Mostly known for its music and art scene, Berlin now also amazes and surprises us with contemporary original food spots. Visionary and talented food aficionados there rethink the way we produce and consume food, like Ema Paulin and Leandro Vergani who opened in March 2017 the first and hopefully not the last vertical-farm restaurant in Europe.
 
Located in the hip district of Mitte, Good Bank serves salads and vegetables that are grown for 28 days in the restaurant itself. Paulin and Vergani teamed up with the Berlin-based food startup Infarm which developed a concept of efficient and ventilated shelves which allow vegetables to grow in the city with LED lighting. Thanks to this innovative system, Infarm can guarantee fresh, chemical-free products to their customers while minimizing the environmental impact of the carbon footprint plus the waste.
 
It was enough to convince Good bank founders to develop a concept of farm-to table restaurant in Berlin. The shelves with the products are located behind the counter so you can look at them while ordering your food. The long bar where one can sit to enjoy his meal potentially bring people together. In front of the bar a huge mirror in which one can observe what is happening in the pink lighted shelves. No smartphone distraction needed, the nature show should be fulfilling enough.
 
Are vertical farms actually the sustainable and auto-sufficient future of urban agriculture? Good Bank founders believe so. But it might be even more. They bring the customer closer to the nature, giving us again the feeling that we belong to it and need to cherish it in order to stay alive.

Watching plants and vegetable grow also has something contemplative that resonates perfectly with the spirit of our time that praises slowness, gratitude and being present.
 
For now the restaurant only produces two kind of salads and baby kale. They are working hard on increasing their offer though, maybe even with herbs and plants that, due to meteorological reasons don’t grow in Europe such as the edible iceplant from the Sahara.
 
The future definitely belongs to dreamers and doers.
 
Chloé Stückelschweiger
 
good-bank.de
 
Chloé is a trend forecaster, brand consultant and editor.She was born and raised in Paris with Austrian blood. in 2014 She founded Granulate in Berlin, a global trend office which aims to explore & identify upcoming dynamics that contribute in creating tomorrow’s world. On a more personal level, her heart definitely beats for yoga, French literature, spicy food, Europe and the bright colors of her new hometown since 2016, Lisbon.

www.burogranulate.net