Why does gebana sell in bulk?   

13 kilos of oranges, 2 kilos of dried mangos, almonds by the kilo – nearly all our products are only available in bulk. Such large quantities can be intimidating, especially for new customers. People are used to shopping at supermarkets, where they buy small, 150-gram packets of nuts and a few pieces of fruit. But the winning argument in favour of bulk packages is efficiency. Our business model only works with bulk packages.

Faster shipping = lower prices

Most of our products – 74 per cent in 2023 – are packed right at the source into the same packaging you receive. By keeping products in their original packaging, we save on extra packaging material and shorten the distance our products need to travel. This is not only more efficient but also better for the environment. 

Whenever we receive boxes of fresh fruit, all we do is check the quality and insert any necessary padding material. Then we close them with a cardboard lid and drop them off at the post office.

We ship shelf-stable products, such as nuts and dried fruit, from our warehouses in Otelfingen in the canton of Zurich and Singen in Germany. If you order several products at the same time, our colleagues in the warehouse only have to collect and pack the products once. And we only pay once for shipping. This is why it's more efficient to ship bulk packages than small ones. It's also why we offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount and volume discounts for more expensive orders. Read more about it  here. 

Repacking our food products into smaller packages would cost us more in terms of labour, space and packaging, which would make our products more expensive in the end. Bulk packages are the only way we can sell our products at the prices you see in our online shop.

Our packaging works better than it looks 

Efficiency in packaging and shipping also means that our packaging isn't pretty. Our subsidiaries and partners in the countries of origin usually print the labels themselves. This is why they stick to basic black and white printing and include only the essential details, such as nutritional information, country of origin and lot number. 

Functionality and efficiency are also our priorities when it comes to packaging materials. Most of our pantry goods come in plastic bags. The key advantage of plastic is that it protects the food from contamination while preserving it for long periods. Environmentally, the benefits of plastic's protective properties outweigh its negative aspects. We take a closer look at the role of packaging in this article.    

Bulk packages for the win! 

Because we ship large quantities, the way you shop with us is different from the way you would shop at a supermarket. But it also means that you need to shop less often, especially for products with a long shelf life. Dried fruit, chocolate and certain nuts can be stored for months and consumed over time.

The product pages in our online shop and the instructions included in the shipping boxes provide information on how to properly store the products so that you can enjoy them for as long as possible.  

The resources we save with our bulk packages can be used for other things – above all, to make food trade fairer. You shop differently, we do business differently!