Hamburg tradition
In the third generation
From a two-person delicatessen shop
to a major organic importer
Experience and Passion
Since 1960 Bode Naturkost stands as a reliable partner in the organic raw materials trade. Horst and Gisela Bode founded the company in Hamburg's historic Deichstraße, and to this day it is steadily grown.
Over the decades, the company developed from a small family business specializing in high-quality spices and delicacies into a modern, high-performing organic raw materials importer with extensive logistics capacity and a clear quality vision.
Now we are writing a new chapter: In 2025 the third generation is taking on responsibility.
The twins Benjamin and Daniel Bode, Benjamin and Daniel, Gabriele Bode’s children, take on key leadership roles – Benjamin as second managing director alongside Frank Bode, and Daniel with a focus on warehouse and production processes. The family team is complemented by Sophie Siefert, Frank Bode’s daughter, who contributes her expertise in quality assurance. With this step, we ensure continuity, bring fresh momentum to our core business, and unlock new potential.
What drives us is more than tradition: it is the conviction that a true family business like Bode Naturkost, with passion and foresight, will be there for its partners tomorrow as well.
Our owner family, the Bodes
Frank Bode
Managing Director & Owner: “Since 1960, we have enjoyed spreading tasty organic foods that are as natural as possible.”
Gabriele Bode
Advisory Board Member: “We trust in the abilities and outstanding expertise of our dedicated employees — a great team.”
Benjamin Bode
Managing Director: “Through close exchange with suppliers and customers, as well as securing long-term volumes and high quality, I want to continuously advance our company in the organic market. Customer satisfaction always comes first.”
Daniel Bode
Logistics & Production: “Together, we are sending a clear message: Bode Naturkost remains a vibrant family business that combines tradition with visionary implementation. For you, our partners, today and in the future.”
Sophie Siefert
Quality Assurance: “For me, quality means products you can rely on blindly. I do everything I can to ensure that this remains our hallmark in the future. The tradition of the family business remains my focus as well!”
our story
Founding
Horst Bode founded the family business in the famous Deichstraße in Hamburg, now a lane that seems like a museum; the goods were traditionally hoisted up to the upper floors of the brick half-timbered houses with a block-and-tackle hoist. The founders dealt in conventional delicatessen products and spices. These came from Germany and Europe, as well as from the spice exchange.
Conversion to organic
Move to Wentorf near Hamburg. The organic food sector is still in its infancy, but the organic idea takes root within the family, and so changes are made both privately and commercially. Customers are health food stores and all kinds of “health shops and health processors.” Until 1985, only Horst and Gisela Bode, with a few temporary staff, worked in the company. After that, they also hired a full-time office employee.
Move to Hamburg
The company moves to the Hamburg district of Lohbrügge. In the east of Hamburg, on the city’s green belt, the business has an ideal location close to the Port of Hamburg.
Bode is growing
Their son, Frank Bode, now runs the successful organic trading company in the second generation. When the now 55-year-old takes over the small business in 1993 at the current location at the age of 23, with three employees, a warehouse of 300 square meters without pallet racking is still sufficient. Using a car and trailer, and later a small van, he delivers the ordered goods to customers in the surrounding area.
Investment in the warehouse
For the first time, the warehouse is expanded by a modest 180 square meters compared with today’s storage capacities.
The construction costs of 150,000 Deutsche Marks were a considerable but necessary investment in order to follow the service philosophy that still applies today: to ship as many orders as possible on the day they are received.
Second warehouse hall
A second warehouse is added. As turnover rises, storage requirements increase as well.
First packaging system
The first packaging line is put into operation, for both BODE NATURKOST brand bags and the private-label business. A dedicated organic store opens on the factory premises. A few years later, it has to make way for new offices, as more staff are hired due to growing sales and expanding responsibilities.
First online shop
Customers can order through the first online shop. New priorities are raw raw materials, and a Fair Trade line is also added.
Experience our current shop
In our modern online shop, business and private customers can shop conveniently 24/7.
Choose from more than 1,500 organic products!
Expansion of capacity
Warehouses have to be rented or bought in the surrounding area because capacity in Lohbrügge is not sufficient. More warehouse buildings follow, and cold storage and deep-freeze storage are added as well.
New production and administration
New production spaces and a more modern, automated packaging line are now ready. The employees move into a new office building, as the company’s success is also reflected in a larger workforce. Around 80 employees are now working at the growing company headquarters. The management team is strengthened by two authorized signatories. This puts the company leadership in a strong position for continued growth.
€12.5 million investment
The largest warehouse, Hall 12, is completed. It meets the most modern logistics requirements. The hall is 65 m long, 35 m wide, and 16 m high, with a volume of 36,400 cubic meters. This adds capacity for 7,000 pallet spaces. Frank Bode: “At 12.5 million euros, this is the largest investment since the family business was founded. Our customers benefit from the expanded storage capacity, as even more products are available for immediate dispatch.”
Bode is growing
With 400 containers per year plus a large number of truck arrivals, Bode Naturkost is one of Germany’s largest organic importers. Further professionalization across all accompanying stages of trade and the higher import volume lead to ever safer, more reliable, fresher, and even more affordable raw materials. By now, Bode ships more than 12,000 pallets to customers each year, and the trend is rising.
External Crises
Even in this difficult year, the company remains on course and now employs more than 100 people.
Second warehouse hall
New challenges such as the war in Ukraine, inflation, and shortages of raw materials also shape everyday operations at Bode Naturkost. Climate change is omnipresent. Bode is testing plastic-free packaging, a film that is 100% compostable in the home garden. Due to rapidly rising prices, the film has since been replaced. Instead, starting in 2024, the company is focusing on larger 1 kg consumer packs and replacing plastic with paper wherever possible.
The Third Generation
The third generation of the Bode family joins the company: the twins Benjamin and Daniel Bode, the twin sons of Gabriele Bode, take on leading roles. Benjamin Bode becomes a second managing director, and Daniel Bode focuses on the processes in the warehouse and production. Frank Bode’s daughter Sophie Siefert contributes her expertise to the quality assurance department. This positions the company for the future, focuses it on its core business, dares to take new paths, and unlocks potential.
