Schwab Fruit
Schwab Fruit (Schwabfrucht GmbH & Co. KG) is a 1972-founded German fresh-produce distributor that procures, ripens, and delivers fruits, herbs, and vegetables to retail grocery and HoReCa customers via integrated cold storage and refrigerated logistics, including a nationwide CF GASTRO partner network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersGroßen Buseck, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Schwab Fruit does
Schwab Fruit (Schwabfrucht GmbH & Co. KG) is a German fresh produce distributor founded in 1972 and headquartered in Großen Buseck (Buseck), Hesse. The company procures, ripens, stores, and distributes fruits, herbs, and vegetables to two principal B2B segments — retail grocery wholesalers (Handel) and gastronomy/HoReCa operators (Gastronomie) — and additionally operates third-party logistics as a third revenue pillar. Its sourcing leverages a founding-membership position in the COBANA international fruit trade group for direct import relationships alongside domestic procurement.
The operating model is built on a 9,000+ m² cold storage facility on a 40,000 m² site, computer-controlled banana ripening chambers, and a private refrigerated fleet. These assets enable overnight order processing with next-day delivery, and the company holds IFS Wholesale, QS, Organic, and "Proven Quality from Hessen" certifications as procurement-gate qualifications. The company operates dedicated sub-brands — CF GASTRO (nationwide gastronomy partner network), NAPURO, and COLD'N'FRESH — to address segmented customer needs within and beyond its core wholesale base.
Commercially, the business is a B2B perishable distributor: revenue derives from per-pallet/per-case distribution margins on fruit, herb, and vegetable SKUs, supplemented by ripening service fees, cold-storage charges, and third-party logistics billings. Pricing is wholesale-tier with relationship-based contracts rather than disclosed dynamic or usage-based pricing. The company is led by Managing Director Thomas Hochmuth, with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or plans for an exit event.
Schwab Fruit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Schwab Fruit
- Legal name
- Schwabfrucht GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://schwabfrucht.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Schwab Fruit (Schwabfrucht GmbH & Co. KG) is a 1972-founded German fresh-produce distributor that procures, ripens, and delivers fruits, herbs, and vegetables to retail grocery and HoReCa customers via integrated cold storage and refrigerated logistics, including a nationwide CF GASTRO partner network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Schwab Fruit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fresh Produce Wholesale and Distribution
- NAICS
- Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage (49312)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Produce (Fruits & Vegetables) Cold Storage & Ripening (TLALABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Refrigerated/Chilled Foods Wholesale (Deli, Prepared, Fresh Pasta, etc.) (AFAIAHAB)
Keywords
Where Schwab Fruit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Großen Buseck
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Schwab Fruit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Fresh Produce Sales: Wholesale and retail sales of fresh fruit, vegetables, exotic specialties, and gastronomy products. Products sourced directly from regional, national, and international producers with full-range offering.
- Logistics Services: Fresh food logistics including transport, cold storage, packing, distribution services for third parties, and brokering. Cold storage warehouses over 9,000 m².
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
Schwab Fruit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Schwab Fruit procures, distributes, and supplies fresh fruit, vegetables, exotic specialties, and gastronomy products to grocery retail, restaurants/hotels/catering, and third-party logistics clients across Germany. The company operates cold storage warehousing exceeding 9,000 m², computer-controlled banana ripening facilities, refrigerated transport logistics, and a packing station for bananas and citrus. Under the CF GASTRO service brand, it provides nationwide gastronomy supply system solutions including ready-cut and convenience products.
Product overview
Schwab Fruit operates as a full-range provider in the fresh produce and logistics sector, organized around three core pillars: Retail (Handel), Gastronomy (Gastronomie), and Logistics (Logistik). The core product portfolio includes fresh fruit and vegetables sourced from regional, national, and international producers, supplemented by exotic and specialty fruits. Under the CF GASTRO service brand, the company provides nationwide gastronomy solutions including ready-cut products, convenience foods, and branded sub-products NAPURO (premium quality) and COLD'N'FRESH (value quality). The service offerings encompass banana ripening using modern technology, cold storage facilities exceeding 9,000 m², refrigerated transport logistics, and tailored delivery models for retail and gastronomy customers. The company maintains its own packing stations for bananas and citrus fruits, and partners with COBANA for international procurement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CF GASTRO: Nationwide gastronomy partner providing system solutions from a single source, offering fresh produce and fresh services.
- NAPURO
- COLD'N'FRESH
Products and services
- Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Fresh fruit and vegetables sourced directly from regional producers (Hesse, Palatinate, Taunus, South Hesse), European growing regions, and overseas suppliers. Available in various sizes, calibre, quality levels, and ripeness stages for retail/grocery and gastronomy customers.
- Exotic and Specialty Fruits Exotic fruits and specialty products sourced internationally through long-standing connections with producers and producer organizations throughout Europe and overseas, including Central and South America.
- CF GASTRO Gastronomy System Nationwide gastronomy partner brand providing system solutions from a single source for restaurants, hotels, and catering. Offers fresh produce, ready-cut products, delicatessen, dairy, meat and sausage products, and high-convenience items through a network of regional system partners with central billing in Berlin.
- Banana Ripening Service Computer-controlled banana ripening warehouse using latest technology where bananas are ripened in large volumes. Daily inspections 7 days a week by dedicated ripening masters (Reifemeister) ensure consistent ripening quality.
- Cold Storage and Thermo Logistics Fresh, chilled, and thermo logistics with cold storage warehouses exceeding 9,000 m². Modern product-specific storage with gentle and efficient consignment handling, offered to third parties as well as internal use.
