to do a research. And when they come to the Green Market Berlin, it’s all vegan. 100%. We make the selection and it’s a nice atmosphere on site. Really positive.

<< We show a lot of nice products and the people can see that it’s super delicious and easy to be vegan. >>

Exactly, that’s basically my feeling. It’s about a positive lifestyle. It’s not about preaching. It’s showing people that there’s no need to be an activist or have a bland life…

But it’s not only for people who are vegan right?

S: No of course not. Some people are just during the week vegan and then on the weekend, they eat some meat or whatever. There’s a lot of young and older people - it’s for everyone who’s interested in an eco-friendly lifestyle. Even maybe to buy a nice present for a friend. I would say 80% of our visitors are not vegan.

Oh wow! Yeah, it’s just a great inspiration.

S: Thank yooouuu...

Now, take me back to that point where it all started - so nearly 3 years back - when was that moment where you knew: this is it! I gotta do this now?

S: I turned to be 100% vegan in 2014. And then, when I went out in Berlin to food markets and I was hungry and wanted to buy some food, I queued up, thought “oh cool, it’s a mushroom soup, I can eat this”. And in the end, I found out it’s got butter, or milk or even bacon in it… So after 2 hours it was quite stressful to find something.

And I was an event manager and started thinking, we are in Berlin, there’s a lot of vegan restaurants and coffee places here - so why not start a vegan market?

Yeah. But I think it was a pretty big risk, back then Berlin’s green scene was nowhere near to what it is today, right?

S: Yes it was really… I did research and nothing like that was already existing in Berlin. So I checked like Los Angeles - in America there was such a much bigger scene than here. And I was thinking: why not taking the risk and also support the Berlin community. They have almost the same future... To support the vegan scene, to get a bit bigger, to get a bit more famous and to show also people who are not vegan that there are really good products.

A lot of people, when they go to the super market and have a lot of alternative cheese or alternative cream - most don’t really taste good. So they think that all vegan alternatives are bad. The Green Market Berlin wants to show people the best products from the people who make them.

And also, in the beginning we didn’t say too much “vegan”, that’s why we created the “Green Market Berlin”. So a lot of people are coming who think that they have an eco-friendly lifestyle. But they don’t know about the meat industry and… that it’s not so good for the planet…

Yeah I know. I was at that point a couple of years ago, where I had no clue how much of an impact that actually has…

And I think it’s a great strategy to call it the “green market”. There’s so many places in Berlin who do not write this word “vegan” on their forehead, because sometimes I think it maybe scares people off a little bit. And they think “ah no, I’m not vegan, so I can’t go there”...

S: And today, when you say now “vegan” a lot of people know what it is. But back in the days - or just three years ago - no one really knew what it is. People understood “vegetarian” though. So that’s why our communication was more that we are a vegetarian market. Vegan wasn’t popular at this time.

Do you think that’s changed now?

S: YES, a lot! I can see in Berlin, there are so many new places that now take the risk and open a fashion shop or a new restaurant. They’re not so scared anymore. Also, everyone knows about it. The magazines, the news talk about it, there are regularly new documentaries and I think now, people know about it…

I mean, look at the advertising, you have the first plant-based ads, for milk, yoghurt - I think last week I saw at least 3 different ads on TV. And this also means that, a bit more, vegan goes to mainstream.

<< This is also my goal for the vegan market, for the Green Market Berlin, to make it mainstream. So that it’s just totally normal. >>

On the same level like people who usually eat meat.

It’s super exciting and I think it’s really on a good way there…

Now, if people out there are listening and they are thinking about going vegan but don’t know quite how - would you have any tip where to get started? I mean obviously, stop eating meat and animal products 🙂 But would you say: you have to go full on straight away? Or go slowly, try things out?

S: I mean, I didn’t turn vegan from one day to another. I met my boyfriend 4.5 years ago, he was vegan already and I was already starting to do yoga and starting to cut out animal products. Like I didn’t use milk for my coffee anymore. And then I checked out some documentaries and some books - and that was really helpful.

For example, a really good book was from Rüdiger Dahlke “Peace Food”. He’s mixing it all together, talks about health, the animals and also the planet. He’s describing it really well and also put in some good recipes.

A really good documentary is “Forks over Knives”. I watched it twice and it helped me a lot to learn about the health aspects.

Great, so Forks over Knives, yeah? I’m gonna put that right into the show notes.

S: It’s one of the best docus I ever saw. Then Peace Food was the book, and also the China Study. But Peace Food also uses the China Study...

