Naturkost Ernst Weber

What Naturkost Ernst Weber does

Naturkost Ernst Weber GmbH is a privately held German organic food importer and trader headquartered in Munich, founded in 1990 by Ernst Weber (now co-led with Managing Director Alexander Algermissen). The company imports and trades exclusively in food from controlled organic farming, operating across five core product categories: fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen fruits and vegetables, tea, raw materials/nuts/Asian specialty products, and herbs and spices. Sourcing is concentrated in Italy, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Egypt, and China, with several exclusive multi-decade cultivation projects — notably the Dazhangshan tea project (since 1997, 1,500 small-scale farmers across 800 ha producing 1,000+ MT/year), the China peanut project (since 1996, 188 farming families across 2,149 ha producing 6,000+ MT/year), and the Egyptian peanut project (since 2006, 1,130 ha producing 7,000+ MT/year). The company holds a stacked portfolio of nine organic and quality certifications (EU-Bio, Naturland, Bio Suisse, Fairtrade, Demeter, IFS Broker, IFS Logistics, GlobalGAP, NOP) and has secured several industry firsts, including the first Fairtrade-certified tea from China (2001), first IFS Broker-certified bio company (2010), and first Naturland-certified soy sauce (2024). The Dazhangshan tea project received the Carlo Scarpa Prize for sustainable landscape architecture in 2019.

The business operates as a B2B organic food broker and trader, supplying food processors, packers, wholesale distributors, and food retailers across Germany and Europe (with international tea trade reaching worldwide). Revenue is generated through transactional sales of imported organic commodities and specialty products, with pricing negotiated per contract based on volume, product specifications, and market conditions; the company does not publicly disclose pricing or revenue. Marketing is conducted primarily through annual BIOFACH trade show participation and direct relationship sales. The company maintains a Munich headquarters at Schäftlarnstraße 10 and a separate warehouse/distribution facility in Munich, with a staff of approximately 30-50 employees organized into sales/purchasing departments for fresh produce, frozen produce, raw materials/nuts/tea, herbs and spices, quality management, and administration/warehouse functions. Long-term supplier partnerships (20+ years with Antonio Bello, Green Valley, Sammarro Massimo, and Yishui/Songyuan Xinli) underpin supply security and product exclusivity that would be costly for competitors to replicate.

Name

Naturkost Ernst Weber

Legal name

Naturkost Ernst Weber GmbH

Website

https://naturkostweber.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Naturkost Ernst Weber is a Munich-based B2B importer and trader of certified organic food (fresh and frozen produce, tea, nuts, and specialty ingredients), sourcing exclusively from controlled-organic farming projects in Italy, China, Egypt, and Turkey to supply processors, packers, wholesalers, and food retailers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Food Wholesale & Distribution

NAICS

Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245), Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural & Organic Foods Distribution (CRAOABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural, Organic & Health Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAK), Organic Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Wholesale (AFAIAJAF), Organic & Natural Packaged Grocery Wholesale (AFAIAJAB)

Keywords

• Organic food wholesale
• Frozen produce import
• Organic tea trade
• Specialty ingredient distribution
• Certified biological foods

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Organic Food Import and Trading: The company imports and trades exclusively in foods from controlled organic farming, including fresh produce, frozen fruits and vegetables, dried products, and canned goods. Revenue is generated through the sale of these organic food products to processors, packers, wholesale distributors, and food retailers across Europe.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Naturkost Ernst Weber imports and trades exclusively certified organic food products (fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, tea, raw materials, nuts, dried legumes, grains, oilseeds, Asian specialty products, and herbs and spices), supplying processors, packers, wholesale distributors, and food retailers across Germany and Europe. The company operates its own organic cultivation projects in China (tea, peanuts, soybeans) and Egypt (peanuts), maintaining long-term direct producer partnerships and holding multiple organic and quality certifications.

