Hamburg tradition
in its third generation
From a two-person delicatessen business
to a major organic importer
Experience and passion
Since 1960 Bode Naturkost has been a reliable partner in the organic raw materials trade. Horst and Gisela Bode founded the company on historic Deichstrasse in Hamburg, and to this day it remains steadily grown.
Over the decades, the company developed from a small family business with a focus on high-quality spices and delicacies into a modern, high-performance organic raw materials importer with extensive logistics capacity and a clear quality vision.
Now we are writing a new chapter: In 2025 the the third generation joins the responsibility.
The twins Benjamin and Daniel Bode, children of Gabriele Bode, take on key leadership roles — Benjamin as second managing director alongside Frank Bode, and Daniel with a focus on warehouse and production processes. Completing the family team is Sophie Siefert, Frank Bode’s daughter, who brings 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 will be there for its partners tomorrow as well, with passion and foresight.
Our owner family, the Bodes
Frank Bode
Managing Director & Owner: “Since 1960, we have enjoyed spreading tasty, as natural as possible, organically produced food.”
Gabriele Bode
Advisory Board Member: “We trust in the abilities and outstanding expertise of our dedicated employees — a fantastic team.”
Benjamin Bode
Managing Director: “Through close dialogue with suppliers and customers, as well as securing long-term volumes and high quality, I want to continue moving our company forward in the organic market. Customer satisfaction is always our top priority.”
Daniel Bode
Logistics & Production: “Together, we are making a clear statement: Bode Naturkost remains a vibrant family business that combines tradition with visionary execution. 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 as well. The tradition of the family business continues to be my focus too!”
our history
Founding
Horst Bode founds the family business on the famous Deichstraße in Hamburg, today a lane that feels like a museum; the goods are traditionally hoisted into the upper floors of the brick-and-timber houses with a rope-and-pulley system. The founders trade in conventional delicatessen items and spices. These come from Germany and Europe and from the spice exchange.
Conversion to organic
Move to Wentorf near Hamburg. Organic food is still in its infancy, but the organic idea is growing within the family, so both private life and business are converted. Customers are health food stores and any kind of “health shops” and health food processors. Until 1985, only Horst and Gisela Bode worked in the business with a few temporary staff. After that, they additionally hire 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 Hamburg harbor.
Bode grows
The son, Frank Bode, now leads the successful organic trading company in the second generation. When the now 55-year-old takes over the small business in 1993 at its current location at the age of 23, with three employees, one warehouse with 300 square meters and no pallet racking is still enough. With a car and trailer and later a small van, he delivers the ordered goods to customers in the surrounding area.
Warehouse Investment
The warehouse is expanded for the first time by a modest 180 square meters, compared with today’s storage capacities.
The construction costs of 150,000 Deutsche Marks were a substantial but necessary investment in order to follow the service philosophy that still applies today: shipping as many orders as possible on the day they are received.
Second Warehouse Hall
A second hall is added. As sales rise, storage requirements increase as well.
First Packaging Line
The first packaging line is put into operation, both for BODE NATURKOST bags and for the private-label business. A dedicated organic shop opens on the factory premises. A few years later, it has to make way for new offices, as more employees are hired due to growing sales and responsibilities.
First Online Shop
Customers can place orders through the first online shop. New priorities are raw-food ingredients, 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 over 1,500 organic products!
Expansion of Capacity
Warehouses have to be rented or purchased in the surrounding area because the capacity in Lohbrügge is not sufficient. Further warehouse buildings follow, and cold-storage and deep-freeze facilities are also added.
New Production and Administration
New production rooms and a more modern, automated packaging line are now complete. The employees move into a new office building, because the company’s success is also reflected in a growing workforce. Around 80 employees are now working at the expanding company headquarters. The management team is supplemented by two authorized signatories. This gives the company leadership a strong foundation for continued growth.
€12.5 million investment
The largest warehouse, No. 12, is completed. It meets the most modern logistics requirements. The hall is 65 meters long, 35 meters wide, and 16 meters 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 increased storage capacity, as even more products are available for immediate delivery.”
Bode grows
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 supported stages of trade, along with the higher import volume, leads to raw materials that are increasingly safer, more reliable, fresher, and even more affordable. By now, Bode ships more than 12,000 pallets to customers each year, and the number is still 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 day-to-day operations at Bode Naturkost. Climate change is ever-present. Bode tests plastic-free packaging, a film that is 100% compostable in the garden. Due to rapidly rising prices, the film was replaced again. Instead, from 2024 onward, the company will focus on larger 1 kg consumer packs and replace plastic with paper wherever possible.
The Third Generation
The third generation of the Bode family joins the company: twins Benjamin and Daniel Bode, sons of Gabriele Bode, take on leading roles. Benjamin Bode becomes second managing director, and Daniel Bode focuses on the processes in the warehouse and production. Frank Bode’s daughter Sophie Siefert contributes her expertise in the quality assurance department. This positions the company for the future, focuses on its core business, explores new paths, and unlocks potential.
