The FoodHaus Journey begins

Looking back on our first Intensive Week

Twenty people from across the world arrived in Rheinau, Switzerland, carrying different stories, experiences, and questions around food systems. Most have never met before. What brought everyone together was a shared curiosity around food — and the feeling that food can become a starting point for deeper change.

Over the course of one week, strangers slowly became a learning community. How was that possible?

A Place to Arrive

Part of the answer lies in the place itself.

Rheinau is a small village surrounded by the river Rhine, home to the biodynamic Gut Rheinau farm, a biodynamic farming school and the wider initiatives of the FINTAN Foundation. Life moves at a different rhythm here. The days are shaped by shared meals, walks between sessions, and conversations stretching late into the evening. Removed from everyday routines and distractions, the environment invited people to slow down, arrive fully, and connect more openly.

Learning Through Shared Experience

Learning did not only happen in workshops and group sessions. It happened on a one day excursion, while weeding on the farm, cleaning dishes, or sitting around long tables exchanging stories and perspectives. Through these shared experiences, relationships began to grow naturally.

Bringing Different Worlds Together

We visited local initiatives and met inspiring changemakers who shared their experiences openly – their motivations, challenges, and learnings along the way. These encounters grounded our discussions and brought real-life perspectives into the room, sparking new ideas and reflections.

Exploring New Ways of Learning and Leading

At the same time, the week offered an opportunity to explore what this learning journey will ask of all of us, weaving together the inner and outer work necessary for change. Together, we began exploring ideas around collective leadership, systems thinking, and the importance of relationships in creating meaningful change. Again and again, the conversations returned to one insight: transformation does not only emerge from new ideas, but from the quality of how we learn, collaborate, and relate to one another.

The Beginning of a Shared Journey

As the week came to an end, something had shifted. What began as a gathering of individuals had started to feel like a community connected through shared experiences, curiosity, and care.

This Intensive Week marked the beginning of a nine-month journey together. The conversations, questions, and connections that emerged in Rheinau will continue to unfold in the months ahead.