It started in 2019 with six people and a simple idea: order good food together and stop carrying it home. Out of that grew the Vorratskammer, a small supermarket of our own on the ground floor of Köpenicker Straße 172, with around 1,500 organic products.
The range is worth seeing: dry goods, dairy and frozen food, fresh fruit and vegetables, drinks with a deposit system. Everything the heart desires, or at least the essentials, without leaving the Forum. During the coronavirus pandemic it became clear what that is worth: a reliable supply, right in the house.
How it works
The Vorratskammer is organised as a company of its own, with the Förderverein as a co-partner. Members pay a contribution, for individuals or families, and receive a token for access. Payment is by card, on trust. Two people on small contracts organise the operation, the rest is done by everyone’s commitment and attention: putting away deliveries, checking quality, bringing in ideas. Deliveries come once a week, and a newsletter of its own reports on deliveries and offers.
The Vorratskammer is more than a shop. It is a social meeting point, neighbourhood economy in practice and a model that is now being copied elsewhere, as far as structurally weak regions where similar members‘ shops are being founded.
Joining in
Unlike with housing, here it is explicit: the Vorratskammer welcomes new members, including from the neighbourhood. Many neighbours from outside the Forum have long been part of it. If you want to have a look, become a member or subscribe to the newsletter, write to vorratskammer@forumkreuzberg.de or simply drop in when the door is open.
Founded2019 by six members
Rangearound 1,500 organic products, including fresh, frozen and drinks
PlaceKöpenicker Str. 172, ground floor
OrganisationVorratskammer UG, two part-time staff, a great deal of voluntary work
Accessmembership fee (individual/family), token, card payment on trust
Contactvorratskammer@forumkreuzberg.de