Today the basics of the work of a slaughter and a butcher are left to industrial production with all its side aspects. People have lost their knowledge. The simple position as a consumer was not enough for Florian Siepert, who had the idea of a culinary camp, similar to a, to regain this almost left knowledge. This was the starting point for the first so called Porkcamp in Germany.

 

At the beginning there was the feeling of dissatisfaction with the current situation in the meat industry: too much waste and no transparency in the production of meat and the selection of the product range. In respect of the animal the idea of going back to the roots and doing-it yourself arose.

 

Food-enthusiasts, bloggers, chefs etc. came together when Florian Siepert, an it-expert and foodie, called for this event. The program of the camp, scheduled and splitted like a time-table in different steps, included slaughtering, butchering and preparation of pork products and meals. From pies to sausages, rips to roasts …

 

Florian Siepert based the idea of the Porkcamp on the tools of web 2.0, which he adopted from bar camps that have become more and more popular within the last few years. And he found the perfect place in Gut Hesterberg, between Hamburg and Berlin.

 

Step one was a community for people to join: www.porkcamp.mixxt.de. There are various advantages of this platform: Each member gets an own profile, is able to chat and to discuss in forums and an open time-table allows everyone to interact and enter their wishes regarding the program of the weekend as well as sharing ideas and interests.

From about 100 members, 50 percent participated in this open process and organized the time table of the Porkcamp. This kind of open organization allowed Florian Siepert simply to control the conversation and communication with no effort while the program and details of the event were placed in the hands of all participants.

The entire communication started on the internet with the community and was spread via Twitter and other communities. Food bloggers and enthusiasts posted the event on their blogs and forwarded the idea way beyond the German borders. The rest was done through “old” word-of-mouth communication.

In an interview, Florian Siepert mentioned the incredible team spirit and the learnings from this weekend. People loved the idea of the event and were happy about their participation. For the moment two next steps are in discussion:

·         To expand the idea of going back to the basic of production also in other areas: wine, cheese etc.

·         To realize events like the Porkcamp in other countries, too. For the moment, one is planned sin England.

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