Die Lebensgemeinschaft E.V.

What Die Lebensgemeinschaft E.V. does

Die Lebensgemeinschaft E.V., operating as Dorfgemeinschaft Münzinghof, is a German eingetragener Verein (registered association) founded in 1978 and located in Münzinghof, Velden, Bavaria. It functions as an inclusive residential and working community for approximately 150 residents, roughly half of whom live with intellectual disabilities. The organization operates under Germany's WfbM (Werkstatt für behinderte Menschen) framework and delivers long-term housing, care, and sheltered workshop participation for disabled adults alongside families, staff, and volunteers.

The community runs biodynamic agriculture certified by Demeter and operates a portfolio of production workshops including a bakery, cheese dairy, garden and nursery, agriculture, and craft workshops (metalwork, woodworking, candle-making, bag-making) plus household management. Products are distributed through three channels: an on-site farm shop, a Biokiste subscription box service, and an online shop. The site also hosts the European headquarters of the Choroi Association, which produces musical instruments for Waldorf education. The community has received sustained recognition including a Bundesverdienstkreuz in 2010, the Umweltpreis in 2014, and the Naturschutzpartner Landwirt 2025 award.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining state-funded care and workshop compensation under Eingliederungshilfe (SGB IX) via Bezirk Mittelfranken, product sales from agricultural and workshop output, and donations from supporters and foundations financing capital projects such as the current Michaelihaus new building. Pricing is not market-discretionary for the care component but follows Bavarian reimbursement tariffs; product pricing follows Demeter-organic market benchmarks with a premium positioning. Customer segments are split between the regional public authority (care purchaser), direct retail consumers (products), and a recurring donor base (capex and unrestricted support).

Name

Die Lebensgemeinschaft E.V.

Legal name

Die Lebensgemeinschaft e.V.

Website

https://muenzinghof.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Die Lebensgemeinschaft E.V. (Dorfgemeinschaft Münzinghof) is a German non-profit founded in 1978 in Bavaria, serving approximately 150 residents — half with intellectual disabilities — through biodynamic Demeter agriculture, sheltered workshops, and long-term residential care funded by state reimbursements and product sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Care Services

NAICS

Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321), Other Residential Care Facilities (623990), Continuing Care Retirement Communities (623311)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAG

Disability Services & Independent Living Support

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAGAGAI

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGALAD

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYCRAHALAE

Buying Clubs & Community Bulk Purchasing Co-ops

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Food Co-ops & Community Grocery

SECONDARYTHAJAGAK

Farm-to-Table & Agritourism Dining Experiences (Farm Visits, Harvest Meals)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Food & Drink Experiences (Culinary Tours, Tastings, Cooking Classes)

Keywords

• Inclusive community living
• Sheltered workshop services
• Biodynamic agriculture
• Residential social care
• Organic food production

Headquarters

HQ city

Velden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Agricultural & Food Products Sales: Sale of biodynamic/Demeter-certified products including vegetables, cheese, baked goods, and other food items through online shop, Biokiste (weekly organic box subscription), and direct on-site sales.
2. Handcrafted Goods: Sale of handcrafted products from various workshops including candles, woodwork, metalwork, bags, and Choroi musical instruments.
3. Residential & Care Services (WfbM): State-funded sheltered workshop and residential care services for people with disabilities, funded through Bezirk Mittelfranken and other public sources.
4. Choroi Instrument Sales: Production and sale of Choroi musical instruments (triangles, handspiele, klangröhren, Röhrenglocken) through a shared depot with 9 other Choroi workshops in Northern and Central Europe.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Die Lebensgemeinschaft e.V. operates an inclusive village community at Münzinghof providing lifelong residential living, sheltered workshop employment (WfbM), and biodynamic agriculture. Around 150 residents — roughly half with intellectual disabilities and half without — live in house communities and participate in agricultural and craft workshops producing Demeter-certified organic food, baked goods, cheese, handcrafted items, and Choroi musical instruments sold through an online shop, Biokiste subscription, on-site sales, and regional organic retailers.

