The Cornucopia Institute

What The Cornucopia Institute does

The Cornucopia Institute is a national nonprofit watchdog organization incorporated in 2004 as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) entity (EIN: 20-1075143), headquartered in Viroqua, Wisconsin. The organization researches, investigates, and advocates for the integrity of organic food labeling, production, processing, and marketing in the United States. Its primary constituencies are health-conscious organic food consumers, community-scale organic farmers, and food policy advocates.

The organization's core product surface is a suite of free consumer-facing research and transparency tools. These include Organic Scorecards that rate brands across eggs, dairy, beef, poultry, plant-based beverages, cottage cheese, and soy; the Who Owns Organic database tracking brand ownership and identifying independent versus private-equity or top-100-processor-owned labels; and interactive Google Maps-powered Local Organic Berry and Tomato Maps. Supporting products include Buyer's Guides on hydroponics, carrageenan, and egg labeling, plus NOSB rulemaking coverage, an eNews newsletter, and Action Alerts for policy mobilization. Distribution is through the cornucopia.org website, email newsletter, and social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube).

Cornucopia's business model is donation-funded: revenue comes entirely from tax-deductible individual contributions from farmers and consumers, with no government funds, product sales, or paid services. Operations are supported by a board of directors and a network of policy advisors with deep organic farming credentials, and the organization has earned high Charity Navigator and Guidestar nonprofit ratings. In September 2025, Cornucopia partnered with Tractor Beverage Company and the Farmhand Foundation on the "We The Soil" campaign advocating for organic farmers in the US Farm Bill process.

Name

The Cornucopia Institute

Legal name

The Cornucopia Institute

Website

https://cornucopia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cornucopia Institute is a Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that researches and advocates for organic food integrity, serving organic consumers, independent organic farmers, and food policy advocates through scorecards, ownership databases, and farm maps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Organic Food Advocacy

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA)

Keywords

• Organic food advocacy
• Nonprofit research
• Organic certification
• Food policy advocacy
• Consumer education

Headquarters

HQ city

Viroqua

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Primary revenue source is individual donor contributions from farmers and consumers who support organic integrity. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The organization does not solicit or receive any government funds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Cornucopia Institute conducts independent research and produces consumer-facing tools that rate and expose the practices of organic food brands and producers. Its primary deliverables include Organic Scorecards, the Who Owns Organic database of corporate ownership, Local Organic Farm Maps, and category-specific Buyer's Guides that help consumers and policymakers evaluate organic food integrity.

Product overview

The Cornucopia Institute operates as an organic food watchdog organization offering a suite of research and advocacy tools rather than a unified software product. The core offering consists of Organic Scorecards covering eggs, dairy, beef, poultry, plant-based beverages, cottage cheese, and soy—each rating brands from authentic organic to industrial production. Supporting tools include the Who Owns Organic database tracking brand ownership, interactive Local Organic Berry and Tomato Maps powered by Google Maps, specialized Buyer's Guides (hydroponics, carrageenan, egg labels, poultry ownership), and Organic Rulemaking Coverage of NOSB meetings. The organization also distributes eNews newsletters and Action Alerts for advocacy mobilization. Together, these tools enable consumers to identify authentic organic products, understand brand ownership structures, and engage in organic policy advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Scorecards Rating tools that evaluate and rank organic food brands and producers across various product categories, providing consumers with independent assessments of organic integrity beyond minimum certification standards.
• Who Owns Organic Database A searchable database that documents corporate ownership of organic food brands, exposing consolidation and parent-company relationships within the organic industry.
• Local Organic Farm Maps Interactive maps and directories that help consumers locate local organic farms, CSAs, and producers in their geographic region.
• Organic Buyer's Guides Category-specific consumer guides that help shoppers identify the most authentically produced organic products within food categories such as dairy, eggs, and produce.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tractor Beverage CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Tractor Beverage Company partnered with The Cornucopia Institute and the Farmhand Foundation to launch the 'We The Soil' campaign during Organic Month and Farm Aid 40. The initiative mobilizes citizens and policymakers in support of organic farmers and the upcoming US Farm Bill. Cornucopia provides advocacy expertise and farmer community connections to the campaign aimed at supporting organic farming provisions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rodale Institute: Nonprofit focused on organic agriculture research, farmer training, and education to advance regenerative organic practices. Comparable in advancing the science and policy basis of organic farming, with overlapping farmer-advocate audiences.
• Food & Water Watch: Member-supported nonprofit advocating for clean food and water, including against corporate consolidation in agriculture and food labeling reforms. Operates with the same donation-funded grassroots advocacy model targeting federal food policy.
• Beyond Pesticides: Nonprofit working to protect health and the environment by transitioning to a world free of toxic pesticide use. Comparable in combining organic advocacy, scientific research dissemination, and federal policy engagement.
• Organic Consumers Association: Nonprofit advocacy organization campaigning for organic food, regenerative agriculture, and against GMO and corporate consolidation. Closest direct peer: both fundraise from individual donors, publish research-driven consumer education content, and engage in federal policy advocacy around organic standards.
• The Organic Center: Nonprofit research and education organization affiliated with the Organic Trade Association, translating peer-reviewed science on organic benefits for policymakers and media. Directly comparable scientific-advocacy role; former Cornucopia advisor Steve Sprinkel served as its board president.
• Environmental Working Group: Nonprofit research and advocacy organization producing consumer-facing databases and guides (e.g., Dirty Dozen, Food Scores). Highly comparable in producing publicly accessible rating tools and databases that translate scientific and supply-chain research into consumer decision-making.
• Center for Food Safety: National nonprofit that combines litigation, policy advocacy, and public education to protect the food supply from industrial agriculture practices. Directly comparable in mission: safeguarding organic and non-GMO integrity, monitoring USDA organic rulemaking, and mobilizing citizen action.
• Pesticide Action Network North America: International nonprofit working to replace hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound alternatives. Comparable nonprofit advocacy model targeting pesticide-related federal regulation and organic/sustainable agriculture promotion.

Emerging players

• Food Tank: Nonprofit focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Comparable in food-system research dissemination and consumer education, but with a broader global and dietary framing rather than organic-specific certification focus.
• Real Organic Project: Grassroots farmer-led add-on organic label focused on soil-grown and pasture-raised standards. Overlaps with Cornucopia's scorecard differentiation between authentic organic and industrialized 'organic-washed' production, and represents a competing standards-credibility framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfNdcu52aSgVtaOjKG6fCZQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cornucopia.Institute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cornucopia-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/cornucopiainstitute
• Xx.com/Cornucopia_Inst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Cornucopia Institute