Okay, so basically it’s a good start. Awesome. For me I think it was Cowspiracy. I thought, man I really want that this beautiful planet stays beautiful and I’m doing lots of stuff for it, so it just doesn’t make sense to go on with this…

Cool. And of course, your market is the perfect point to get started, so back to that 🙂

S: Oh, we also have people there from Peta 2 and from Albert Schweitzer Stiftung. And anyone who’s interested in a vegan lifestyle and vegan food can make a subscription for a vegan taste week! And then you get lots of recipes to start going vegan.

Wow, that’s really cool! Definitely already the first reason to come - but another one is really exciting: You’re moving to a brand new location this time, I’m super excited! Do you wanna set us into the scene a bit? Where are you taking us for the summer edition?

S: We’re moving to the Reinbeckhallen in Oberschöneweide.

<< It’s directly by the Spree, so it’s much more nature and we have a lot of space there >>

Like two old industrial halls and the outdoor area is much much bigger than before. That means we have more space for visitors, more space for entertainment and you can stay much longer.

Super cool. I mean, Oberschöneweide, of course, it’s pretty brave to do that. Cause it’s a very new, relatively unexplored part of Berlin so far. But rumors go that Schöneweide is going to be the new Kreuzberg, the new hotspot for creatives. The rents are cheap, there’s a university, there are all these old industrial halls… All things that people love so much about in Berlin, but which is kind of vanishing a bit in the inner city. People are curious, they discovered lots of parts in Berlin right now… so I think it’s an amazing step, actually, to go out there.

What’s the fact that excites you most about this place?

S: I mean, I saw this venue before it’s been fully renovated and I was completely fallen in love. It’s just amazing and also the area is really pretty cool. I like that we have the big outdoor area with more nature. And a lot of grass and trees and the view over the Spree is super nice and we have a lot of space for the food trucks out there. We also have a small stage and play some live music in the evening.

How cool! I am really, really excited to come. Already the fact that it’s right by the river…

S: You also can come by bike. It’s super easy to come by bike. And also, if you want this nice walk from S-Bahnhof Schöneweide. It’s just 15 minutes to walk and you can go and look around the area more. It’s really new now and I think since the last 2 years, there are much more artists there, lots of galleries, artist studios… It’s like a small Kiez already.

Yeah, I’ve heard about that. I know there’s also this coworking space, Kaos, there’s all those really cool big buildings, industrial halls...and is there anything else that’s gonna be different?

S: There are much more workshops on site. You can do DIY workshops, we have an upcycling workshop, a cosmetic workshop or a flower crown workshop. And we will do a lot of things outside….

I think this is great with the workshops. I think this is really something that excites people. Using your hands, learning something.

S: Exactly! Also, we have Lea Green, she’s just almost finishing her second cookbook. And she’ll cook something from the cookbook, something really fresh for the summer. It’s a live cooking class. And also Franzi from the Superfran’s Manufaktur will be showing people how to make nice unicorn vegan ice cream at home. And Cerdi from The Juicery is giving a cool talk about the benefits from juices and smoothies for our health. And after that he’ll also show people how to make a juice and you can test a little bit.

Oh my god, all of them are my favorite topics. I love juices, it’s incredible what health benefits it has.

S: Yeah, I mean, for the skin! After three days juicing, your skin looks much much better. He’s talking about this because he had his own experience with friends and he helps a lot and wants to talk about this more.

Wow, that’s exciting. Also the guys of Superfran’s, I love them. I discovered them actually at your market. They did all these amazing raw vegan cakes and do really great workshops at their place. Raw food but in cool…

S: And SO delicious. I’m a big fan of them. That’s why we have, I would say, 25 vendors at the Green Market who are always in. But each market they show a seasonal offer. And then we’re looking for some new vendors, to help them with their startup, or have some special summer offers like ice cream.

Also, Birgit from the Creme Kampagne will do a workshop on Sunday - you can learn how to make your own lip gloss… It’s really cool, she shows with natural ingredients, how to make your own cosmetic.

That’s so cool, you have a really, really great program… 

Now, i’d love to switch direction a bit and extract a few background stories, sneaking a bit behind the scenes and also understand a bit better how much hard work it is to organize this kind of event…

So if I’d put on my invisible cape, and I follow you on a typical day of Steffi organizing the Green Market - what would it be like?

S: Yes, it’s quite a lot. We do almost everything…

Who is “we”? Is it a big office with a big team?

S: No, actually in the office it’s only me. But of course, before and after the market I have some friends helping me…

But the base is just you?

