Photo: C. Fischer

The anthroposophically oriented community of Höhenberg in Velden in Lower Bavaria (Landshut district) is a place where people with and without disabilities live and work together. The institution founded at the end of the 1970s as a farm community has expanded gradually. Today, it offers around 130 residential and 160 workshop places for people with assistance needs. From the very beginning, biodynamic agriculture has been a central component: working in the field and gardens as well as caring for the farm animals are meaningful jobs and create clear structures – an ideal framework for the community’s holistic, social-therapeutic approach. Fifteen years ago, a cheese dairy was added. Here, eight employees with assistance needs work together with the workshop management and other employees to process the farm’s milk into a wide range of different Demeter products. The cheese, yoghurt and quark are sold via the farm shop, the organic market in Velden and the Höhenberg vegetable box scheme.

Increasing demand and changing production line requirements mean that the cheese dairy’s existing premises reached their limits some time ago. Following on the heels of several temporary solutions, a comprehensive renovation is now planned, which SAGST has pledged to support. “Modernising and expanding the cheese dairy will significantly improve the job quality for all those involved”, explains SAGST project manager Christian Wüst. “Moreover, this will create room for four additional jobs for people with disabilities as well as increase local value creation.”