Global Foods Trading

What Global Foods Trading does

Global Foods Trading GmbH (GFT) is a privately held, founder-controlled European importer and distributor of authentic Southeast Asian groceries and food products, headquartered in Riedstadt-Wolfskehlen, Germany since early 2026. Founded in 1980 by P.K. Bhandari in Frankfurt as a 70 m² shop, GFT has grown over 45 years into a pan-European operator with 8 distribution hubs across Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal, an owned fleet of 38 trucks, 70,000 m² of warehouse space, and a customer base of 9,800+ businesses across 29 European countries. The company's core activity is direct sourcing from producers in India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, importing through a central hub at Riedstadt, and distributing to ethnic grocery stores, modern retail chains, food service operators (restaurants, hotels, caterers), and wholesale distributors.

GFT's revenue is generated through wholesale distribution of 4,000+ authentic products across spices, rice, frozen foods, sauces, chutneys, and convenience categories. The product portfolio combines exclusive distribution rights for 40+ partner brands (including Haldiram's, MDH, Patak's, and Daawat) with five owned house brands: Schani (spices and frozen, 30 years), HEER (premium Basmati rice, 15 years), Anjappar (South Indian Chettinad, 10 years), Hasina (everyday Basmati rice, 5 years), and Schani Street Food (frozen ready-to-cook). Pricing is quote-based and tailored by customer type, order volume, and relationship terms, with no publicly disclosed price list. Go-to-market is B2B-focused, executed through multilingual sales advisors (10+ languages including Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and German) and supported by downloadable product catalogues on the company website.

The business is operated through wholly owned subsidiaries in each served country (GFT France SARL, Global Foods Trading LTD in the UK, Global Foods Trading S.L. in Spain, GFT Portugal Lda., GFT Nederland B.V.), with leadership split between Founder/CEO P.K. Bhandari, co-CEO Manav Bhandari, COO Ram Gupta, and country-level Managing Directors. The company carries no external institutional investors or parent, has no disclosed funding rounds, and its core technology is the integrated import-to-distribution supply chain rather than a software platform.

Name

Global Foods Trading

Legal name

Global Foods Trading GmbH

Website

https://gft.group

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Global Foods Trading is a privately held European importer and distributor of authentic Southeast Asian food products, operating 8 distribution hubs, 38 trucks, and 70,000 m² of warehousing across 6 countries to serve 9,800+ B2B customers in 29 European markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethnic Food Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449), Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Imported Foods Wholesale (AFAIAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ethnic Groceries & Shelf-Stable Foods Wholesale (AFAIAIAA), Ethnic Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Wholesale (AFAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Food import distribution
• Ethnic grocery wholesale
• South asian food distribution
• B2B food wholesale
• Private label food brands

Headquarters

HQ city

Biebelsheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Food Distribution: GFT generates revenue through wholesale distribution of Southeast Asian food products to B2B customers across Europe. The company imports products directly from producers in India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand and distributes through its own fleet of 38 trucks and 8 distribution hubs. Revenue is generated through product sales with competitive pricing built on 45 years of direct supplier relationships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Global Foods Trading GmbH imports and wholesale-distributes South Asian and ethnic food products to commercial customers across Europe. The company supplies 4,000+ SKUs sourced from 40+ brand partners, complemented by five in-house brands (Schani, HEER, Anjappar, Hasina, Schani Street Food), and operates 70,000 m² of warehouse capacity supporting more than 9,800 B2B customers in 29 countries.

