Quality Certification Services

What Quality Certification Services does

Quality Certification Services (QCS) is the third-party certification program of Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers Inc. (FOG), a nonprofit founded in 1989 and USDA-accredited since 2001. QCS certifies organic, food safety, and ethical compliance for farms, processors, handlers, importers, exporters, and distributors across 39 U.S. states and 20 countries, with wholly-owned regional offices in Gainesville (Florida), Quito (Ecuador), and Mao (Dominican Republic). The portfolio spans USDA National Organic Program certification, EU Regulation 2018/848, the Canada Organic Regime, GLOBAL G.A.P., Regenerative Organic Certified, Organic Plus Trust Grass-Fed, GRASP, and other food-safety/social-practice add-ons, plus a Specific Trade Practices program that certifies up to six custom claims (e.g., living wages, solar energy usage) per operation.

QCS generates revenue through annual certification fees tiered to each client's gross organic sales, usage-based inspection costs scaled to operation complexity, and specific trade practices fees billed at $50/hour for the first four hours and $40/hour thereafter, with expedited review available at additional cost. The company operates a proprietary Ecert Client Portal for real-time certificate, inspection report, and Organic System Plan access, integrates with the USDA Organic Integrity Database for NOP Import Certificates, and partners with Quick Organics for a digital-first application and audit workflow. GTM is sales-led (free 15-minute discovery calls, certification project coordinators) with a hybrid channel via Quick Organics, multilingual staff supporting Latin American and Caribbean growth, and thought leadership through industry participation, webinars, and educational video resources.

Name

Quality Certification Services

Legal name

Quality Certification Services (QCS) / Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers Inc. (FOG)

Website

https://qcsinfo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic and Food Safety Certification Services

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF) (AFALAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Safety & Quality Scheme Certifications (GFSI Programs) (AFALAMAI), Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services (AFALAMAD)

Keywords

• Organic certification services
• Food safety certification
• USDA organic compliance
• GLOBAL G.A.P. certification
• Regenerative organic certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Gainesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certification Fees: Annual certification fees based on the annual gross sales of organic products for the operation. For new operations, projections for first year sales are accepted. This is a recurring annual revenue stream that scales with client business size.
2. Inspection Costs: Inspection costs based on the relative simplicity to complexity of the operation, essentially equating to the amount of time the inspector will spend on the inspection. Additional fees may apply for on-farm processing, international verifications, and expedited services.
3. Specific Trade Practices Certification: QCS Specific Trade Practices Fee at $50.00/hour for first four hours of review, with subsequent review billed at $40.00/hr plus inspection costs. Covers certification of up to 6 specific trade practices per operation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Quality Certification Services (QCS) is a third-party certification body providing organic, food safety, and ethical certification services to producers, processors, handlers, importers, exporters, and distributors. QCS issues certifications against multiple standards including USDA Organic (NOP), EU Regulation 2018/848, Canada Organic Regime, Regenerative Organic Certified, Organic Plus Trust Grass-Fed, and GLOBALG.A.P., supported by multilingual staff across offices in Florida, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

