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The producers often compete with one another on price in order to be able to sell to the big supermarkets. It is important to us that all actors in the supply chain are paid fairly. That’s why instead of looking for the cheapest supplier, we rely on long-term partnerships with producers who share our vision. Together, we’re changing global trade to benefit farming families, local economies and the environment.
FAQ
General Information
gebana's products may sometimes be more expensive than you're used to. There are many complex reasons for this, which have to do with our goal of making trade fairer and more sustainable. We can only do this by maximising our impact at the source, in other words, the positive effect our products have on family farmers, the environment and the local economy. We achieve this by investing in local processing, employing local people, advising and training family farmers and taking big risks. This all adds up, resulting in high costs which we need to cover somehow. You can find out more about what's included our price in our blog articles "What constitutes a good price" und "We're lowering our price.".
There's no simple answer to this question. It depends on the product and the project. In addition to the price for the raw goods, we pay family farmers in the countries of origin a Fairtrade premium in nearly all cases, with very few exceptions, and an organic premium for organic cultivation. In some countries, we've also implemented our gebana model. On top of the price for the raw goods and the organic premium, families there receive a share of our sales from direct sales. We distribute this money among all the family farmers who supply gebana, not just those who sell us products for direct sales. This sustainably improves the situation of an entire region. Our revenue sharing model is implemented on a product by product and country by country basis. We've already started in Burkina Faso, Togo and Greece. You can read more about our sharing approach in the article "How we share sales and profits". We are happy to provide you with more information about specific products. Send us a message.
Product Range
Customs regulations and our smaller EU warehouse prevent us from delivering all the products that we offer in Switzerland to customers in the EU as well.
Information on this can be found in our seasonal calendar, which shows which fresh products can be delivered for each month. Note that the calendar indicates the time of delivery! Be sure to pre-order well in advance.
Yes, it's an excellent fit. There are also family farmers in Switzerland and we are happy to be able to add regional products to our range. The family farmers produce with animal welfare in mind and are mostly certified organic. Like all our food, the products come directly from the farm to you in bulk packaging.
All information about how to store our fresh products and how long they will keep can be found in the "Storage and shelf life" tab on the corresponding product page in our shop.
As a food retailer, we have to specify a best-before date for our products. However, this date cannot be determined with precision, so the products can usually be enjoyed long after that. In principle, unless otherwise stated, almost all of our products can be kept for at least three months after delivery. Fresh products are an exception, of course.
Since we are used to small supermarket packaging, a 1-kilo package may seem very large. You can easily put our dried fruit and nuts in containers and store them in cool, dry place for a long time. As for our fresh fruit, we recommend consuming it with family and friends. Order together and share the products, which will incidentally allow you to benefit from our discounting system. On this site, you'll find all kinds of tips and ideas from our customers on how to use up large quantities ordered from us in bulk.
That largely depends on the harvest. A given year may yield many large oranges, another year may produce many small ones. For most fresh products, we give estimates in the "How much is that?" section below the product description.
To get to know our products, we recommend our tasting sets, which include 12 different sample sizes from our range of dried fruit and nuts.
Our product focus is quality and therefore taste. Since there are no uniformity standards in nature, we also deliver products with blemishes, as long as quality is not affected
No, our nuts and dried fruit aren’t vacuum-sealed. However, some are packaged in a controlled atmosphere as stated on the label. The nuts are usually packaged somewhat tighter to protect them during shipping. If the packaging has slightly loosened on arrival, don't worry – the nuts are still fresh and their shelf life has not been affected. It’s important to store the products in closed containers in a cool, dark and dry place. It’s best to store them below 16°C so that even moths don’t stand a chance./p>
Conversion means that the producers are in the process of converting their agricultural methods, which usually lasts 3 years. During this time, they are already working in accordance with organic guidelines, but they will only receive the organic certificate at the end of the process. For example, if citrus fruit comes from a company in this phase, you can consume the peel just as safely as that of fruit that is already certified organic.
Most of our producers are certified organic. This means that they have to adhere to organic regulations and are only allowed to use pesticides of vegetable, animal, microbial or mineral origin. Further information can be found in the organic regulations.
