Veg and the City

What Veg and the City does

Veg and the City is a Swiss specialty retailer and e-commerce business focused on urban gardening, operated by changesolutions GmbH (registered in Feusisberg, canton Schwyz). Founded around 2014 and led by Managing Director Gudrun Ongania, the company serves city dwellers who want to grow plants, vegetables, and herbs in limited urban spaces such as balconies, terraces, and apartments. The core offering is a curated catalog of organic seedlings, seeds, soil and fertilizers, irrigation, plant care, tools, and plant containers, alongside indoor plants, seasonal hand-bound flower bouquets, dried flowers, and a Blumenabo flower subscription. The business distributes through two physical retail stores in Zürich Europaallee and Winterthur, a domestic e-commerce storefront at vegandthecity.ch delivering across Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and a warehouse/returns site in Wangen-Brüttisellen.

Revenue is generated through a mix of one-time product sales (CHF 40-100 bouquets, low double-digit CHF gardening SKUs), paid workshops and courses (urban gardening, herbs, biodiversity, Kokedama, flower arranging) with minimum participant thresholds, professional services including foodscaping (edible urban landscape design for restaurants, hotels, offices, and public institutions such as SBB), and event floristry (weddings, corporate events, apéros). B2B contracts with SBB (station greening), Food Zurich (#foodzurichstadtgarten), Grün Stadt Zürich, and ProSpecieRara (heritage seed partnership) anchor the corporate side. The GTM motion is hybrid DTC: physical retail + e-commerce + content marketing (extensive German-language garden blog, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn) + workshops and events that double as customer acquisition. The company has no external institutional investment, no AI/ML technology layer, and no proprietary tech platform; its competitive position is built on domain specialization, content, and a multi-channel footprint in a small geographic market.

Name

Veg and the City

Legal name

VEG and the City by changesolutions GmbH

Website

https://vegandthecity.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Veg and the City is a Swiss specialty retailer and e-commerce operator serving urban gardeners in cities and apartments. It sells organic seedlings, seeds, tools, plants, and flowers through two stores in Zürich and Winterthur and a DTC online shop, complemented by workshops, foodscaping, and event floristry services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Gardening Retail

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Container Gardening Design, Planting & Maintenance (HSAIAFAN), Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)

Keywords

• Urban gardening supplies
• Organic seedlings retail
• Floral arrangement services
• Edible landscape design
• Gardening workshops courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Online and retail sales of urban gardening products including plant containers, seeds, seedlings (bio/organic), soil, fertilizers, tools, flowers, and indoor plants.
2. Courses and Workshops: Educational offerings including Urban Gardening basics, herb courses, biodiversity courses, mushroom courses, flower arrangement, dried flower workshops, Kokedama, and plant knowledge courses. Minimum 3-5 participants per course.
3. Event Floristry and Decoration: Custom floral arrangements for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and apéros. Includes wedding decorations and event decoration services.
4. Foodscaping Services: Professional planning and planting of edible urban spaces including private balconies, restaurant terraces, public spaces, and office environments.
5. Flower Subscription (Blumenabo): Regular delivery of fresh, seasonal flowers on subscription basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VEG and the City sells urban gardening products — including organic seedlings, seeds, soil, fertilizers, plant containers, tools, flowers, and indoor plants — through two physical stores in Zürich and Winterthur and an online shop. Beyond retail, the company offers educational workshops and courses on urban gardening, flower arrangement, and indoor plant care, as well as professional services including foodscaping (edible landscape design for residential, hospitality, and public spaces) and event floristry for weddings and corporate events.

Product overview

VEG and the City is a Swiss urban gardening company operating as both an e-commerce platform and physical retail chain. The core offering centers on balcony and urban gardening products including organic seedlings (Bio-Setzlinge), seeds (Saatgut), plant cultivation supplies (Anzucht), soil and fertilizers (Erde & Dünger), irrigation systems (Bewässerung), plant care and pest control (Pflegen & Schützen), and tools. Additional product lines include plant containers (Pflanzgefässe) for indoor/outdoor use and indoor plants (Zimmerpflanzen) with brands like Quatilli and Kokedama. The flowers division offers seasonal hand-bound bouquets (Blumensträusse), flower subscriptions (Blumenabo), and dried flowers (Trockenblumen). Services complement the product business with educational workshops (Kurse) covering Urban Gardening, flower arrangement, and indoor plant care; team events (Teamevents); Foodscaping (edible landscape planning); and event floristry including weddings (Hochzeit) and event decoration (Eventdekoration). The company operates two physical stores in Zurich and Winterthur alongside the online shop, with a focus on sustainability, seasonality, and locality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• biosetzlinge.ch: Organic seedlings brand operated by VEG and the City/changesolutions GmbH

