birds & bees

What birds & bees does

birds & bees is a German B2B social-enterprise project that designs and manufactures sustainable wooden promotional merchandise — primarily bird nesting boxes, wild bee hotels, and (in development) insect hotels — for corporate gifting, ESG/CSR communications, and sustainability campaigns. The company was launched on 2 July 2019 in Bruchsal, Baden-Württemberg, as a cooperation between Lebenshilfe Bruchsal-Bretten e.V. (a nonprofit operating sheltered workshops that employ over 890 adults with disabilities across six locations) and ct3-kommunikation GmbH, which handles product development, marketing, and customer relations. Products are hand-assembled from locally sourced Douglas fir and beech wood using screws only — no glue, paint, or chemical treatments — and customized with customer logos via laser engraving directly on wood or on separate acrylic/aluminum plates.

All production occurs inside Lebenshilfe's DIN ISO 9001:2015-certified workshops, which qualifies buyers under German Social Code SGB IX to offset up to 50% of the invoice against their statutory disability employment levy (Ausgleichsabgabe) and to benefit from a reduced 7% VAT rate. The commercial motion is inquiry-based: there is no e-commerce storefront, all orders route through [email protected], and pricing is fixed per unit (€9.50 small bee hotel, €12.50 large bee hotel, €27.00 bird nesting box) without volume discounts.

The customer base comprises German mid-sized and enterprise B2B buyers with CSR mandates — including Edeka Südwest, SEW-Eurodrive, Volksbank Darmstadt, KSK Immobilien, Hornbach, EnBW, and municipal bodies such as MWSP Mannheim and Klimaschutzagentur Mannheim — together with housing associations that use the products as tenant housewarming gifts. Distribution is domestic (Germany, with a Baden-Württemberg concentration), there are no disclosed funding rounds or external investors, revenue is not publicly reported, and the model explicitly operates on a near cost-price basis consistent with its nonprofit social mission.

Name

birds & bees

Legal name

Birds & Bees

Website

https://birds-bees.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

birds & bees is a German B2B social-enterprise project that manufactures sustainable wooden bird nesting boxes and bee hotels, custom laser-engraved with client logos for use as corporate gifts and CSR merchandise, produced by people with disabilities at Lebenshilfe Bruchsal's DIN ISO 9001:2015-certified workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Promotional Merchandise

akta.pro primary industry

Beekeeping Equipment Manufacturing & Supply (Hives, Frames, Tools, PPE) (AFAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Sustainable promotional products
• Wooden bird nest boxes
• Wild bee hotels
• Branded corporate gifts
• Social enterprise merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Bruchsal

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Branded Nesting Boxes and Hotels: One-time sale of bird nesting boxes, wild bee hotels, and insect hotels customized with customer logos via laser engraving. Sold as sustainable corporate gifts, promotional items, and merchandise. Prices are fixed (no volume discounts); customers can reduce effective cost by offsetting against disability compensation payments (Ausgleichsabgaben). Revenue is one-time per order with no recurring component.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Birds & Bees manufactures and sells handcrafted wooden bird nesting boxes, wild bee hotels, and insect hotels as sustainable branded promotional merchandise for B2B customers. Each product is custom-branded with the client's logo via laser engraving on wood or on weather-resistant acrylic/aluminum plates. Products are made in Germany from local Douglas fir and beech wood, assembled without glue or chemical treatments, and manufactured by people with disabilities at the certified Lebenshilfe Bruchsal workshops.