Essentially, some trees have sweet seeds and other have bitter seeds, but every sweet almond tree also produces a few bitter ones, which are indistinguishable from the sweet ones. Depending on the quality of the almonds, the permissible share of bitter almonds in a package is set at 1-5% by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Consuming bitter almonds is harmless, and the bitterness disappears after baking.
We do not choose our suppliers on the basis of raw food quality, nor is it the focus of our own production. It may be that the processing temperature for certain products is below 45 degrees, but because this cannot be guaranteed, we do not label any of our products as raw food.
Pre-Order
The family farmers only harvest their fruit once they reach the proper stage of ripeness, at which point we send it to you as quickly as possible. We cannot precisely predict when this will be because nature determines when we harvest. You have to place your order in advance and wait for the harvest. This provides more security for us and the farmers in terms of planning and also prevents us from importing more fruit than we can sell.
Pre-orders that have already been placed can be cancelled until the order deadline has been reached. Please email our customer service at [email protected]
Nature determines when fresh fruit or vegetables are ready to be delivered. The family farmers only harvest their produce once they reach the proper stage of ripeness. We share an estimated date in our online shop, but it could vary due to weather conditions. Before dispatch, we will send you a notification so that you can plan delivery of your fresh products. If the products are delivered in several partial packages, e.g. the oranges, delivery takes place in the sequence in which the orders were placed.
The dates that we provide are estimates based on our experience. We want to offer the best possible product quality. The actual harvest and delivery dates are predicated on nature, not a calendar.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that. We want to offer the highest quality product possible. That’s why the harvest and delivery dates are predicated on nature, not a calendar.
We can’t postpone the delivery date because we ship out the fresh fruit immediately after harvest. We can’t keep any shipments because we have no way of storing fresh products. However, if you contact us before the order deadline is reached, we can update the delivery address. Depending on the product, we may be able to postpone the deadline by a few weeks. Please contact our customer service at [email protected]
Transport & Delivery
We deliver throughout Switzerland and to the following EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the Slovak Republic
We charge flat rates for shipping within Switzerland and to the EU. We offer free delivery for orders that meet a minimum value.
| Country | Flat shipping rate | Free shipping |
| Switzerland | CHF 9.00 (Economy) | from CHF 150.00 |
| Liechtenstein | CHF 9.00 (Economy) | from CHF 150.00 |
| Germany | EUR 8.00 | from EUR 120.00 |
| Belgium | EUR 9.00 | from EUR 120.00 |
| France | EUR 9.00 | from EUR 120.00 |
| Luxembourg | EUR 9.00 | from EUR 120.00 |
| Netherlands | EUR 9.00 | from EUR 120.00 |
| ÖAustria | EUR 9.00 | from EUR 120.00 |
| DäDenmark | EUR 13.00 | from EUR 120.00 |
| Italy | EUR 13.00 | ab EUR 120.00 |
| Croatia | EUR 13.00 | ab EUR 120.00 |
| Poland | EUR 13.00 | ab EUR 120.00 |
| Slovak republic | EUR 13.00 | ab EUR 120.00 |
Orders to Switzerland can also be sent as a "Post Priority Parcel" for a surcharge of CHF 2.00 which must be paid even if the order value meets the minimum for free shipping.
The delivery time in the EU is usually 3-5 days. In Switzerland, it is 2-5 days for Economy deliveries and 1-2 days for Priority deliveries. This does not apply to pre-orders and products for which a shipping date is specified.
You receive an automated email with the tracking number as soon as we hand over the package to our shipping provider.
After passing the border, our fresh products make a short stop in a warehouse. This is where the invoice is added to the parcel and the lid with the postage label on it. The parcel is usually sent to the post office the following day. The dried fruit and nuts, on the other hand, come from our warehouse in Singen, which is why we ship them separately.
For logistical reasons, it isn’t possible to send certain products – such as pre-orders or products that are currently unavailable – together with the products we have in stock. That’s why orders are separated into several packages. Of course, we only charge postage once. For orders that meet a minimum value of EUR 120, all shipments are free of charge.
In Switzerland, we send our parcels via Swiss Post. In the EU, we work together with DHL.