- Refrigerated Transport Logistics Modern refrigerated vehicles for efficient and punctual procurement and delivery logistics. Transport services offered as complete or partial shipments within a defined delivery radius across Germany.
- Packing Station Services Modern and efficient packing station for bananas and citrus fruits with quality control, disinfection, and packaging services.
- Fruit à la carte (Gastronomy Supply) Top-tier gastronomy supply service including fresh herbs, mushrooms, exotics, specialty fruits, ready-cut salads, convenience products, potatoes, dairy products, eggs, and delicatessen. Ordered today, delivered tomorrow from Monday to Sunday.
- Tailored Delivery Models Customized delivery models tailored to individual customer needs, with special product ranges individually tailored to customer requirements for retail and gastronomy buyers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Just-in-time delivery of fresh produce to retail and gastronomy customers
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Schwab Fruit
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Schwab Fruit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Schwab Fruit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- COBANA GmbH & Co. KGcoreFounding member of the international fruit trade group. Provides immediate access to procurement from main producing countries overseas at direct import conditions. COBANA controls production in selected plantations using own staff, ensuring precisely defined quality standards, customized packaging, and sophisticated transport logistics.
- CF Gastro Service GmbH & Co. KGcoreAffiliated company providing nationwide gastronomy solutions. CF GASTRO offers system solutions from a single source for the food service industry with consistent high quality standards. Partners include regional system partners handling orders for fruit, vegetables, and salads with central billing in Berlin.
- Deutscher Fruchthandelsverband e.V. (DFHV)minorGerman Fruit Trade Association - industry association providing networking and representation for fruit trading companies.
- Hessischer GartenbauverbandminorHessian Horticultural Association - regional industry association for horticulture businesses in Hesse, Germany.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Schwab Fruit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dole plc: Global fresh produce grower-marketer with significant banana ripening and distribution operations in Europe. Overlaps with Schwab in banana ripening, tropical fruit sourcing, and European fresh produce distribution, but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple continents.
- BayWa AG: German agricultural and produce conglomerate with a fresh produce segment covering fruit, vegetable, and convenience distribution to retail. Comparable customer base and product mix, but BayWa is a much larger, publicly listed group whose fresh produce operations are one segment among many.
- Greenyard NV: Belgian-listed, pan-European fresh, frozen and prepared produce supplier with deep retail relationships and large-scale cold chain logistics. Overlaps with Schwab in fresh fruit and vegetable wholesale but operates at materially larger scale and broader geographic scope.
Regional players
- Frutura GmbH: Austrian fresh produce specialist covering fruit, vegetables, and convenience products with ripening, packaging, and cold chain capabilities. Highly comparable operating model but focused on the Austrian and Eastern European markets rather than competing directly with Schwab in Germany.
Direct peers
- dennree GmbH: Germany's leading organic wholesale distributor supplying fresh produce, dry goods, and natural foods to organic retailers and HoReCa. Comparable as a German B2B fresh and organic produce wholesaler with owned logistics, though differentiated by an organic-only assortment.
- Pfalzmarkt für Obst und Gemüse eG: German cooperative of fruit and vegetable growers based in the Palatinate region, supplying retail and wholesale customers with fresh produce. Directly comparable as a German fresh produce distributor with regional grower partnerships, packing infrastructure, and retail/gastronomy customer base.
- OGM Obst- und Gemüse-Markt Köln: Major German wholesale market for fruit and vegetables in Cologne serving retail, HoReCa, and re-processors with fresh produce, ripening services, and logistics. Direct comparable in terms of wholesale market operations, ripening facilities, and regional retail/HoReCa customer base.
- COBANA GmbH & Co. KG: International fruit trade group of which Schwabfrucht is a founding member; COBANA controls overseas plantation production, imports tropical and exotics fruit, and supplies German and European wholesalers. Directly comparable business model (procurement, ripening, distribution of fruit) and partially overlapping customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Schwab Fruit social profiles
Digital presenceSchwab Fruit compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Schwab Fruit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Schwab Fruit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Schwab Fruit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Schwab Fruit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Schwab Fruit
What does Schwab Fruit do?
Schwab Fruit procures, distributes, and supplies fresh fruit, vegetables, exotic specialties, and gastronomy products to grocery retail, restaurants/hotels/catering, and third-party logistics clients across Germany. The company operates cold storage warehousing exceeding 9,000 m², computer-controlled banana ripening facilities, refrigerated transport logistics, and a packing station for bananas and citrus. Under the CF GASTRO service brand, it provides nationwide gastronomy supply system solutions including ready-cut and convenience products.
Is Schwab Fruit a public or private company?
Schwab Fruit is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Schwab Fruit founded?
Schwab Fruit was founded in 1972. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Schwab Fruit based?
Schwab Fruit is headquartered in Großen Buseck, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Schwab Fruit make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Fresh Produce Sales are the primary driver. The others are logistics Services.
Who are Schwab Fruit's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dole plc, BayWa AG and Greenyard NV. Frutura GmbH is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are dennree GmbH, Pfalzmarkt für Obst und Gemüse eG, OGM Obst- und Gemüse-Markt Köln and COBANA GmbH & Co. KG.
Does Schwab Fruit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Schwab Fruit.
What industry is Schwab Fruit in?
Schwab Fruit's product category is Fresh Produce Wholesale and Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLALABAE, Produce (Fruits & Vegetables) Cold Storage & Ripening, with a secondary code of AFAIAHAB, Refrigerated/Chilled Foods Wholesale (Deli, Prepared, Fresh Pasta, etc.). Its NAICS code is 49312 and its SIC code is 5140.