Although the share of imports is generally increasing in the German organic fruit and vegetable market, the situation seems to be different for organic apples. The share of domestic produce is slightly increasing. This study uses the concept of the relational view to identify success factors
within the German organic apple supply chain. Hence, the research is focussed on relationship quality and collaborative activities. Furthermore, a detailed description of the organic apple supply chain in Germany is provided. Structured interviews were conducted with selected actors within the supply chain. It emerged that an important success factor in the organic apple supply
chain was high relationship quality between actors that result in intense collaboration. Actors at all levels of the supply chain are highly committed and describe their business relations as satisfying and trustful. These findings are consistent with the assumptions of the relational view.