What You'll Learn
- How to weigh fit, responsiveness, and industry experience when choosing a certifier.
- Certification costs.
- How to use the Organic Integrity Database to find certifiers who work with operations like yours.
- Why the certifier relationship is a partnership, and how over-communicating keeps you compliant.
Watch Time: 11:42
Choosing a certifier matters more than newcomers might expect, and this video starts by clearing up a common misconception. Every accredited certifier certifies to the same USDA NOP standard, so none of them decides what you can or can’t do. That’s set by the regulations. What differs is everything around that standard. With roughly 72 accredited agencies to choose from, the speakers encourage doing some exploratory work across a few, because a certifier is a long-term relationship that one handler compares to dating. Reputation matters too, and a certifier that’s well recognized in your state carries weight when you’re displaying its logo.
The real differences come down to fit, service, and cost. Because certifiers compete for business, a customer-service dynamic has emerged. Some take one to two months to review a label or formulation change, while others turn it around in 72 hours or expedite. Match that to your needs. A simple operation that just wants low-cost third-party validation might do well with a regional certifier, while a handler who needs labels reviewed every few weeks and quick answers may want a larger agency with a robust handling department. Industry experience is a strong qualification, and the Organic Integrity Database certifier locator lets you search by certified products to see who works with operations like yours. On cost, fees are typically a flat rate or percentage of sales, and mid-size operations often spend between $3,000 and $10,000. The speakers caution that the cheapest option often comes with the least support, a poor fit for anyone new to certification.
The strongest theme is that the certifier relationship is a partnership rather than an adversarial one, and the whole industry wants you to succeed. The consistent advice is to over-communicate. Tell your certifier about changes, new spaces, or substitutions before you act, not after. Whatever the certifier approves, you’re golden. Handlers get burned when they get ahead of the certifier and make purchase, labeling, or formulation decisions that turn out non-compliant after they’ve already spent the money.
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.
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.
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.
Raven’s Brew
- Coffee Roaster, Wholesale & Retail
- Tumwater, WA
- Certified Organic since 2002
A small family-owned coffee roaster producing organic and conventional blends, serving grocery stores, cafes, service organizations, and direct-to-consumer customers online. It grew customer by customer from a small operation into a roastery that emphasizes strong relationships with its importers and green-coffee suppliers.