3 - Endorsed
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PHOOD operates a closed-loop aquaponics system that uses 90% less water than conventional farming, with koi carp providing natural fertilisation for crops grown directly in the restaurant's basement. Oyster mushrooms are cultivated on spent coffee grounds collected from local businesses, turning waste into a menu ingredient.
Phood Farm is a registered social enterprise at Social Enterprise NL, serving approximately 20 individuals with barriers to employment through structured day care and basic daytime activities. The programme operates in formal partnership with Futuris Zorg & Werk and receives funding from Rabobank Foundation, Stichting Doen, Institut GAK, Anton Jurgens Fonds, and the Municipality of Eindhoven. The EU Interreg IMAGINE project has documented Phood Farm as a model for inclusive urban agriculture.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
The 200-square-metre on-site aquaponics farm and 1.5-hectare permaculture garden supply 80–100 kg of vegetables and herbs plus 20 kg of mushrooms weekly, with oyster mushrooms grown on locally sourced spent coffee grounds.
PHOOD Kitchen grows a meaningful share of its ingredients on site through its 200-square-metre aquaponics facility (leafy greens, herbs, microgreens, mushrooms) and a 1.5-hectare permaculture farm at Rielsedijk 71 in Eindhoven. Weekly production volumes of 80 to 100 kg of vegetables and herbs plus 20 kg of mushrooms are independently confirmed by Nieuwe Oogst and Interreg documentation.
Oyster mushrooms are grown on spent coffee grounds sourced from local businesses in Eindhoven. The aquaponics system consultant Jos Hakkennes (Duurzame Kost Foundation) is a named and verifiable partner. For externally sourced ingredients, particularly the chicken used in broth preparations, no named supplier or origin information is published.
The menu is described as ever-changing and driven by the daily aquaponic harvest.
The restaurant describes its menu as 'ever-changing' and 'flowing with the daily harvest.' The primary growing system is a controlled-environment aquaponics facility that produces the same crops year-round on fixed cycles (lettuce 6–7 weeks, microgreens 9–11 days). A supplementary permaculture farm at Rielsedijk supplements the indoor operation and may introduce some seasonal variation.
The closed-loop aquaponics system uses 90% less water than conventional farming; oyster mushrooms are grown on spent coffee grounds from local businesses; kombucha is brewed in-house.
The aquaponics system operates as a closed-loop ecosystem: koi carp waste fertilises the water, plants purify the water, and the cycle repeats, using 90% less water than conventional farming.
Oyster mushrooms are cultivated on spent coffee grounds collected from local Eindhoven businesses, converting waste from neighbouring establishments into a food ingredient. Kombucha is brewed in-house. These practices address food-waste reduction through ingredient repurposing and the closed-loop growing model, independently confirmed by the Eindhoven Design District.
Phood Farm serves 20 individuals with employment barriers through structured day care and daytime activities, funded by Rabobank Foundation, Stichting Doen, Institut GAK, and others, with a community-agriculture programme offering discounted produce to members.
Phood Farm operates a structured social inclusion programme (Phood Care) serving approximately 20 individuals with barriers to employment, including people with autism, former addiction sufferers, and those experiencing burnout. The programme offers two formal routes: customised day care in partnership with Futuris Zorg & Werk, and basic daytime activities funded by the Municipality of Eindhoven.
Professional support includes work supervisors, a psychologist, and Tai Chi coaches. Named funding partners are independently verifiable: Rabobank Foundation, Stichting Doen, Institut GAK, Anton Jurgens Fonds, Unitio, and Eindhoven Doet. Phood Farm is registered with Social Enterprise NL.
A Consumer Produced Agriculture (CPA) community programme offers members 2 to 3 hours of weekly farm work in exchange for discounted produce. The EU Interreg IMAGINE project has documented Phood Farm as a model for inclusive urban agriculture. Multiple independent sources confirm these programmes across several years.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
Plant-based is the menu default, with chicken optional; named dishes include fungi burgers, rice paper wraps, plant-based nachos, Vegan Gut Cuddles miso broth, and house-brewed kombucha.
The restaurant positions itself as serving 'plant, herb, and vegetable-inspired cuisine' with a 'flexible plant-based diet' philosophy. The menu inverts the conventional model: plant-based is the default, and chicken is offered as an optional add-on.
Named dishes are overwhelmingly plant-based: fungi burgers, Vietnamese-style rice paper wraps, nachos with plant-based cheese, Vegan Gut Cuddles miso broth, and house-brewed kombucha. The core menu is built around aquaponic-grown vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms. This positioning is confirmed by HappyCow (classified as 'Veg-options') and described across independent platforms including This is Eindhoven and Eindhoven Design District.
Sourcing signals
PHOOD Farm operates a 200-square-metre aquaponics facility in the restaurant's basement, producing 80–100 kg of vegetables and herbs weekly, 20 kg of mushrooms, and 30 litres of kombucha. Crops include dill, coriander, purple basil, parsley, three lettuce varieties, microgreens (kale, broccoli, peas, red cabbage, sunflower), and oyster, shiitake, and king oyster mushrooms; production volumes and crop types are independently confirmed by Nouvelle Oogst and the shiftLimburg/Interreg IMAGINE project.
