Concrete Jungle was founded in 2009 as a volunteer-run, Atlanta-based organization to distribute neglected fruit to families in need.

After obtaining a cider press, Craig Durkin, Aubrey Daniels and friends search for apple trees growing in Atlanta, finding many neglected trees in yards all over the city or on public property. The first Ciderfest replete with dogs, trampolines, music and cider takes place, thus marking Year 0 in the Ciderian calendar.

The biggest Ciderfest ever! 3300 lbs. of apples collected solely from urban trees by a bunch of college kids. Too much fruit for just a party! We decide to share the harvest with families in need and so Concrete Jungle is born.

We go public with our fruit tree map. As of 2022, we’ve mapped 4,300+ fruit trees in Atlanta and Athens.

The nice thing about vegetables is that they grow almost year ’round in Atlanta! A friend donated land in southwest Atlanta and we set out to turn a kudzu jungle into the bountiful and beautiful Doghead Farm. The farm increases our annual yield by 3,000-5,000 pounds and adds diversity to partner agencies’ offerings.

Concrete Jungle explores some speculative design with Carl DiSalvo at Georgia Tech, exploring drones for fruit foraging, sensors to detect fruit ripeness, and better mapping technologies to inventory and share our tree knowledge.

We hire our Executive Director and first paid employee, Katherine Kennedy.

Now we’re official! CJ becomes a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and begins our Adventure Picks program rescuing fruits and veggies from farms and orchards and exploring nearby swimmin’ holes and hikes.

Concrete Jungle begins our PEEL program to help spark kitchen creativity with clients receiving our produce by offering live cooking demos, classes, and sample recipes in local food pantries.

Concrete Jungle begins harvesting produce in our first branch city of Athens, Georgia! We also hire two former clients, having first met them at a food pantry where we distribute produce. CJ also released its fruit-foraging cookbook with recipes to make from local fruit.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CJ purchases and delivers groceries to 500 families with increased risk of contracting COVID-19. We also start Produce Buyers Club, working with local farms to purchase cosmetically blemished produce at a discount and distribute it throughout Atlanta.

Concrete Jungle keeps on growing! We reach a milestone of seven full-time staff, including a Farm Recovery Manager in south Georgia. CJ also surpasses 2 million pounds of food diverted from landfills and redirected to folks who need it.