Products and services

• Urban Gardening Products (Balkongarten) Comprehensive range of urban balcony gardening products including bio seedlings, seeds, planting supplies, soil, fertilizer, irrigation systems, care and protection products, tools, sprouts, decoration, and gift ideas for urban gardeners.
• Plant Containers (Pflanzgefässe) Plant containers and vessels for indoor and outdoor use, including pots, baskets, plant troughs, plant stands, macrame hangers, plant bags, balcony boxes, raised beds, and bed frames.
• Indoor Plants (Zimmerpflanzen) Indoor plants and houseplants including various plant species, the Quatilli brand, Kokedama (moss ball plants), plant care products, fertilizers, watering solutions, pest control, beneficial insects, and grow lights.
• Seasonal Flower Bouquets (Blumensträusse) Seasonal, hand-bound flower bouquets made from local, regional flowers. Available in various sizes (CHF 40-100) and can be picked up in stores or delivered.
• Dried Flowers (Trockenblumen) Dried flower arrangements that last months, resist summer heat, require no water, and add natural warmth to any home.
• Flower Subscription (Blumenabo) Subscription service delivering fresh, seasonal flowers at regular intervals for special occasions or personal enjoyment.
• Workshops and Courses (Kurse) Educational workshops covering Urban Gardening (basic course, herb course, biodiversity course, mushroom course), Flowers (bouquet binding, dried flowers, Advent wreaths), and Indoor Plants (plant knowledge, Kokedama design). Minimum 3 participants for regular courses, 1 for workshops.
• Team Events (Teamevents) Team events and corporate workshops for creative experiences, particularly flower arrangement and urban gardening activities.
• Foodscaping Edible landscape planning service that designs and plants urban oases from small private balconies to large spaces for museums, restaurants, or train stations. Includes biodiversity-promoting plantings for SBB railway stations.
• Event Decoration (Eventdekoration) Floral event decoration services for weddings, birthday parties, corporate events, and apéritifs. From initial idea to final blossom, creating arrangements that complement and enhance events.
• Wedding Floristry (Hochzeit) Wedding floristry services including bridal bouquets, ceremony decorations, and personalized floral designs that complement wedding dresses and venue styles.

Named customers6 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

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ProSpecieRaracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2015Partnership for the annual 'Stadt-Tomaten' (City Tomatoes) action, promoting seed diversity and independence in the seed sector. VEG and the City serves as a distribution point for ProSpecieRara seeds and seedlings, supporting rare and heritage plant varieties in urban gardens.
• Food ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the #foodzurichstadtgarten project in Europaallee, transforming the area into a sustainable urban garden from May to September annually. VEG and the City provides planting expertise and ongoing plant care for the public space garden.
• Grün Stadt ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for various urban greening initiatives in Zürich, including the Stadt-Tomaten Fest and public space planting projects.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Sill: US-based indoor plant specialist retailer combining e-commerce, physical stores, and educational content. Comparable to Veg and the City's indoor plants (Zimmerpflanzen) and content-driven approach, though focused on the US market.
• Bakker: Established Dutch-origin plant and gardening retailer selling bulbs, plants, seeds, and gardening products online across Europe. Comparable to Veg and the City's core product e-commerce offering, with similar focus on horticultural expertise and recurring catalogues.
• Bellaflora: Austrian garden center chain combining physical stores, e-commerce, and a broad assortment of plants, garden products, and flowers. Most comparable peer on store-plus-online garden retail model, operating in a neighboring DACH market.
• Léon & George: Online indoor plant retailer offering curated houseplants, planters, and plant care subscriptions. Comparable to Veg and the City's indoor plant line and recurring-revenue model, though US-focused.
• Bloomon: Dutch online flower subscription company offering recurring seasonal bouquet deliveries across Europe. Closely matches Veg and the City's Blumenabo subscription model and seasonal, locality-focused floral positioning, though Bloomon operates at much larger scale and pan-European footprint.

Others

• Interflora: International flower delivery network and florist marketplace, including Swiss operations. Comparable to Veg and the City's event floristry and flower delivery services as an enabling/ecosystem participant in the same floral category rather than a direct retail competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Bloom & Wild: UK-founded, pan-European online flower delivery company specializing in letterbox flowers, gifts, and recurring subscriptions. Overlaps with Veg and the City's Blumenabo subscription and event floristry, but at significantly larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Pflanzen-Kölle: Large German family-run garden center chain with multiple physical locations, online shop, and broad assortment spanning plants, garden supplies, and home décor. Larger and broader assortment than Veg and the City, but operating in a comparable specialty garden retail category.
• Migros Do it + Garden: Swiss DIY and garden retail chain operated under the Migros umbrella, offering plants, garden supplies, tools, and seasonal assortments across many physical locations. Major domestic incumbent that Veg and the City competes against for urban gardening customers.
• Coop Bau + Hobby: Swiss home improvement and garden retail chain operated by Coop, selling plants, flowers, and gardening products across a national store network. Comparable Swiss incumbent competitor in the same physical and online garden retail category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@VEGandtheCity
• Facebookfacebook.com/VegandtheCity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/veg-and-the-city
• Instagraminstagram.com/vegandthecity.ch
• Xx.com/Veg_andtheCity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Veg and the City