S: The base is just me, yes. We get a lot of requests and then I do meetings with the people and check the products. Just now, we’re building more decoration for the venue, because to rent it all the time is too expensive. We’re doing some seatings, tables, we do all by ourselves. We have a big room where we store all the decoration… it’s a lot of hands on, from bonting to trash bins, signs and just a lot of stuff. And it’s getting more and more because it’s cheaper and it has a personal note when you go to the market.

Is it usually friends who help out?

S: It’s a mix of friends and also some people who are freelancers, students and helping… they like to help…Then on site, we’re a big crew. I think we’re almost 15. And we always want to show something new. So now we look what can we do for the summer for drinks. We’d like to do a homemade lemonade with ginger, lime and peppermint - so then you think: how can we do this for 3000 people. A day. To make it fast and easy and of course also delicious. It’s a lot of creative stuff. And the most time we work with Berlin people…

Is it basically that you just go out and roam the streets of Berlin? Or do they come to you as well, or invite you over?

S: Of course, sometimes I get a lot of emails. But the best is if you go to other markets, other events. You see something and directly like it, you can have a conversation and say “hey, I’m Stefanie from the Green Market Berlin. Here’s my card, let’s meet for a coffee”.

<< I think almost every weekend, I go to markets and different events. It’s sometimes not so easy to be everywhere, but it’s a lot of fun to meet people >>

And when you see it’s a really cool atmosphere, it could work for the Green Market…

It’s incredible, you go out and basically, everything is handpicked by YOU. But I really relate to that, it’s such a difference if you go out and see it yourself and get a feeling for it yourself - it’s really time well invested. Once you’re there and really feel it, you talk to the people, you see the sparkle in their eyes when they show you what they do. It’s just a whole different story.

I’d be super curious to know: How do you pick your exhibitors? What do you look for most? It’s mainly small scale businesses right?

S: Yes, if I find out it’s a really big company and don’t really need help or promotion. We support the small people… Our focus is of course in food, interesting cool new food trucks, and then beauty products and fashion.

And it it doesn’t really fit into the concept - like last time I got a request for some antique stuff and that doesn’t fit into a vegan lifestyle market. And of course, handmade stuff like handmade gifts. We have a lot of designers there as well. They make their own rings and… ah I forgot the name 🙂

Really beautiful jewelry and accessories I guess, just my experience from the last markets.

S: Yes! Or we have a lot of designers who are using cork and make really cool bags and accessories. So there’s a lot of things to explore. They always show a new collection. In the end, if it fits and it’s fresh and new, we’re almost open for everything.

It’s a lot of gut feeling from you, too, is it?

S: Yeah, if there’s a good feeling and it could work, it’s modern and fresh and something that people never saw before, then we just take it in. And in the end, they can also see if it works - we support a lot of startups. Sometimes they don’t even have a homepage or logo yet. They often ask me about what we think… Now for the summer edition, we also have some new guys in, they do vegetable chips and they’re really delicious. And they’re just finding themselves with a new logo and a new business concept

That’s pretty amazing. I mean, it creates such a huge value for a small green business that’s just starting out to be part of the Green Market, right?

S: Yes, they can also meet other people from the scene. Other people have shops, for example LOVECO or Süßstoff - and when they see some nice products, they also pick them for their own shops. So they can directly work together.

<< This is also really important for the Green Market, that we all share information, knowing each other and supporting >>

That’s incredible. It’s so great what you built up there. It’s a real community, actually. I know how important it is to support each other and just be open and learn from each other, instead if doing this elbow pushing thing, that just doesn’t work anymore. It’s not what the future looks like. It’s inspiring each other.

So, not only that the businesses can work together, there’s all those opportunities. Like you just expose them to this huge audience that comes by the market… How many visitors do you usually get?

S: I think, usually we always have around 3,000 a day. And then, back in the days, when we had a bigger location at Neue Heimat, I think it was around 4,500. Hopefully, it’s getting more and more

Yeah, there’s much space now!

S: And of course, these kind of people, they wanna come to a green market. And they also bring a full pocket and want to spend the money in good products. The people who sell their stuff there, it’s much easier for them than on a commercial market, where maybe only 5% are interested in eco-friendly products. That’s why the feedback and the success from each trailer is really positive and good.

Awesome. It’s just perfect to try themselves out as well. If they have some new ideas… And if someone out there has a green business and feels it goes along with your values, is there still space?

S: I think now, we still have some space. I mean, food, we’re already fully booked. But for fashion and design products and handmade gifts, we still have some space left. For us it’s important that the trailer is minimum vegetarian. It should not sell leather or even meat.

Also not, if they come to you and say “hey, we’ve got this amazing vegan sandwich” but normally they’re also selling meat - then it’s a no go, right?

S: Exactly. Because in the end they can sell it at a normal, commercial market. We want to give people an option to support the vegan scene. So they have to be minimum vegetarian.