Product overview

birds & bees is a B2B company offering sustainable wooden promotional products (Werbemittel/giveaways) for corporate marketing purposes. The core product portfolio consists of three main product lines: Vogelnistkasten (bird nesting boxes made from Douglasie wood), Bienenhotels (wild bee hotels available in small and large sizes, made from Buchenholz/beech wood), and Insektenhotels (insect hotels - currently under development). All products are custom-branded with client logos via laser engraving either directly onto wood surfaces or onto separate acrylic/aluminum plates. Products are manufactured by people with disabilities at Lebenshilfe Bruchsal workshop in Germany, combining social and ecological value. The product range also includes related branding services and customization options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vogelnistkasten (Bird Nesting Box) Handcrafted wooden bird nesting box made from Douglas fir (Douglasie) wood, assembled without glue or chemicals using screws only. Designed for easy opening and cleaning for hygiene and bird welfare. Standard price: €27.00 (plus 7% VAT and shipping); effective price after Ausgleichsabgabe offset: €18.75. Available for B2B customers as a branded corporate gift or promotional item with custom laser-engraved logo.
• Bienenhotel klein (Small Bee Hotel) Small wild bee hotel made from beech wood (Buchenholz) with laser-engravable surfaces. Standard price: €9.50 (plus 7% VAT and shipping); effective price after Ausgleichsabgabe offset: €7.53. Engraving area: 80 x 25 mm with 5-10 mm protection space required around logo. Sold as a branded sustainable promotional item for B2B customers.
• Bienenhotel gross (Large Bee Hotel) Large wild bee hotel made from beech wood (Buchenholz) with larger laser-engravable surfaces. Standard price: €12.50 (plus 7% VAT and shipping); effective price after Ausgleichsabgabe offset: €9.52. Engraving area: 110 x 40 mm with 5-10 mm protection space required around logo. Sold as a branded sustainable promotional item for B2B customers.
• Insektenhotel (Insect Hotel) Insect hotel providing nesting and overwintering shelter for insects. Sold as a branded sustainable promotional item for B2B customers. Development is currently paused as the company researches proper specifications to avoid harmful fillings and ensure ecological effectiveness; wild bee hotels in two sizes continue to be offered.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies can reduce effective product cost by up to 50% via offsetting the disability employment levy (Ausgleichsabgabe) under SGB IX.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Lebenshilfe Bruchsal-Bretten e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2019Lebenshilfe Bruchsal-Bretten e.V. is the primary operational partner. Their sheltered workshops manufacture Birds & Bees products using wood from people with disabilities. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1963, provides employment to over 890 adults with disabilities across 6 workshop locations in Bruchsal, Bretten, and Graben-Neudorf. The partnership provides manufacturing capacity, workforce, and the legal structure enabling customers to offset disability employment levies. Birds & Bees is a project of the woodworking department.
• ct3-kommunikation GmbH (Christian Tschürtz)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2019ct3-kommunikation GmbH (represented by Christian Tschürtz) serves as the external-facing partner for Birds & Bees. Responsibilities include product development, marketing and advertising, business development/acquisition, customer relations, order coordination, and external representation. This is the same partnership that successfully operated the COMEBAGS project since 2012.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stiftung für Mensch und Umwelt (wildbieneundpartner.de): German foundation dedicated to wild bee conservation that sells wild bee hotels, nesting aids, and seed mixes. Direct competitor in the wild bee hotel product category that Birds & Bees serves through its B2B channel, with comparable sustainability narrative.
• Lebenshilfe (Bundesvereinigung): National German Lebenshilfe organization coordinating sheltered workshops across Germany that produce a wide range of products including promotional merchandise. Direct peer in the social-enterprise sheltered-workshop manufacturing model that defines Birds & Bees' cost structure and CSR positioning.
• COMEBAGS: Predecessor social-enterprise promotional merchandise project by the same partnership (Lebenshilfe Bruchsal + ct3-kommunikation). Operated since 2012 with sustainable bags, demonstrating the durable model that Birds & Bees was built upon and serving the same B2B sustainable-gifting buyer base.

Regional players

• CJ Wildlife: UK-based wildlife product supplier offering bird feeders, nesting boxes, and wildlife habitats. Comparable in the wildlife conservation product category, but primarily serves the UK market rather than the German B2B gifting segment where Birds & Bees competes.

Emerging players

• Avocado Store: German sustainable B2B gift and merchandise company offering eco-friendly corporate gifts, packaging, and office supplies. Comparable in the sustainable B2B promotional merchandise space where Birds & Bees also competes for CSR-driven buyers.
• Memo AG: German sustainable products company offering eco-friendly office supplies, gift items, and household goods. Comparable for sustainable B2B product offerings serving CSR-conscious corporate buyers across Germany.

Others

• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Germany's largest nature conservation association running biodiversity programs and sourcing wildlife products. Functions more as a partner/customer ecosystem participant than a direct competitor, with potential to refer sustainability-conscious buyers to Birds & Bees' products.

Broad incumbents

• Vivara: Major European retailer of wildlife conservation products including bird nesting boxes, bee hotels, bat boxes, and hedgehog houses. Comparable product line in wildlife conservation goods, though broader catalog and not specialized in B2B promotional gifting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BWerbemittel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOFzVR6QA3-iC6pSf-Uotcg
• Facebookfacebook.com/birdsbees.de
• Pinterestpinterest.com/birdsbeesde
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birds-bees

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 birds & bees