What Good Life does

Good Life (legally Gut Leben gGmbH) is a non-profit social enterprise founded in 2018 and headquartered in Bannewitz, Saxony, Germany. It operates as an "anderer Leistungsanbieter" (alternative performance provider) under §219 SGB IX of the German social code, providing individualized vocational and social rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injuries (stroke, tumor, accident, violence, or psychological illness) as an alternative to conventional disability workshops.

The organization's revenue is generated through three streams: (1) Product Sales of handcrafted wooden goods (furniture, cutting boards, raised beds, hedgehog shelters), creative-workshop items, and regionally produced food products such as fruit spreads and herb salts, sold via an on-site retail shop, home delivery, and the Marktschwärmer marketplace; (2) Service Provision including garden maintenance, contract cleaning for offices and public infrastructure, office support, repairs, grave care, and pet sitting; and (3) recurring public funding tied to its status as a recognized alternative performance provider. Customers include regional businesses and municipalities (e.g., Gemeinde Bannewitz, Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden, Firma Stölzer), educational and healthcare providers, and private consumers.

Underlying operations rest on manual craftsmanship and food processing using natural materials (wood, fabric, wool, paper, paint, regional berries, herbs, and garden produce) across six work areas (Hofwerkstatt woodworking, Kreativwerkstatt creative, Lebensmittelverarbeitung food processing, Grüner Bereich garden and landscape, Hauswirtschaft household services, and Verwaltung administration/marketing). Distribution combines a single ~5,000 m² site in Bannewitz, a dedicated corporate-gifts catalog, a marketing presence on Instagram, a blog, a monthly newsletter, and earned media in regional press (Sächsische Zeitung, MDR, Bannewitzer Blick). No AI or digital-product surface is offered; the value proposition is fundamentally human, labor-intensive, and community-anchored.

Name

Good Life

Legal name

Gut Leben gGmbH

Website

https://gut-leben.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Good Life (Gut Leben gGmbH) is a German non-profit social enterprise in Bannewitz, Saxony, operating as an authorized alternative performance provider under §219 SGB IX that delivers vocational rehabilitation, handcraft products, and regional services for people with acquired brain injuries, local businesses, and private consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bannewitz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Sale of handcrafted wood products (furniture, cutting boards, garden beds, bird houses, hedgehog houses, wood angels), fruit preserves, herbal salts, and decorative items. Products are sold directly from the on-site shop, via delivery service, and through the Marktschwärmer marketplace.
2. Service Provision: Professional services including garden maintenance and landscaping, cleaning services for businesses, holiday homes and bus shelters, office work, data entry, labeling, packaging and shipping, repair and restoration work, grave care, and pet sitting during absences.
3. Alternative Performance Provider Funding: As an 'anderer Leistungsanbieter' (alternative performance provider) under German social law (§219 SGB IX), the organization receives funding for providing vocational and social training services to people with disabilities, as an alternative to conventional workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Good Life (Gut Leben gGmbH) is a non-profit social enterprise providing vocational rehabilitation and employment for people with acquired brain injuries through practical work in woodworking, food processing, gardening, creative crafts, household services, and administration. The organization sells handcrafted wooden products (furniture, raised beds, cutting boards), regional fruit spreads and herb salts, and offers contract services including garden maintenance, cleaning, and office support to regional businesses and private customers in the Dresden/Bannewitz area.

Product overview

Good Life (Gut Leben gGmbH) is a non-profit social enterprise founded in 2018 in Bannewitz, Saxony, Germany, providing vocational rehabilitation and employment for people with acquired brain injuries. Its offering is a portfolio of crafts, food products, and services produced across six operational work areas (Hofwerkstatt/woodworking, Kreativwerkstatt/creative workshop, Lebensmittelverarbeitung/food processing, Grüner Bereich/garden & landscape, Hauswirtschaft/household, and Verwaltung/administration & marketing). Products include custom wooden furniture and garden structures (raised beds, nesting aids, hedgehog houses), handcrafted gift items, fruit spreads and herb salts, plus contract cleaning and garden maintenance services. The portfolio is distributed via an on-site retail store, online ordering, and two product catalogs — a general catalog and a dedicated corporate gifts catalog (Firmenpräsente) targeting businesses for CSR purposes. The organization also publishes a blog as an editorial channel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Woodworking & Handcraft Products (Hofwerkstatt) Wooden products manufactured in the on-site workshop, including raised beds (Hochbeete), insect nesting aids (Nisthilfen), hedgehog wintering houses, small furniture, cutting boards, and custom furniture restoration and repair. Targeted at private customers, businesses, and organizations seeking handcrafted wooden items.
• Garden & Landscape Management (Grüner Bereich) Year-round garden maintenance, landscape design, tree and hedge trimming, and cultivation of approximately 5,000 m² of green space for growing produce, vegetables, and herbs used in-house and sold directly. Serves private customers, businesses, and municipalities in the Dresden/Bannewitz region.
• Creative Workshop Products (Kreativwerkstatt) Handcrafted items from fabric, wood, wool, paper, and paint, including jewelry, bags, home accessories, custom gifts, and giveaways in small and medium quantities. Also produces branded company gifts and personalized items for corporate clients.
• Food Processing – Fruchtaufstriche & Kräutersalze Fruit spreads (Fruchtaufstriche) made from regionally sourced raspberries, processed with apple pectin and raw cane sugar, available in smooth or fruit-kernel styles. Herb salts (Kräutersalze) are also produced. Products are sold in-house and through the online catalog to private customers and businesses for corporate gifts.
• Administration & Marketing Services Digital data entry, label design with hand-drawn motifs, postal and package dispatch, photography for advertising purposes, and card design for various occasions. Targeted at businesses and organizations needing administrative and creative support.
• Household & Cleaning Services (Hauswirtschaft) Contract cleaning of holiday apartments, medical practices, and small business premises; individual sewing and ironing services; and small animal care (e.g., chicken keeping) during owner absences. Targeted at private households and small businesses.
• Corporate Gift Products (Firmenpräsente Catalog) A dedicated catalog of corporate gift products including fruit spreads, herb salts, decorative items, beeswax wraps, and personalized items branded with company logos and greetings. Targets businesses for CSR and client gifting purposes.
• Vocational Rehabilitation Services (§219 SGB IX Alternative Performance Provider) Vocational and social training services for people with acquired brain damage (from stroke, tumor, accident, violence, or psychological illness) provided as an alternative to conventional workshops, delivered under §219 SGB IX. Includes individualized professional training and preparation for the primary labor market.

