Parasol Island – Integrated Digital Studio

Sommelier Billy Wagner and chef Micha Schäfer opened the restaurant Nobelhart & Schmutzig in Berlin in 2015. They use strictly local produce to create their Michelin starred kitchen and the team works closely together with farmers and producers to source the goods.

Will your e-commerce continue even when people can come to the restaurant in person again?
Yes, absolutely! Our online platform is a marketplace for the many tastes of Berlin. We call it the “Berlin Window”. It’s a marketplace for crafts in general, for example, Hohenmoorer knives, Caran D’Ache pens, Frank Leder Tradition cosmetic products, and also olive oil or pasta from Emidio Pepe in Abruzzo – as well as our products from Nobelhart & Schmutzig.

What is the idea behind your e-commerce concept?
Nobelhart & Schmutzig is a restaurant with a clearly defined cosmos of values. We’re now managing to get this cosmos into the heads of guests not just within our own four walls, but also in the kitchens of Mannheim and Leipzig. Customers can take our values, taste, and understanding of quality home with them. And the whole thing is much more low-threshold than a visit to Friedrichstraße 218.

What are the challenges in this sector for you?
We are learning what our values mean in terms of packaging. And gaining experience in this area. For example, how heavy glass packaging is – and what that means for the online business.

Can restaurants use e-commerce to expand beyond their own aspirations?
We think our work in the food retail sector provides a completely new approach, and thus also offers an additional contribution to the preservation of small scale farming structures.