Hamburg tradition
in the third generation
From a Two-Person Delicatessen Business
to a Major Organic Importer
Experience and passion
Since 1960 Bode Naturkost has stood as 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 grew from a small family business specialty shop focused on high-quality spices and delicacies into a modern, high-performance organic raw materials importer company with extensive logistics capacity and a clear vision of quality.
Now we are writing a new chapter: In 2025 the the third generation takes on responsibility.
The twins Benjamin and Daniel Bode, the children of Gabriele Bode, take on key leadership roles – Benjamin as second Managing Director alongside Frank Bode, 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 are securing continuity, bringing fresh momentum to our core business, and unlocking new potential.
Together, we are sending a clear message: Bode Naturkost remainsa vibrant family businessa vibrant family business that combines tradition with visionary implementation. For you, our partners, today and in the future.
Our owner family, the Bodes
Frank Bode
Managing Directors & Owners: “Since 1960, we have enjoyed sharing delicious, healthy, 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 exchange with suppliers and customers, as well as securing steady volumes and high quality, I want to continue driving our company forward in the organic market. Customer satisfaction always remains our top priority.”
Daniel Bode
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
For me, quality means products you can rely on without hesitation. I am doing 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 story
Founding
Horst Bode founds the family business on the famous Deichstraße in Hamburg, today an alley that looks like a museum; goods are hoisted up to the floors of the half-timbered brick houses in the traditional way using a block-and-tackle hoist. The founders trade in conventional delicatessen products and spices. These come from Germany and Europe, as well as from the spice exchange.
Conversion to organic
Move to Wentorf near Hamburg. Organic food is still in its infancy, but the organic idea takes root within the family, so both private life and business are converted. Customers are health food stores and any kind of “health stores and health processors.” Until 1985, only Horst and Gisela Bode, together with a few temporary helpers, work in the business. After that, they also 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 house 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 single 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
The warehouse is expanded for the first time by a modest 180 square meters compared with today’s storage capacity.
Construction costs of 150,000 Deutschmarks were a significant but necessary investment in order to follow the service principle 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, the need for storage increases as well.
First packaging line
The first packaging system is put into operation, for both BODE NATURKOST brand bags and the private-label business. An organic shop opens on the factory premises. A few years later, it has to make way for new offices, as growing sales and responsibilities require more staff to be hired.
First Online Shop
Customers can place orders via the first online shop. New priorities include raw food ingredients, and a fair trade line is added as well.
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 the capacity in Lohbrügge is not sufficient. More warehouse buildings follow, and cold storage and deep-freeze storage are also added.
New Production and Administration
New production rooms and a more modern, automated packaging system are now complete. The employees move into a new office building, because success also meant more staff. Around 80 employees are now working at the growing company headquarters. The management team is supplemented by two authorized signatories. This leaves the company management well positioned for steady growth.
12.5 Million Investment
The largest warehouse, Hall No. 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 2.5 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 now ready 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 stages of the trading process, together with the higher number of imports, leads to raw materials that are increasingly safe, reliable, fresh, and even more affordable. Bode now ships more than 12,000 pallets to customers every year, and the number is still rising.
External Crises
Even in this difficult year, the company remains on track and now employs more than 100 people.
Second warehouse hall
New challenges such as the war in Ukraine, inflation, and raw material shortages also shape everyday operations at Bode Naturkost. Climate change is omnipresent. 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 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: twins Benjamin and Daniel Bode, the twin sons of Gabriele Bode, take on leading roles. Benjamin Bode becomes second managing director, while 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, focusing on its core business, exploring new paths, and unlocking potential.
