Family Pick, Eichelseifen

When chance brings us beautiful experiences, we often experience the most exciting moments in life, as happened on my little hike from Kopp to Weißenseifen.  
Many hikers are familiar with the problem of finding a beautiful path, magnificent scenery, but no restaurants or shops in the immediate vicinity. Are there alternatives? Mostly not, unfortunately, but as we all know, hope dies last.

On a beautiful autumn afternoon, I came across a small stall on the Kopper Rundweg No. 12 just before Weißenseifen. Signs on the door promised fresh eggs, honey and first aid for hikers. A usual self-service sale, I thought, and opened the door. What surprised me and also fascinated me afterwards was the variety of products and information that could be accommodated in the compact space of one square metre.  
My appetite was immediately whetted! Regional fruit juices, eggs, honey, vinegar, goat cheese, meat products, plus various snacks and cool refreshing drinks for hikers.
It's the many details that take a little while to take in. In addition to food, a creative mind had also provided plasters for hikers and various information about the in-house agriculture and food producers from the region. In principle, this service can be used 7/7 all year round.

I was curious and desperate to meet the creators of this special marketing idea, and so I made the acquaintance of Claudia-Ariane & Udo Pick from Eichelseifen. The Eifel couple has owned a plot of land in the direct vicinity of the Weißenseifen artists' settlement for several years.
It is something of a soul project that they run at this location. Their small farm with fruit trees, poultry farming and bee colonies has developed to some extent from their youngest son's chicken farming. In the beginning, friends and walk-in customers were the first buyers of the eggs and often there was nothing left over for their own family. So one step after the other followed, too few eggs led to another chicken coop and since fruit trees have to be fertilised, soon their own bees were flying around in acorn soaps.

In the meantime, three chicken coops, a few beehives and a large number of fruit and Christmas trees have to be looked after all year round.
The idea for the little shop came from existing customers and passing hikers, Claudia-Ariane Pick reports. The simple and temporally unrestricted access to regional products, the desire for fresh drinking water or protection from bad weather inspired her and her husband to create the current little shop. Both are very close to nature themselves and know these needs from their own experience. This is also evident in the many loving and thoughtful details with which they run their small business. "The customers' needs come first and should always be taken into account," propagates the former project manager Udo Pick.

Principles such as sustainability and regional value creation play an essential role in the couple's lives. Short transport routes for buying and selling, an active involvement of neighbouring producers and cooperation with local trade they consider self-evident and necessary. Recommendations by customers are the best form of advertising. Unlimited growth is not the order of the day here, animal husbandry must remain species-appropriate and everything must be manageable on a part-time basis. These principles are very important to the down-to-earth couple.
Claudia-Ariane & Udo Pick do not lack ideas, but time shows certain limits of what is feasible. They would like to pass on their values and experiences to younger generations and are already working on further project ideas.
If you would like to enjoy the regional product diversity yourself, you should take a map and go on a walk or just drop by Eichelseifen. Soon there will be a place to sit down right next to the stall and e-bike riders are welcome to recharge their batteries. Further information is available via the link.

The experiences from my chance find make me want to be more proactive. You should never give up on putting your ideals and visions into practice, this is what the short but lasting visit taught me. Regional economy and value preservation are important for the Gerolsteiner Land. That is why the tourism team would like to report at regular intervals on small and larger projects from the region and the people behind them. Share our contribution or draw our attention to regional specials. We are happy to report!

Landhaus-Eichelseifen
Eichelseifen 2
54570 Mürlenbach
Tel. 0160/6693566