Product overview

Global Foods Trading (GFT) operates as Europe's leading Southeast Asian food distributor, offering a portfolio of exclusive house brands alongside distributed partner brands. The core offering centers on distribution of 4,000+ authentic Southeast Asian products (spices, rice, frozen foods, sauces, chutneys, convenience foods) sourced directly from India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. GFT's own brands include: Schani (30-year Indian spice and frozen food brand), HEER (15-year premium Basmati rice from Punjab), Anjappar (10-year South Indian Chettinad cuisine brand), Hasina (5-year everyday Basmati rice), and Schani Street Food (frozen ready-to-cook Indian street food). The company also holds exclusive distribution rights for major brands including Haldiram's, MDH, Patak's, and Daawat. Operations span 8 European distribution hubs with 70,000 m² warehouse space and an own fleet of 38 trucks serving 9,800+ businesses across 29 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Schani: Spices, Frozen, Convenience - 30 Years of Authentic Indian Flavour. One of the most trusted Indian food brands in Europe, covering traditional spice blends, world-famous sauces, chutneys, and frozen convenience foods.
• HEER
• Anjappar
• Hasina
• Schani Street Food

Products and services

• Schani
• HEER
• Anjappar
• Hasina
• Schani Street Food
• Distributed brand portfolio (Haldiram's, MDH, Patak's, Daawat and 40+ others)
• B2B Wholesale Food Distribution Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,800+ businesses trust GFT across 29 European countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Haldiram'scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive or priority distribution rights for Haldiram's brand in European markets. One of India's most recognized snack food brands, distributed exclusively through GFT across many European countries.
• MDHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive or priority distribution rights for MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti) spice brand. One of India's most trusted spice brands, available only through GFT in many European markets.
• Patak'scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive or priority distribution rights for Patak's Indian food products. Well-established UK-based Indian food brand, distributed exclusively through GFT in many European markets.
• DaawatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive or priority distribution rights for Daawat Basmati rice brand. Leading Indian rice brand, distributed exclusively through GFT across many European countries.
• 40+ Southeast Asian Brand PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGFT holds exclusive or priority distribution rights for many of Europe's most sought-after Southeast Asian food brands. These are the names customers recognise, request, and return for — available only through GFT in many European markets.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wing Yip Superstore / Wing Yip Food Distribution: UK-based Chinese/Asian food wholesaler and supermarket chain. Operates a B2B distribution arm with comparable category breadth, own brands, and ethnic-trade customers across the UK and parts of mainland Europe.
• KTC (Edibles) Ltd: UK-headquartered manufacturer and wholesaler of own-label and branded South Asian cooking oils, ghee, and food ingredients. Comparable scale and product overlap with GFT's ethnic wholesale model.
• Sunrise Foods International: European distributor of South Asian and ethnic food products to retail and foodservice. Comparable in scale, geography (UK and EU), and category focus to GFT.
• JFC International (Europe): European arm of the global Japanese-trading-house-affiliated Asian food distributor. Sells pan-Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian) groceries into retail and foodservice across Europe — overlapping significantly with GFT in assortment and channel.
• East End Foods: UK-based wholesale distributor of ethnic Indian and South Asian groceries with own brands (East End) plus distributed brands. Competes with GFT in the same ethnic-trade and foodservice channels across Northern Europe.
• Heera Foods: UK-based Indian and South Asian food wholesaler serving ethnic grocery stores, cash-and-carry, and foodservice. Directly comparable customer base, brand portfolio, and distribution model to GFT.
• TRS Wholesale Co Ltd: One of the UK's largest South Asian food wholesalers, distributing own-label and branded Indian/South Asian groceries to ethnic retailers, foodservice, and wholesalers. Directly comparable to GFT in product mix, customer type, and category focus.
• Asia Express Food B.V. Netherlands-based Asian food importer and distributor serving Benelux and wider European ethnic retail and foodservice. Directly comparable continental-European peer to GFT.

Broad incumbents

• Patak's (AB World Foods): One of the most established Indian food brands in Europe, owned by AB World Foods (Associated British Foods). GFT is a key European distribution partner; comparable as a category leader in Indian sauces, pickles and ready meals.
• Tilda Rice: Major branded Basmati and specialty rice producer and supplier across European retail and wholesale. Overlaps with GFT's HEER and Hasina Basmati lines and shares the same ethnic/Indian grocery customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gftonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-foods-trading-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Foods Trading