Product overview

Quality Certification Services (QCS) operates as a one-stop-shop certification body offering a comprehensive suite of organic, food safety, and ethical certification programs. The core offering centers on multi-jurisdiction organic certifications (USDA Organic, EU Organic, Canada Organic Regime) with add-on specialty certifications including Regenerative Organic Certified, Organic Plus Trust Grass-Fed, and GLOBAL G.A.P. The product portfolio includes self-service digital tools (Client Portal, Document Library, Video Resources), regulatory compliance services (NOP Import Certificates, EU Certificates of Inspection), and supporting resources (consultant referrals, training materials). QCS also maintains a partnership with Quick Organics for digital application management. All services are supported by multilingual staff across offices in Florida, Ecuador, and Dominican Republic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• USDA Organic Certification Third-party certification service for USDA National Organic Program compliance, enabling producers, processors, and handlers to use the USDA Organic seal on their products.
• EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 Certification Certification according to Regulation (EU) 2018/848 for operations in third countries seeking access to EU organic markets, with compliance options for Switzerland and Bio Suisse standards.
• Canada Organic Regime (COR) Certification Certification under the Canada Organic Regime for products labeled organic according to Canadian Organic Standards, including US-Canada Equivalency Arrangement options.
• Regenerative Organic Certified Add-on certification building upon organic standards with focus on soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness, available as Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels.
• GLOBALG.A.P. Certification Food safety certification enabling producers to demonstrate safe production and traceable marketing of food, including IFA Fruit and Vegetables, Chain of Custody, and Harmonized Produce Safety Standard.
• Organic Plus Trust Grass-Fed Certification Third-party certification for grass-fed organic dairy and meat production, establishing the first national standard with requirements including 60% dry matter intake from pasture and 150 days on pasture.
• GRASP (GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice) Voluntary farm-level social and labor management tool for global supply chains, used in combination with Integrated Farm Assurance certification.
• Specific Trade Practices Program Certification program for up to 6 specific trade practices such as pesticide-free employee exposure, living wages, or solar energy usage, verified during regular organic audits.
• Consultant Referral Network Maintained list of vetted organic and food safety consultants available to assist operations with certification preparation, organized by specialty categories.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Quick OrganicscoreTechnology or IntegrationQCS has partnered with Quick Organics to make organic certification more accessible through a digital platform. The partnership combines QCS's certification expertise with Quick Organics' digital-first approach, allowing producers to manage applications, documentation, and audits online with intuitive tools and real-time support. Certification is still issued directly by QCS.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS: SGS is the world's largest testing, inspection, and certification company, offering organic and food safety certification as part of its broader TIC portfolio. It is a broad incumbent competing with QCS for enterprise-scale organic certification contracts.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global TIC services provider offering agricultural and food certification services including organic and sustainability schemes. As a broad incumbent, it competes with QCS for multinational food and beverage clients seeking integrated certification services.

Direct peers

• Quality Assurance International (QAI): QAI is a leading USDA-accredited organic certification body serving food producers, processors, and retailers globally. It is a direct competitor to QCS, offering overlapping organic, non-GMO, and food safety certification programs.
• BCS Öko-Garantie: BCS Öko-Garantie is a Germany-based organic certification body offering USDA NOP, EU, and international organic certifications globally. It competes directly with QCS for clients seeking access to European organic markets.
• Ecocert: Ecocert is a France-based global certification body specializing in organic, ecological, and fair-trade certifications across agriculture, food, and cosmetics. It is a direct competitor to QCS in international organic certification, particularly for EU and global market access.
• Control Union Certifications: Control Union is a global certification body operating in organic, textile, and agricultural commodities across 70+ countries. It competes with QCS for international organic certifications, particularly for large enterprise and import/export clients.
• Mayacert: Mayacert is a Latin America-focused organic and fair-trade certification body headquartered in Guatemala. It directly competes with QCS's Ecuador and Caribbean offices for organic certification clients in Central and South America.
• CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers): CCOF is one of the largest US-based organic certification bodies, offering USDA NOP certification to growers, processors, and handlers. It is directly comparable to QCS as a competing third-party organic certifier with similar US-domestic focus and nonprofit heritage.
• Oregon Tilth Certified Organic: Oregon Tilth is a nonprofit organic certification body accredited by USDA, serving farms and processors primarily in the Pacific Northwest. It competes directly with QCS in the US organic certification market with similar service offerings including NOP, EU, and COR certifications.

Regional players

• Primus Auditing Operations: Primus Auditing Operations specializes in food safety audits and certification (GFSI schemes, PrimusGFS) primarily serving North American produce operations. It is comparable to QCS as a peer in the food safety certification space, though more regional in focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubestudio.youtube.com/channel/UC1qgPO9KyNihO0GM-ltWLyA
• Facebookfacebook.com/qualitycertificationservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quality-certification-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/quality.certification.services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Quality Certification Services