Product overview

Die Lebensgemeinschaft e.V. Münzinghof is a multi-service inclusive community operating as a unified village-like organism. The core offering is residential community living (Wohnen/Lebensplätze) for approximately 150 people with and without support needs, structured around house communities and Wahlfamilien (chosen families). This is supported by an integrated system of Werkstätten für Menschen mit Assistenzbedarf (sheltered workshops) providing meaningful employment across craft and agricultural disciplines. The product portfolio spans agricultural production (biodynamic Demeter-certified farming, bakery, cheese dairy, market garden), craft workshops (wood, metal, bag, candle, household, and facility management), and retail operations (online shop, Biokiste vegetable subscription, Choroi musical instruments). Vocational training, volunteer service programs (FSJ/BFD), and a donation-funded housing expansion project (Michaelihaus) complete the offering. The organization functions as a vertically integrated social-agricultural enterprise where residential care, meaningful work, and community life are delivered as a single interconnected system rather than discrete standalone products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Biokiste: Weekly organic vegetable box subscription service delivering fresh, seasonal produce from the Münzinghof biodynamic farm.
• Choroi Instrumente

Quantifiable outcome

• Around 150 people live permanently in the inclusive community
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bezirk MittelfrankencoreOthersPublic funding body for Middle Franconia that provides ongoing financial support for residential and care services for people with disabilities at Münzinghof. Essential for operational sustainability.
• Deutscher Paritätischer WohlfahrtsverbandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Paritarian Welfare Association - umbrella organization for social welfare services. Münzinghof is a member, providing institutional support and representation.
• Bundesverband anthroposophisches Sozialwesen e.V. (anthropoi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Association for Anthroposophical Social Welfare. Provides specialized support and Fachstelle Süd (South Branch) for prevention, counseling and arbitration serving Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
• Aktion MenschminorOthersGerman charitable foundation supporting social projects. Provides funding and support for inclusive social projects at Münzinghof.
• Demeter e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiodynamic agriculture certification organization. Münzinghof operates biodynamic (Demeter-certified) agriculture, a key differentiator and quality assurance for products.
• Förderverein Münzinghof e.V.minorOthersSupport association for Münzinghof that raises additional funds and awareness for the community.
• TSV Velden 1923minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal sports club. Münzinghof residents participate in Special Olympics stocksport (Boccia variant) alongside TSV Velden members, winning multiple medals.
• Choroi AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network of 9 Choroi musical instrument workshops in Northern and Central Europe. Münzinghof produces handcrafted musical instruments (triangles, handspiele, klangröhren, Röhrenglocken) sold through shared depot.
• ebl-naturkostminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional organic/natural food retailer through which Münzinghof products may be available.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Broad incumbents

• Diakonie Deutschland: One of Germany's largest welfare umbrella organizations, operating disability services, sheltered workshops, and residential care across the country. Comparable as a WfbM operator and care funder, though primarily Protestant-affiliated rather than anthroposophical.
• Augustinum Group: Large German provider of senior living, nursing, and barrier-free housing. Comparable for Münzinghof's barrier-free senior housing and lifelong-care concept, though Georg Müller-style Protestant rather than anthroposophical.
• Caritas Deutschland: Catholic-affiliated welfare umbrella providing disability and elderly care services across Germany, including sheltered workshops and residential facilities. Comparable in WfbM/residential care delivery but not in the anthroposophical/Camphill community model.
• Lebenshilfe e.V. Germany's largest parent-led organization for people with intellectual disabilities. Operates a national network of workshops, residential homes, and early intervention services. Comparable as a WfbM operator and disability services provider, though broader and less community-intentionally integrated than Münzinghof.

Direct peers

• Camphill Communities (Germany / international): Anthroposophical inclusive village communities combining residential living, meaningful work, and care for people with and without disabilities. The most directly comparable model to Münzinghof, sharing the same Steiner/Camphill heritage and family-like house-community structure.
• Hofgut Habitzheim: Anthroposophical inclusive community in Hesse, Germany combining residential life, sheltered workshops, and biodynamic agriculture. Closely comparable in operating model, size, and Steiner welfare foundation.
• Hersteller e.V. Anthroposophical social therapy and inclusive community provider in Germany. Shares Münzinghof's combined workshop, residential, and biodynamic agriculture model within a Steiner welfare framework.

Others

• ebl-naturkost: Regional Bavarian organic food retail and wholesale distributor that already carries Münzinghof products. Comparable as a regional organic distribution channel and Demeter-aligned operator in the Nuremberg Land area.
• Demeter e.V. The certification body governing biodynamic agriculture in Germany. While not a peer operator, Demeter standards and the broader certified Demeter farm network are the most direct comparables for Münzinghof's agricultural production and product positioning.
• Waldorf/Steiner Schools (e.g., Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen): Anthroposophical educational network. Comparable as the foundational ecosystem that drives demand for Choroi instruments and aligns with Münzinghof's Steiner welfare orientation, though not a direct residential/care operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/die-lebensgemeinschaft-e.v.

Compliance6 records

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 Die Lebensgemeinschaft E.V.