Organic fresh produce from certified cultivation, a German-Chinese founding duo, and a trading relationship older than the company itself: Jiahe Food GmbH from Erkelenz shows how a resilient partnership between China and Germany can develop over the years in agricultural trade.
Co-founder Jenny Zhang explains in an interview how a loose trading relationship became a firm joint venture, and what matters most in the collaboration. First, though, it’s worth taking a look at the market the company operates in.
A Dynamic Organic Fresh Produce Market in Germany
Germany’s organic market set a new record in 2025: total revenue from organic food rose by nearly seven percent to €18.23 billion.
Demand also proved robust in the fresh segment—fruit, vegetables, dairy, and meat products: in just the first ten months of the year, revenue from organic fresh produce grew, driven above all by food retail.
Organic cultivation areas in Germany, meanwhile, are growing only slowly and can barely keep pace with rising demand—a circumstance that makes importers with reliable, certified supply chains from abroad increasingly important.
Jiahe Food GmbH at a Glance
Jiahe Food GmbH was founded on August 1, 2019, in Erkelenz by Jenny (Min) Zhang together with agricultural engineer Ralf Settels—two partners who, by that point, had already been working together in business for over a decade.
The German company works closely with Weifang Jiahe Food Co., Ltd. in China, its long-standing supply and business partner: it farms around 150 hectares of land in the Shandong and Guangxi regions and exports roughly 6,000 tonnes of ginger annually from certified contract farms.
Jiahe Food’s product range has long since extended beyond ginger: alongside ginger from China and Peru, the company now also carries turmeric from Peru, sweet potatoes, lemons, oranges, pomelos and avocados—all in organic quality.
The German entity handles sales and market development across Europe, including in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
From the Ginger Root to the German Store Shelf
The origins of the business lie well before the founding of the GmbH: back in the late 1990s, the Chinese partner company, which remains key to the operations today, began exporting ginger, initially to Japan. The move into Europe followed a few years later, at first through conventional trading relationships with retail chains.
As demand rose and trust among European buyers grew, this developed over the years into a closer, more direct collaboration—until finally, with the founding of Jiahe Food GmbH, the company established its base in Germany.
Cultivation, certification, and distribution could be integrated even more closely through the cooperation. Over time, Jiahe Food deliberately expanded its business, originally focused on ginger, to include other organic fresh products such as turmeric, citrus fruits, sweet potatoes, and avocados.
Interview with Jenny Zhang, Co-Founder of Jiahe Food GmbH
Co-founder Jenny Zhang explains in an interview how a loose trading relationship became a firm joint venture, and what matters most in the collaboration.
How did the German-Chinese joint venture come about?
“Ralf Settels and I knew each other from the ginger trade, long before the GmbH even existed. We first worked together as trading partners, and over the years genuine trust grew out of that period.
Founding Jiahe Food was then really just the logical next step: We established our own direct channel into Europe, creating a more direct and transparent supply chain from cultivation to customer—something that is particularly important for fresh produce.“
What’s the secret behind the thriving business model?
“For us, food safety comes first—that’s not just lip service. All of our contract farms are certified, and land areas and harvest volumes are fully documented.
On top of that, we consistently adhere to European regulations and environmental standards, even where no one would demand it of us.
And then there’s simple reliability: we’ve been supplying our trading partners in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium for years without interruption.“
What tips do you have for German-Chinese companies searching for business partners?
“I’d advise everyone not to look for the fastest contract signing but for shared values.
It takes time to build trust, to communicate truly transparently, and to understand the other side’s business culture. Our advantage is that many of our products can’t easily be replicated in Europe—but that also obligates us to think long-term rather than chase short-term profit.
For Ralf Settels and me, that’s proven true over a collaboration that now goes back well over ten years.“
Thank you for the conversation, Ms. Zhang!
Chinese-German Success: In Summary
Certified cultivation areas, a partnership grown over more than a decade, and a product range that has evolved from pure ginger trading into a broader organic fresh-produce import business: Jiahe Food GmbH represents a business approach built on continuity rather than rapid growth.
Given growing competition in the European market, the the group is now taking further steps toward localization in Germany, with plans to strengthen local processing, logistics and supply capabilities.
This demonstrates that even a well-established model keeps evolving to further strengthen its position.
Picture source: Private archive