Cool. So if someone’s listening out there and wants to apply, they can just contact you by email?

S: Yes, they can send us an email.

Perfect, I’ll put the contact into the show notes. Check it out! Alright, have there been any times or moments where you said “I can’t do this anymore”? Where you wanted to give up, a big challenge?

S: There’s always a challenge 🙂 Sometimes you think it can’t even come worse - but it can always come worse. There were a lot of points where I thought I will stop. But in the end… The good thing is that the Green Market is four times a year, every 3 months, so you have time to figure out the problem. Even last minute…

I mean last year, the winter edition, with 4 hours no electricity - that was quite hard core. I think almost all my clients and visitors wanted to kill me. But then we talk to a lot of people, we speak about the problem. I think the communication is the most important things.

<< And you need patience. Sometimes you have a lot of success, and sometimes it can go down really fast >>

So you just need to… you need to think more about your decisions instead of deciding within two hours. This is what I learned. I always take my time now and think two days about it. And if I still want it, then I choose.

And sometimes, you also need to take the risk and just do it, whatever. If you fail, it makes you stronger and you need to make mistakes. I think that a lot of new startups don’t have enough patience...

Yep, I agree! I’m so signing that, you have to stick to it, you have to stay patient, not give up straight away. Every time something goes wrong, you learn something from it and you grow so much.I think we’re always very impatient in terms of what we want to achieve in a year. But when we look back, it’s incredible what we can actually achieve. Don’t always look forward and focus on things not going fast enough. Cause actually, when you look back, you think “wow, okay this is what I’ve done”. So keep going.

And do you have a most memorable moment… What achievement are you most proud of so far? Anything that stands out and makes your heart jump?

S: The best is of course, when you get a lot of positive feedback after the Green Market. You get a lot of emails and positive feedback from the visitors and also from the trailers, like “amazing, well organized, there was a lot of personal note in..”.

<< Or even when a lot of non-vegans send me a message and say that there’s really good products out there and it all tastes amazing and looks amazing. This makes me even more happy >>

Also, a lot of my crew wasn’t vegan before. They started working with me and now almost the whole crew... Alex, our technical guy is now 100% vegan. My business coach, Danny, is vegan now with his wife… So now, after the years almost 10, 15 people of the crew are all vegan - this makes me really happy.

I imagine. Every little thing counts and every person counts. And it’s such a rewarding feeling to know that YOU made a change in the life of this person.

S: Yes. And it’s nice to be more open-minded. Like what you said in the beginning, with the activists. Sometimes, there came quite a bit of negativity because we’re not showing the market how they want it.

In the end, we see the vegan movement more for the planet, for the animals and for the health. And I think when you try to show this to people all together instead of just showing one side, you get people to be interested in going vegan much faster. Step by step, with good arguments, good docus, good books and of course, good products. Instead of saying, you have to go vegan, because of this and this.

Yeah, it just turns people off. I just know that from myself and also from friends that this whole dogmatism and preaching is not what you want. It’s really more about transmitting this positive energy…

Let’s talk just very quickly about this amazing city we’re in, Berlin. You chose it to be the home base of The Green Market… Would you say Berlin caters well for vegans, to life a vegan lifestyle?

S: Yeah, I think it’s a vegan paradise! I know, when I’m traveling with my boyfriend (he’s an artist), it’s not so easy everywhere to be vegan. Berlin is much easier, because in every corner, everyone has a vegan offer. Everyday there’s a new vegan business opening, so it’s amazing to be in Berlin.

And they’re super creative with it… What I love about a lot of vegan places is that - like the Green Market - they don’t put this huge label on themselves. They just do it and then convince us with making really delicious meals and it’s colorful and exciting. It makes people who are also not vegan go in and try, I had that a lot with friends. I just love this city for it.

S: Yes, for example, in England it’s not so easy to be vegan. There are not so many shops, organic shops. The family of my boyfriend is coming to Berlin next month and we wanna show them our favorite shops, for breakfast or for dinner. To show them how easy it is here in Berlin to be vegan.

Yeah. Even though I heard in London there’s quite a lot.

S: Yes, obviously a lot has changed in the last two years - even in Paris now. It was so difficult before… And there's really good stuff as well. Sometimes in Berlin, it’s a little too much fast food. It could be a bit more simple, healthy food here. If the next burger place opens, I always think “ah, we have already a lot”. But step by step.

I think that too. I guess, for health food places like Daluma or The Bowl, there is kind of a price sensitivity. Because, obviously healthy products often cost a bit more… But man, it’s our body.