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• Selbsthilfegruppe integrativ-aktivcoreOthersSelf-help group for people with disabilities that promotes integration and active participation in leisure activities. Founded with support from Gut Leben, the group organizes weekly table tennis, cycling tours, and group meetings. Colin Geipel, a Gut Leben participant, serves as co-founder and stroke assistant in the SOS Care team. The partnership supports social inclusion and provides peer support for stroke survivors.
• SOS Care – Hilfe nach SchlaganfallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAftercare project at the Dresden University Hospital. Colin Geipel from Gut Leben holds an external workplace placement as a stroke assistant within the SOS Care team. This partnership provides employment for brain injury survivors and supports stroke aftercare services in the region.
• Musik-, Tanz- und Kunstschule Bannewitz e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal music and arts school that collaborated with Gut Leben to establish a choir. Provided musical entertainment at the Tag der offenen Tür event. Partnership supports cultural integration and community building.
• Luby-Service der Cultus gGmbHminorOthersCatering service that provided food for the Tag der offenen Tür event buffet. Partnership for community event support.
• Andreas Wohlfarth (Architekt)supportingOthersSelf-employed architect and member of the Freundeskreis (Friends Circle) of Gut Leben. Specializes in social buildings including facilities for people with disabilities. Provided pro bono consulting for property search and renovation planning - 25 hours of work and 250 km travel. Example of corporate volunteering and CSR partnership.
• Jugend Arbeit Bildung e.V.minorOthersNonprofit organization for which Gut Leben delivered Easter wooden products and fruit preserves. Partnership for product sales and mutual support during COVID-19 pandemic.
• Igelhilfe RadebeulminorOthersLocal hedgehog rescue organization. Gut Leben manufactures and supplies hedgehog winter shelters for the organization. Partnership supports animal welfare and environmental education.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lebenshilfe e.V. Germany's largest civil-society federation for people with intellectual disabilities, operating a nationwide network of workshops, housing, and advisory services. Comparable as a major German disability services incumbent with deep policy relationships under SGB IX.
• Caritas Deutschland: One of Germany's largest welfare confederations, providing extensive social services including workshops and vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent with similar funding mechanisms and workshop operations.
• Diakonie Deutschland: Protestant welfare confederation operating disability workshops, residential care, and vocational training across Germany. Comparable as a broad social services incumbent with analogous SGB IX-funded workshop operations.
• WfbM (Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen) Bundesverband: Federal association of conventional German workshops for disabled people, representing the traditional workshop model against which alternative providers (Andere Leistungsanbieter) like Gut Leben compete. Relevant as the incumbent ecosystem shaping funding and policy.

Direct peers

• Hephata Werkstätten gGmbH: Hephata is a Hessen-based diakonie-affiliated social enterprise operating workshops, residential care, and vocational training for people with disabilities. Comparable as a direct peer running craft and service workshops under German social law with similar craft product offerings.
• Mosaik Berlin gGmbH: Berlin-based social enterprise operating as an authorized anderer Leistungsanbieter, employing people with disabilities in craft and service workshops. Direct comparable in operating model, regulatory status under §219 SGB IX, and craft/product portfolio.
• CAB Caritas Betriebe Berlin/Brandenburg gGmbH: Caritas-affiliated social enterprise in Berlin/Brandenburg providing vocational training and sheltered/alternative employment for people with disabilities. Direct comparable operating workshops under SGB IX with multi-work-area structure.

Regional players

• Anthroposophische Sozialwerke (e.g., Remscheid Werkstätten): Network of anthroposophical/Steiner-affiliated social workshops across Germany offering craft, agricultural, and therapeutic work for people with disabilities. Comparable as alternative workshop operators with strong craft and food product offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/gut.leben
• Facebookfacebook.com/GutLebengGmbH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gutleben

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Good Life