Pilot project at Aga Organic Farm
An unusual project with great potential at Biohof Aga organic farm
When you think of kiwi berries, you usually imagine robust plants growing outdoors. Hardy, uncomplicated and perfectly suited for cultivation in Germany. A greenhouse? Not really. And that's precisely why what has been happening at Biohof Aga organic farm in Thuringia since 2022 is so exciting.
Together with Lebenshilfe Gera, a model project is underway there, which initially arose from a special situation – and is now becoming a real success story: Kiwiri kiwi berries are growing here in an unheated greenhouse. An experiment that is now bearing its first fruits – in the truest sense of the word.
A project born from change
The starting point was a challenge: due to the energy crisis, a formerly heated greenhouse at Biohof Aga had to be converted into an unheated one. The question suddenly arose: what can be meaningfully cultivated under these conditions?
The search for a suitable crop finally led to the kiwi berry. What initially sounded unusual quickly developed into a shared idea. After initial discussions, a pilot project emerged from a consideration: 64 plants, several varieties and a lot of new territory – for everyone involved. Since then, we have been following the plants' journey and visited the site again in August 2025 to see how the project has developed.
Three years later: The first proper yield
Growing fruit requires patience. Kiwi berries, in particular, need a few years to really start yielding. Now, in their third year, the plants are showing their true potential for the first time.
The Issai variety, in particular, is now bearing many fruits. Victoria also surprises with exceptionally large kiwi berries. And if you try them fresh directly from the plant, you quickly realize: fully ripe kiwi berries harvested have a taste all their own. Sweet, aromatic and significantly more intense than fruits that have traveled long distances.
Image: Kiwi berry Issai (Actinidia arguta)
Challenges under glass
As exciting as the project is, it's not easy. Kiwi berries actually belong outdoors. Under glass, completely different conditions arise. Especially in summer, heat can build up - ideal conditions for a well-known greenhouse resident: the spider mite.
A problem that plays virtually no role in classic open-field cultivation, but requires attention in the greenhouse. At Biohof Aga, they consistently rely on biological solutions. Beneficial insects help to naturally regulate pests. At the same time, the project is continuously monitored and adapted.
That's precisely what makes pilot projects valuable: you gain experience, learn, and develop solutions together.
Image: Spider mite on a kiwi berry plant in the greenhouse
Organic farming with responsibility
Biohof Aga is part of Lebenshilfe Gera. Here, people with disabilities actively participate in the farm's operations and are gradually integrated into new tasks.
Kiwi berries are now part of this too. An employee already carries out care work around the plants and gradually takes on more responsibility. The project thus not only creates regional organic products, but also opens up new opportunities for participation and qualification. And it is precisely such aspects that often make agriculture much more than just yield and harvest.
Image: Biohof Aga, Kathrin Stürmer and Richard Hamann
Four varieties, different ripening times
To ensure that the harvest can be extended as long as possible, various varieties were selected together:
- Female Kiwi berry Geneva (Actinidia arguta) with early ripening time and green flesh
- Female Kiwi berry Scarlet September (Actinidia arguta) with early ripening time and red flesh
- Female Kiwi berry Issai (Actinidia arguta) with medium ripening time and green flesh
- Female Kiwi berry Victoria (Actinidia arguta) with late ripening time and green flesh
Image: Kiwi berry Victoria (Actinidia arguta)
The combination of early, medium, and late varieties ensures that the harvest can be spread over several weeks. What's particularly exciting is that even late-ripening varieties develop significantly earlier in the greenhouse than outdoors. This is a clear advantage, as it means regional organic kiwi berries can be offered sooner.
For the selected varieties to bear fruit, we naturally also need pollinator varieties. Two different male kiwi berry varieties were planted here to make pollination even more efficient:
What's next?
The plants are now stable, growing vigorously, and becoming more productive year by year. The fourth year promises significantly larger harvests. And that was part of the plan from the beginning: not only to cultivate regional organic kiwi berries from Thuringia, but also to market them together.
For us, this project is much more than a cultivation experiment. It shows what becomes possible when openness, curiosity, and good collaboration come together. We look forward to being able to offer you the first kiwi berries from Biohof Aga in the future.
Regional. Sustainable. Organic. And with a story as special as the fruits themselves. You can already pre-order freshly harvested organic kiwi berries from Germany here: Pre-order organic kiwi berries
Enjoy the video and the look behind the scenes! 🥝
Richard Hamann and your Kiwiri team