S: But I think there’s a big demand. So maybe soon, I will open my own vegan coffee place! I still wait for the building confirmation to found my own place in Friedrichshain. I can’t say where yet, but I’m just waiting for the confirmation and then - hopefully - in August or September, I will open my own small little vegan coffee place.

Wohoooo. I’m definitely gonna follow up on that. That’s exciting! So basically, for you Berlin was the perfect city for you to start the Green Market… you’re also from Berlin, right? You’re a real Berliner.

S: Yes, I was born here in Berlin…

What makes you most proud on it?

S: When I travel, I miss Berlin, because it’s so flexible here. As a freelancer or when you work sometimes super long, I always get fresh food. The shops are always open until sometimes 3am. I can choose if I wanna go to a gallery, an exhibition, or a rock concert, go out dancing with some friends… It’s just… You can ride your bike into the green sides of Berlin - it’s just everything together.

And it’s all not so expensive here. You can go out with 10 euros and still have fun. I meet my friends sometimes for a wine here in Friedrichshain and we sit there together for 2 or 3 hours, have nice talks and just spend like 5 euros.

And with the Green Market, would you go somewhere else with it now that it’s established here? Or do you want to keep it here in Berlin?

S: Mmmh, I was almost thinking, sometimes when I was traveling, maybe Paris or Ibiza or London… I will see. At the moment, I’m doing this alone, so it means you need a bigger team. And to find always the right people to work for you is not so easy. But I think if we have the right crew and maybe also a partner, who’s investing or so... I could imagine in two years, maybe we do once a year a market somewhere else.

I think it would be great! I think it’d be amazing to connect the green scenes, maybe in the capital cities…

S: Always when I make connections or meeting some nice people, they’re all open for this.

I imagine! Let me know 😉 

Alright, now we’re moving towards the final bit. Let’s talk a bit about your dreams and hopes and plans. There’s a few things I'd still like to ask you. First of it being: What was your biggest learning, your biggest aha-moment so far?

S: Of course, never give up. Believe in yourself.

<< Even when other people around you say “you can’t make it”. There’s always a way to make it. I’m a believer! >>

And even if it doesn’t go as fast as you want: you need patience. After ups and downs there’s also a lot of positive things…

Great messages. I totally sign all of them. Next question: If you could change one thing in Berlin within the next 24 hours - what would it be?

S: Next 24hours, to change… Yeah, of course, less fast food bistros because we have too many in Berlin. We need more health & raw food, or really simple healthy food in Berlin

And the rents… I hope the rents don’t go up again, because my rent is already quite high. It would be much better if, for the startup people - like the first three years maybe - it would be a bit easier and cheaper to do the business. The costs that you have are sometimes quite high. That’s why a lot of people are stopping. And I think if, for the first three years, you had a bit lower tax costs, or costs in general, it would be much better for startups.

That’s true. Especially for creatives, if you wanna start out… I mean, this is what made it over the years so attractive for the creative and artists scene, the rents were low. But now, the bar is a bit higher… Who knows, maybe one day there’s gonna be a fund who does this for the first three years.

Now, what question should I have asked you but didn’t 🙂 ?

S: Well, I’m super interested in urban gardening and I bought a lot of books.

<< I wanna find a free space on a roof in the middle of Berlin and start my own project with urban gardening. >>

I’ve been thinking about this for two years. I just need to find a space and a little bit more experience… Like what plant grows good in half shadow, what grows good in the sun… This would be really amazing to find out…

….and grow your own food! Wow, I love that! Alright, last question: If there was one thing you could pass on to the GreenMe Berlin community/ people out there - what would it be?

S: If you have the feeling it takes too long to make research and reading the backside of your products: take your time! You will see, after a while you have much more of an eco-understanding.

<< And it’s good to know what is inside of my product, what am I wearing, what lipstick am I using… You’re getting much more positive in life and you enjoy your life more >>

Definitely! And of course, come to The Green Market Berlin - it’s gonna happen on the 24th and 25th June, right?

Awesome! Steffi, thank you so much for sharing all these insights and what’s on your heart. You’re such an energetic person, thank you so much for dedicating yourself to push the Green Scene forward. I think you really encourage and inspire a lot of people by giving them a chance to try new things, but also giving green brands a chance to be seen. You really prove that there is a way to live greener, without having to hold back on joy and fun and taste.

I deeply acknowledge you for what you do for Berlin - the city is getting so much back from everything you do with the green market.And I’m hoping that lots and lots of people out there are coming round to the Reinbeckhallen, right by the Spree in a month’s time to check out and celebrate the Green Market with you. Wishing you all the best & keep up the energy!

S: Thank you!