Our History

Europe's Most Trusted Partner for Southeast Asian Groceries

What began as a modest stall and a big dream in Frankfurt has grown into a continent-wide network connecting the cultures and flavours of Asia with businesses across Europe. For over four decades, GFT has been building bridges — between producers and retailers, between tradition and innovation, and between East and West.

1980
Founding
Starting the Business

P.K. Bhandari relocates to Germany and establishes GFT in Frankfurt, starting in a small 70m² shop to test the potential of Indian products in the German market.

1983
Meeting market demand
From Shop To Warehouse

GFT relocates to a new 320m2 warehouse in Mörfelden-Walldorf.

1991
Exclusive Brands & Moving
New Location

With exclusive brands and an expanded product range, GFT relocates to a 520 m² warehouse in Mörfelden, featuring high-rack storage systems.

1993
Launch of in-house brands
Launch of SCHANI brand and in-house production

The beginning of our in-house production.
This milestone laid the foundation for delivering consistent quality and authentic products.

2001
Building the Headquarter
More capacity, better logistics, stronger growth

With a new purpose-built warehouse of 15,000m² in Biebesheim am Rhein GFT takes a big step torwards one of Germany’s largest Asian Wholesaler.

2004
First GFT subsidiary
Distribution Centre Spain

The first GFT subsidiary is established in Barcelona, Spain, enabling regular supply to Spain, Portugal, the south of France, and the Balearic Islands.

2011
New Basmati Rice
Launch of Rice Brand HEER

GFT introduces new Basmati Rice in its own brand "Heer” that establishes itself quickly as one of the big Basmati brands in Europe.

2013
Branch opening in Paris
Distribution Centre France

GFT opens a branch in Paris, France, its second-largest market in mainland Europe. With a 1,200 m² warehouse and its own fleet of lorries, the office is able to directly cater to the growing French market.

2014
Expanding across the channel
Distribution Centre UK

To further expand across channels, GFT UK was established to enter the largest Asian/Indian market in Europe. Parul Saigal (Bhandari) rejoins GFT as Managing Director after 13 years in the FMCG sector.

2026
Riedstadt - New HQ
New Headquarter

In early 2026, GFT Group relocated its headquarters from Biebesheim am Rhein to Riedstadt-Wolfskehlen. The new site features modern infrastructure and a 40,000 sqm warehouse, significantly enhancing operational capacity, scalability, and long-term growth potential.

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