Our products come to us by lorry, rail and cargo ship. In some cases, it is a combination of all three means of transport, but most products are transported by lorry and ship. One exception is the fresh Sugar Loaf pineapple from Togo. We fly this in because it can only be kept for a few days. Unfortunately, all attempts to bring this fruit to Europe by sea have failed. You can read more about flying in pineapples on our blog. In 2024, we will also have to fly in our avocado from Kenya. Due to the security situation in the Suez Canal, we have not found a shipping company that still operates this route. The alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope, is too long and we would risk spoiling the avocados.
Packaging
Nearly 70 per cent of our products are packaged in their country of origin and we don't repackage them again. So the products you receive in the post are still in their original packaging. This makes sense because we use shorter transport routes, generate lower emissions and save on packaging material. On your side, you will need to find a practical storage solution for the product, process it or share it friends, neighbours and family. As a guideline, we include storage instructions with all our fresh products and suggest new recipes and ideas for you on our blog that will help you use up large quantities.
We do not take back packaging materials, as we do not operate our own recycling system. This includes boxes, stuffing materials, metal olive oil cans, empty tomato passata bottles, and all plastic packaging.
The most sustainable option is to recycle these materials at existing collection points or repurpose them. However, we are always exploring alternative solutions and would appreciate any ideas you may have for improvement.
Our leaflets are an important way for us to inform our customers about our current offering. The third-party leaflets come from partners who we think could be of interest to gebana customers. Unfortunately, we’re unable to take individual customer requests regarding leaflets into consideration as part of the packaging process.
Our nuts and dried fruit are packaged in plastic to optimise protection and shelf life. Many products are packaged in the country of origin, so the plastic packaging protects them during transport in the container. In addition, the protection of the plastic bag also contributes to a longer shelf life, which would not be guaranteed by paper packaging, for example. Without an optimal alternative, we are dependent on this material for the time being. However, we are open to exploring other options, provided that quality is maintained. You can find more information on the topic on our blog.
Unfortunately, this is currently too much of a burden, both financially and in terms of management. However, we’re constantly on the lookout for new options.
Billing
Unfortunately, this isn’t possible for technological reasons.
Sometimes, we have to split an order into several shipments. For each delivery, we issue an invoice for the products in the package. Unfortunately, we can’t generate a single invoice for the entire order in these instances. If you would like to pay for the products in advance, we recommend paying for the order by credit card or bank transfer through our online shop.
Kundenservice & Kundenkonto
Vereinzelt kann es vorkommen, dass sich Ihre Bestellung und die Aussendung unserer Bestellflyer überschneiden. Das bedeutet nicht, dass wir Ihre Bestellungen nicht verarbeitet haben. Eine Übersicht über Ihre Bestellungen finden Sie im Online-Shop unter "Meine Bestellungen".
Als Wiederverkäufer oder Shop-In-Shop-Partner bestellen Sie zu attraktiven Konditionen. Loggen Sie sich mit Ihrer registrierten Mail-Adresse in den Wiederverkäufer-Shop ein oder kontaktieren Sie uns für weitere Informationen.
Bitte senden Sie keine Frischprodukte an uns zurück. Machen Sie ein Foto, versuchen Sie noch so viele Früchte wie möglich zu verwerten und schreiben Sie uns eine E-Mail an [email protected] unter Angabe der Lot-Nummer und der Grösse des Ausfalls. Wir werden mit Ihnen eine passende Lösung suchen.
Ja, Sie können bei uns als Gast bestellen. Wenn Sie sich registrieren, sparen Sie bei Ihrem nächsten Einkauf allerdings Zeit, weil Sie Ihre Daten nicht erneut eingeben müssen.
Data Privacy
We protect your data in accordance with the requirements of the Swiss Data Protection Act. Our systems are secure. Furthermore, we don’t save any highly sensitive information such as credit card details. Find out more in our data privacy policy.
In Switzerland, we are legally obliged to keep data on our business transactions for at least 10 years. If customers do not explicitly want their other data to be deleted, we will keep it for an indefinite period of time. We use it to evaluate the success of our work, notably in a long-term perspective.
In certain cases, yes, but only so that they may do what we ask of them. Specifically, we have several partners who support us with logistics or data acquisition. They are contractually obliged to use your data solely in the context of our contract and to not pass it on to others.
You can email us at [email protected] to request the deletion of your data. We will comply with your request immediately. If necessary, we’ll also provide information as to what data we have stored about you.