Global Organic Alliance

What Global Organic Alliance does

Global Organic Alliance, Inc. (GOA) is a US-based organic certification body headquartered in Bellefontaine, Ohio, established in 1997. The organization holds ISO 17065 accreditation and USDA National Organic Program (NOP) accreditation, and is authorized to issue TM-11 Export Certificates enabling certified US organic producers to export to Japan. GOA also provides compliance verification under the US/Canada Organic Equivalency arrangement, although it has not renewed its accreditation to certify operations directly in Canada.

GOA's core offering is fee-for-service organic certification for crop and livestock producers and handlers, covering initial certification, annual renewal, and inspection coordination. The organization engages independent contracted inspectors to perform on-site inspections and commits to delivering annual certification certificates within 4–6 weeks of receiving complete inspection documentation. Supporting products include a Membership Directory for networking and marketing, free downloadable NOP Standards, audit-trail templates, and policy and quality manuals accessible via the goa-online.org website.

The business model is direct sales: prospective members download registration forms and a Schedule of Fees from the website, then engage GOA via phone (937-593-1232) and email for onboarding. The organization is led by President/CEO Betty Kananen with a small office team, and distribution is handled without resellers or third-party intermediaries. Recent operational signals are largely defensive — GOA has narrowed its scope (no new hydroponic or porch-hen-house certifications) and let Canadian accreditation lapse — while continuing to maintain its US NOP and Japan TM-11 authorizations.

Name

Global Organic Alliance

Legal name

Global Organic Alliance, Inc.

Website

https://goa-online.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Organic Alliance is a Bellefontaine, Ohio-based organic certification body founded in 1997, holding ISO 17065 and USDA NOP accreditation to certify crop and livestock producers and to issue TM-11 Export Certificates to Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Certification Services

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA)

Keywords

• Organic certification services
• NOP accreditation
• ISO 17065 certification
• Organic export certificates
• USDA organic compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellefontaine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Organic Certification Services: GOA charges fees for organic certification and compliance verification services, including initial certification, annual renewal, and inspection coordination. The revenue model is fee-for-service, driven by certification of organic crop and livestock operations. A Schedule of Fees document is available to members and prospective members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Global Organic Alliance provides third-party organic certification services for crop and livestock producers and handlers under ISO 17065 and USDA NOP accreditation. Core services include initial and renewal NOP certification, on-site inspection coordination, TM-11 Export Certificate issuance for Japan, and US/Canada Organic Equivalency compliance verification. The organization supports certified members with a directory, downloadable audit trail templates, and periodic newsletters.

Product overview

Global Organic Alliance (GOA) operates as a certification body offering a unified organic certification platform. The core product is the organic certification service providing NOP and ISO 17065 accredited certification for crops and livestock. This core is augmented by TM-11 Export Certificate issuance for Japan, US/Canada Equivalency compliance verification, a Membership Directory for networking and marketing, and downloadable audit trail documentation templates. The company maintains its primary website at goa-online.org as the interface for member services, standards information, and resource access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Certification Services Certification services for organic crop and livestock operations, providing on-site inspection coordination, verification, and certification to USDA NOP and ISO 17065 standards for producers and handlers.
• NOP Certification National Organic Program certification providing compliance verification against USDA organic standards for organic crop and livestock producers and handlers operating in the United States.
• TM-11 Export Certificate Issuance Authorized service to issue TM-11 Export Certificates to Japan for certified organic products, enabling exporters to access the Japanese organic market under applicable trade arrangements.
• US/Canada Organic Equivalency Compliance Verification Compliance verification for the US/Canada organic equivalency arrangement, supporting operations seeking recognition of organic status across the U.S./Canada border.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CCOF Certification Services: CCOF is a nonprofit, USDA-accredited organic certifier serving growers, handlers, and processors. It directly overlaps with GOA's NOP organic certification, inspection, and compliance-verification offering.
• Oregon Tilth Certified Organic: Oregon Tilth is a nonprofit organization providing USDA-accredited organic certification and education. It is a close peer to GOA because both certify organic crop and livestock operations under the NOP.
• Quality Assurance International: QAI provides third-party organic certification for food producers, processors, and handlers. Its accredited certification and inspection services closely match GOA's core NOP offering.
• OneCert: OneCert provides organic certification and inspection services to farms and food businesses. It is directly comparable to GOA through its fee-based organic compliance and certification activities.
• Pennsylvania Certified Organic: Pennsylvania Certified Organic is a nonprofit USDA-accredited certifier for organic farms and processors. Its producer certification and inspection model is closely aligned with GOA's services.
• Ecocert: Ecocert is a global certification body that offers organic and other sustainability standards. Its organic inspection and certification services directly overlap with GOA's accreditation-led business.
• BCS Öko-Garantie: BCS Öko-Garantie is an organic certification and inspection body serving agricultural operations and food businesses. Its organic compliance services place it in the same product category as GOA.

Regional players

• Pro-Cert Organic Systems: Pro-Cert provides organic certification and international equivalency services, with a strong presence in Canada. It competes in the same certification category as GOA but has a materially different geographic emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Control Union Certifications: Control Union provides global inspection and certification services across agriculture and other industries. It is a broader incumbent but is comparable through its organic certification and export-compliance work.
• NSF: NSF is a broad global assurance and certification organization with organic-related services. It is a relevant incumbent because its accreditation, inspection, and compliance capabilities extend into the same organic certification market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/goainc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-organic-alliance

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Organic Alliance