In conversation with RheinNatur Food GmbH

RheinNatur, based in Germany, is known for its high-quality, certified organic foods and nutritional supplements that meet the highest standards of purity and quality.

The success of our brand in Germany was a key motivator for us to take bolder steps towards expansion. Nothing inspires us more than the opportunity to serve our satisfied customers not only in Germany but across Europe, making our products available to an even larger audience.

Two years after our successful launch on the German Amazon marketplace, we spotted an advert for the Amazon expansion programme. We jumped at the chance to expand our business to the UK. The prospect of growing the brand further and opening up new markets inspired and motivated us to take this step.

We were fortunate to have personal support from Amazon that guided us through the entire process of navigating the UK-specific requirements. This support was particularly valuable as it also helped us with the registration of shipments. Thanks to this personal support, we were able to ensure that our products complied with all the necessary requirements and regulations. We are very grateful for this assistance, as it not only helped us comply with regulations but also opened up new opportunities for us in the UK.

Our inbound logistics are very complex, because we fill all the products ourselves. We start with product development, where new ideas arise. We go through many rounds of testing and blind tastings until we find the best raw materials and recipes. Our quality management team ensures that suppliers and incoming goods meet our quality standards. In production planning, we make sure that all the required raw materials and packaging items are available on time. Production is the at heart of RheinNatur. Each bag is personally handled by at least one of our team before being shipped to customers around the world. The aim of our logistics is to ensure that all RheinNatur items are always available on Amazon.

Our advertising and marketing strategy focuses on the quality and uniqueness of our predominantly organic-certified products, which are especially suitable for athletes and people following low-carb or keto diets. We aim to highlight the superior quality and benefits of our products to consumers, as these are the key factors that influence their purchasing decisions.

Several of our top-selling products have already earned the title “Amazon's Choice” for three years running, which has further enhanced the trust that our customers have in us.

One of the keys to RheinNatur’s success is our in-house production, which enables us to maintain consistently high inventory levels and almost never run out of stock. This production reliability allows us to always offer our customers reliable and high-quality products, thus strengthening loyalty to our brand.

We haven’t noticed any major differences between European and British customers. Our customers’ responses and behaviour are quite similar. It is particularly gratifying to see that our customers in the UK respond just as warmly and positively to our products as in other European countries.

On Amazon, sellers must be willing to play the long game. There are no shortcuts and no-one becomes a millionaire overnight. It takes time to build a brand, collect reviews and earn customers’ trust. It usually takes about six months for a new product to reach its potential in terms of sales figures. Profitability can take a bit longer to materialise. One key lesson we have learned is that patience and continuous improvement are crucial to achieving long-term success.

My final advice to any selling partners looking to expand into the UK is not to hesitate. While it may seem complicated at first, it’s definitely worth the effort. There’s plenty of support available. Be patient, stick with it and keep trying until it works. Success comes from hard work!