Product overview

Naturkost Ernst Weber is a German organic food import and trading company that operates as a single unified product/service offering centered around importing and distributing biological (organic) food products. The core portfolio consists of five main product categories: Fresh Fruits & Vegetables, Frozen Fruits & Vegetables, Tea, Raw Materials/Nuts/Asia Products, and Herbs & Spices. The company sources products primarily from Italy, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Egypt, and China through exclusive organic farming projects. They serve wholesalers, producers, processors, and food retailers throughout Europe. The product range includes commodity products (grains, nuts, legumes) as well as specialty items (specialty teas from China, Asian food products) and processed products (protein concentrates, TVP, coconut products).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers3 records

Segments3 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.

• Dalian ZhengYecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project partner for the first-ever Naturland certification for soy sauce (Shoyu/Tamari) in 2024. The partnership represents exclusive co-development of premium organic soy sauce products meeting the highest organic standards.
• Antonio BellocoreOthersLong-term supplier relationship spanning over 20 years. Supplies organic vegetables (fennel, leek, parsley, endive lettuce, potatoes) from 25ha of Naturland-certified farmland in Presicce, Apulia, Italy. Products are characterized by use of heritage seed varieties rather than hybrid breeds.
• Green Valley (Egypt)coreOthersFamily-owned company founded in 1986, pioneer in Egyptian organic peanut cultivation. Supplies both organic and Demeter-certified peanuts from southern Egypt. Represents over 20 years of trusted partnership.
• Sammarro MassimocoreOthersSupplier of organic Clementines under the 'Bio da Sybari' brand, grown in protected organic valley in Calabria, Italy. Partnership combines family's long agricultural traditions with modern sustainable and holistic farming practices since 2008.
• Yishui and Songyuan Xinli (China)coreOthersLong-term supplier partners for organic and fairtrade peanuts from Shandong province, China. Region known for 300+ years of peanut cultivation tradition, producing 40% of China's peanut output. Active Fairtrade peanut project in China.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tradin Organic: Dutch B2B trader and processor of organic food ingredients, acquired by ADM in 2020. Closest comparable in the organic import/distribution space, operating across fresh, frozen, and dry categories with global farmer sourcing networks.
• Rapunzel Naturkost: German organic food company combining contract farming projects with B2B trading of dry goods, oils, and nuts. Comparable in being a German pioneer organic importer with own grower projects and similar product categories.
• Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH: German organic food producer, wholesaler, and retailer with a deep B2B distribution arm serving food retail and processors. Comparable as a German organic brand operator with full-chain sourcing and certification breadth.
• Lebensbaum / Ulrich Walter GmbH: German organic tea, spice, and coffee producer/distributor based in Diepholz with deep Naturland/Fairtrade integration. Direct overlap in certified organic tea sourcing and German B2B retail distribution.
• Clipper Teas: UK-based Fairtrade and organic tea brand focused on B2B and retail channels. Comparable through its organic tea specialization and ethical sourcing positioning that mirrors Naturkost Ernst Weber's tea franchise.

Emerging players

• Equal Exchange: US-based Fairtrade and organic food importer/trader operating across bananas, coffee, tea, chocolate, and nuts via small-farmer cooperatives. Comparable through long-term Fairtrade/origin partnerships and organic import model, though US-rooted and smaller in scale.
• Rishi Tea & Botanicals: US-based direct-trade organic tea and botanicals importer/blender focused on specialty retail. Comparable as a smaller specialty organic tea importer with origin partnerships, though US-centric and at smaller scale than the subject.

Broad incumbents

• Hain Celestial Group: US-listed multinational organic and natural foods platform operating across tea, snacks, baby food, and grocery. Comparable as a broad organic player with multiple certifications and global sourcing, but at far greater scale and with branded retail focus.
• SunOpta Inc. North American vertically integrated organic food and beverage company specializing in plant-based ingredients, frozen fruit, and beverages. Comparable in B2B organic ingredient sourcing/trading model and frozen produce focus, but at materially larger scale.
• Wessanen (UK / Bolton Food): European organic/natural food brands owner (formerly Dutch-listed Wessanen) managing brands in organic grocery and tea in multiple European markets. Comparable through organic/tea product exposure and European B2B channels, though focused on branded ownership rather than trading.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturkost-ernst-weber-gmbh

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Naturkost Ernst Weber