What You'll Learn
- Identify which import operations must be certified and the customs-broker exemption
- Distinguish the organic exporter and organic importer roles
- Explain what the NOP Import Certificate contains and why it exists
- Meet the timing rule that the certificate must precede export
- Verify import shipments against valid certificate data at receiving
- Confirm a shipment escaped prohibited fumigation or irradiation in transit
- Retain import records for your annual inspection
Watch Time: 13:35
Sourcing across borders is common for organic handlers, and it’s also where organic integrity is most at risk. This video walks through the requirements that protect organic integrity. It identifies who in the supply chain has to be certified and the narrow exemption for a customs broker who never takes ownership of the product. Most of the video centers on the NOP Import Certificate, the electronic record every organic shipment has to carry, covering what it contains, who can issue it, and the timing rule that catches operations off guard, since a shipment that leaves before the certificate is filed loses its organic status permanently. It then turns to your responsibilities once a load arrives, from confirming the certificate data to verifying that border pest treatments didn’t compromise the product, and the records both exporter and importer keep for their annual inspections. Handlers who import regularly describe how they manage the paperwork and its deadlines. Watch this video when you’re taking on a new overseas supplier or setting up how your operation receives and verifies imported products.
About the Featured Operations
Organically Grown Company
- Organic Produce Wholesaler & Distributor
- Portland, OR
- 260 Employees
- Certified Organic since 1998
An organic produce wholesaler and distributor sourcing certified organic fruits and vegetables domestically and internationally for retailers, restaurants, buying clubs, and processors. At its core a logistics operation, it also sorts, repacks, co-packs, and private-labels. Founded to support local organic growers, it is now purpose-trust owned, serving a mission rather than profit and committed to advancing organic.
Giant Jones Brewing Company
- Organic Brewery
- Madison, WI
- 4 Employees
- Certified Organic since 2019
A certified organic brewery run by women, specializing in strong beer styles such as barley wines and Belgian tripels, sold in returnable bottles. The focus on big beers lets it absorb the cost of organic ingredients. Its motivation is rooted in community, sustainability, and a belief in organic agriculture’s benefits for soil, water, and wildlife.
Traditional Medicinals
- Organic Herbal Teas
- Rohnert Park, CA
- Certified Organic since 1995
An herbal tea company and early organic adopter, deeply committed to its source communities and organic teas. It sources organic botanicals from grower communities worldwide, treating those relationships as essential to its work, and advocates for organic on a broader scale beyond its own products.
TCHO Chocolate
- Organic Chocolate Maker
- Berkeley, CA
- Certified Organic since 2009
An organic chocolate maker focused on flavor and sustainability, built on the philosophy that better beans make a better bar. It works directly with cacao-farming communities in Ghana, Ecuador, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Madagascar, co-creating higher quality, and at times helping growers reach organic status, all without compromising on flavor.
Tradin Organic
- Organic Ingredient Importer
- Aptos, CA
- Certified Organic since 2010
A global organic sourcing company importing bulk ingredients such as seeds, grains, fruits, juices, and cooking oils, aiming to be a one-stop shop for U.S. companies seeking organic inputs. It emphasizes long-term grower relationships built on trust and farm visits, with a stated goal of making organic more broadly available.