The Philips Fruit Garden is an orchard in the city of Eindhoven. Twelve acres of apple, pear and prune trees are grown here. Established in 1995, the orchard is one of the first examples of urban farming in the Netherlands.
An entrepreneurial couple started the project in 1995 by renting the place from Anton Philips. Yes, the owner of the Philips company. In 2000, they purchased the land and are not done expanding as they sell more and more local produce. Through integrated crop protection with insects, the Philips Fruit Garden produces fruit by showing respect for nature and surroundings.
City and Countryside
The project was initiated to stimulate the relationship between the city and the countryside and is a very good and inspirational example of how it can be done. The key success factors are the grower himself and his wife as well as all the people who have supported him on a long term basis.
The Motivation
The entrepreneurs invested in this business because social needs and consumer habits were changing. Helped along by city planning, the owners felt that the timing was right for strengthening the relationship between producers and consumers. Thus, the Philips Fruit Garden is mainly a social innovation which allows citizens to bond with the farmers and experience the way their food is produced.
As a consequence, people come to see the garden where they can pick their own fruit, have a pancake and visit the store with locally produced foods. Local businesses use it as a meeting place and crossovers are realised this way as well.
Venture Capitalists
Other important success factors are the venture capitalists that have assisted the project and the process financially. Especially LIB (an Innovation Broker) had a big share in making it all possible. Another venture capitalist, Agro&Co, has also helped as well as the municipality of Eindhoven. Regrettably, most other venture capitalists wanted a return on their investment that was not realistic for social innovation processes like this one. LIB has now assisted the Philips Fruit Garden for over 20 years.
Participators In the Project
Together with 8 other businesses, the Philips Fruit Garden is part of the PURE Hubs programme (Pioneers in Urban Rural Entrepreneurship) with pilot hubs in four countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands. Three knowledge institutes are affiliated with the PURE Hubs concept: Wageningen University and Research Centre, Liverpool University and HAS Den Bosch. They have assisted in the dialogue with stakeholders and in creating a timeline for investment.
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