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How to set up an ordering community in two steps
15 August 2024

Let’s get started! You are just two clicks away from creating a community.

Start a TEIKEI community: Discover on our Mapwhether there is already a TEIKEI community in your area. If not, take the opportunity and start your own!
 
After registration you will receive a confirmation email with all important information. 

 

 

Share your community: Once your community is activated, you can share the link to your new community in your network and invite others to order sustainable products together.

Become part of the TEIKEI movement!

Actively create a

sustainable,

fair

and independent

Food supply

for your region.

Advantages of an ordering group

Additional income for organizers
As the organizer of an ordering group, you benefit from a commission on all goods ordered via the pickup location. This offers you an attractive opportunity to generate additional income.

Efficiency and cost control
By participating in an ordering community, you can significantly reduce the costs of the "final delivery leg" - the section where the products can be made available directly on site or conveniently picked up in the neighborhood. While supermarkets often keep 50% of the final price as a margin, these costs can be reduced to just 10% in a TEIKEI ordering community. This means that a large part of the savings are invested directly in the quality and sustainability of the products.

Promoting quality and transparency
As an organizer, you make an important contribution to improving transparency in the supply chain. Anonymity is replaced by direct contact, which leads to improved product quality and supports a system based on transparency and social justice.

In addition, the farmers receive fair compensation for their hard work. At TEIKEI, 50% to 70% of the final price goes directly to the farm, which allows the producers to be fairly compensated. The members of your ordering community benefit from high-quality food at fair prices, while ensuring that everyone involved in the supply chain is paid fairly.

By reducing the costs of the “final delivery route”, a sustainable system is created that not only significantly increases the quality of the food, but also promotes social justice. This creates stable and fair structures in the long term that benefit everyone involved.

Requirements for establishing an ordering group

In order to set up a TEIKEI ordering community, we would like to point out a few important points to ensure that everything runs smoothly:

Truck delivery: The delivery is made with a small truck that can easily drive into towns and to almost any address. It is only important that the ground is solid so that the delivery can be safely maneuvered with a pallet truck.

Delivery address: A reliable delivery address is of course necessary. You can decide for yourself whether this corresponds to the community address or whether you prefer a different one. When the goods are delivered, someone must be on site to receive them.

Storage: The products must be stored safely until the collection days. A dry room that is protected from frost and heat is ideal so that everything stays fresh and of the best quality.

Fruit boxes: If you choose fruit crates (minimum order 72 crates), please remember that the pallet is quite large (1.2 mx 0.8 mx 1.8 m) and weighs around 600 kg. Make sure there is enough space for setting down and storing.

How to set up an ordering community step by step

It's not difficult to set up an ordering community. Here we'll explain how to do it in six easy steps. Imagine you're setting up a community where everyone can order food directly from the farm - fresh, healthy and fairly produced.

1. Visit the community page

Go to the home page of the shop and look for the item “Communities”. There you will find a map showing all existing communities. If you cannot find a suitable community near you, you can start one yourself.

2. Fill out the incorporation form

Below the map there is a link that takes you to the Form of establishment There you enter the name of your community, your email address, and pickup days and times. This is important so that everyone knows when they can pick up their order.

3. Restrict access (optional)

If your community already has enough members, or you only want to give access to certain people, you can restrict access (even retrospectively). Only people with a special code or existing members can then order. This way you can keep track of everything.

5. Establish a community

Click on “Create a community”. You will then receive an email that we have received your request. As soon as your community has been activated, it will appear on the Map on the TEIKEI marketplace.

4. Enter personal data

Enter your personal details. If you want the delivery to be made to a different address, you can also enter this. This is useful if you want the pickup to take place at a specific location.

6. Manage admin area

In the admin area you can select the products that should be ordered through your community. By default, all products are selected. You can also adjust the pickup times and days. Standard times are Thursday and Friday from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can also decide whether the pickup is supervised or unsupervised. Click here to log in to the ordering community’s admin area.

We recommend using an assisted pickup service to start with. You can even set up an access code for 24/7 access (e.g. for a padlocked garage) so that all community members can pick up their belongings at any time.

Energy exchange and appreciation for organizers

As an organizer, you play a central role in the ordering community and make a significant contribution to the success of the entire system. We would like to thank you for your commitment and dedication - not just with words, but also with a proportional commission. This commission is credited directly to your account and can be reinvested in products from the TEIKEI shop.

In addition to financial appreciation, TEIKEI offers you the opportunity to take part in exclusive networking events. We regularly organize meetings with our producers, where you can experience first-hand how the products are made. These events take place not only in your region, but also at our partners' in Greece. In addition, as an organizer, you will be invited to special celebrations where you can exchange ideas with other organizers and celebrate the community.

Through your commitment, you not only strengthen the local supply structure, but also promote sustainable farming methods and help reduce dependence on large retail chains. Your commitment makes the TEIKEI network more resilient to external influences and contributes to the stability and security of the regional food supply. Together we are creating a sustainable alternative to conventional structures.

Simplicity of organization

Organizing your ordering community should be as straightforward as possible for you. TEIKEI takes on many organizational tasks for you: Orders are collected and payments are processed automatically via the marketplace. Your main task is to ensure that the goods are stored safely after delivery and are ready for collection. Our platform also offers you simplified communication tools so that the exchange with the members of your community runs smoothly.

Transparency and fair communication

At TEIKEI, we place great value on transparency. We therefore want to show you clearly how the commissions are calculated and used. You should always be able to understand how your commitment is rewarded and what contribution you are making to the network. This openness is important to us in order to promote a strong relationship of trust within the community.

On the current tax situation in Germany: This type of commission is considered tax-free income up to an amount of 256 euros per year. This is enshrined in Section 22 No. 3 of the Income Tax Act (EStG), and you can read the exact wording in the EStG.

In addition, you are entitled to two possible remunerations when carrying out voluntary activities:

The Instructor fee (up to 3,000 € / year)

The Voluntary work allowance (up to 840 € / year)

You can download our templates as a letter to the tax office to register your voluntary work accordingly, if this is relevant to you:

Delivery and collection process

The groceries will be delivered by Wednesday afternoon so that the members of your ordering group can pick them up the next day, i.e. Thursday. The driver will contact you before the delivery.

Please note that TEIKEI cannot guarantee delivery before Wednesday evening, so we do not recommend picking up on Wednesday. This way you can be sure that the products arrive fresh and in the best quality to your members.

An exciting outlook for the future

With your support and the growing number of TEIKEI ordering groups, we are creating the basis for a strong, regional network that opens up logistics for local products. We don't just want to transport olive oil and tropical fruits from Greece, we also want to bring products from regional organic farms directly to people. Together, we can build a sustainable, regional food supply that can meet the challenges of today.

In the long term, we plan to expand the TEIKEI network across Europe. With every new community you help build, we come closer to this goal and promote regenerative agriculture in Europe. Together, we offer a real alternative to conventional structures.

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