Naturland
Naturland is a German non-profit association founded in 1982 that sets organic farming standards exceeding EU regulations and certifies 114,000+ farmers and 1,500+ processors across 60+ countries, offering annual certification, the Naturland Fair label, and training through the Naturland Akademie.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersGräfelfing, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Naturland does
Naturland - Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V. is a member-governed, non-profit organic farming association founded in 1982 in Bavaria, Germany, and headquartered in Gräfelfing. It develops and administers comprehensive organic certification standards covering crop production, livestock, aquaculture, beekeeping, forest management, processing, gastronomy, cosmetics, textiles, timber, social responsibility, fair trade, sustainable fisheries, and insect breeding, with standards that exceed EU organic regulation. The organization serves 114,000+ farmers across 60+ countries (4,900 in Germany) and 1,500+ processing/trade partners, offering annual certification, the Naturland Fair three-pillar label, and the Naturland Akademie training platform with e-learning and on-site workshops.
The core technology is the Naturland Standards framework together with an Internal Control System (ICS) that enables group certification for smallholder farmer cooperatives in developing countries to access international markets. Naturland operates two wholly owned subsidiaries: Naturland Beratung (advisory services for farmers) and Naturland Zeichen GmbH (brand management, documentation, and partner services for processors and traders). Revenue is generated through recurring annual certification and membership fees, paid training services, and international project funding from EU programs (notably Horizon Europe) and government sponsors.
The go-to-market motion is community-led, combining farmer recruitment, standards development, certification services, Akademie training, and international development projects such as BIOGREENET (2025-2029, Horizon Europe-funded) and Biofruitnet. Naturland is governed by an Assembly of 40 Delegates (including 9 international delegates) that elects a five-member Board; in September 2025, delegates elected Eberhard Räder as President and appointed Robin Roth as Executive Director, with Marco Schlüter (Managing Director, Strategy & International) serving as Vice President of IFOAM Organics International. The organization maintains consumer-facing marketing through BIOFACH, EU promotion campaigns ('Being Organic in EU', 'Wow, Organic!'), and multilingual websites in German, English, Spanish, French, and Italian.
Naturland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Naturland
- Legal name
- Naturland - Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V.
- Website
- https://naturland.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Naturland is a German non-profit association founded in 1982 that sets organic farming standards exceeding EU regulations and certifies 114,000+ farmers and 1,500+ processors across 60+ countries, offering annual certification, the Naturland Fair label, and training through the Naturland Akademie.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Naturland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Organic Agriculture Certification
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services (AFALAMAD), Sustainability & Environmental Certifications (Carbon, Water, Regenerative) (AFALAMAC), Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)
Keywords
Where Naturland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gräfelfing
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Naturland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Certification Services: Annual inspection and certification fees paid by farms and processors for compliance with Naturland organic standards. All certified farms must pass annual inspections.
- Membership Fees: Membership fees from farmers, processors, and partners. Members gain access to certification, standards, training, networking, and international projects.
- Training and Education Services: Naturland Academy provides training programs and e-learning modules, with on-site training sessions and workshops delivered to farmers and cooperative staff worldwide.
- International Project Funding: Funding from EU programs (Horizon Europe, development cooperation projects) and government sponsors for international development projects promoting organic agriculture.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Farm/farmer membership with annual certification |
| Subscription | Annual | Processor/trade partner membership |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Naturland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Naturland operates a member-based organic farming certification association that sets, maintains, and audits comprehensive organic standards covering crop production, livestock, aquaculture, beekeeping, forest management, processing, gastronomy, cosmetics, textiles, timber, social responsibility, fair trade, and sustainable fisheries. It sells annual certification and membership to farmers and processors, and delivers training through the Naturland Academy alongside international development projects funded by EU and government programs.
Product overview
Naturland is the largest international organic farming association from Germany, offering a comprehensive portfolio of certification and standards services rather than a unified software product. The core offering is the Naturland Certification & Standards system, which provides organic farming certification exceeding EU regulations. Supporting offerings include: Naturland Fair (fair trade certification combining organic, social, and fair trade principles); Naturland Akademie (global training network with e-learning modules and workshops); Naturland Nachrichten (member magazine); and Naturland Faktenchecks/Fact Sheets (educational publications on organic farming topics). The Naturland Zeichen GmbH entity manages partner services for certified processors and traders. The association coordinates international projects like BIOGREENET and manages an Assembly of Delegates governance structure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Naturland Fair: Fair trade certification program combining organic farming, social responsibility, and fair trade in one label - both regional and worldwide.
Products and services
- Naturland Certification & Standards Organic farming certification service based on comprehensive Naturland standards that exceed EU organic regulations, covering production, processing, aquaculture, beekeeping, forest management, social responsibility, and fair trade. Annual inspection and certification for compliant farms and processors.
- Naturland Fair Certification Fair trade certification program that combines organic farming, social responsibility, and fair trade principles in one label for both regional and international products, distinguishing certified operations through a three-pillar approach.
- Naturland Academy
Quantifiable outcome
- 114,000+ farmers worldwide produce certified organic products
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Naturland
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Naturland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Naturland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- COEXPHALcoreCOEXPHAL plays a key role in organizing participatory technical workshops for over 3,000 growers and advisors across the organic greenhouse sector as part of the BIOGREENET Horizon Europe project.
- FederBiocoreNaturland and FederBio (Italy's organic umbrella organization) jointly pursue the EU promotion campaign 'Being Organic in EU' to raise awareness among German and Italian consumers about organic product quality.
- Biofruitnet Consortium (16 partners)coreNaturland initiated and manages the Biofruitnet project bringing together 16 NGOs, research institutes and universities from 13 EU countries including Instytut Ogrodnictwa (Poland), GRAB (France), Laimburg (Italy), IFOAM EU, CAAE/ECOVALIA (Spain), and FÖKO (Germany) to boost innovation in organic fruit production.
- IFOAM - Organics InternationalcoreMarco Schlüter, Naturland's Managing Director for Strategy & International, was elected Vice President of IFOAM - Organics International. Naturland actively participates in IFOAM Organic World Congress and other international initiatives.
- National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)minorNaturland developed a new bat-friendly standard for agave cultivation in consultation with UNAM, making Naturland agave cultivation bat-friendly.
- Access AgricultureminorNaturland Academy collaborates with Access Agriculture, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting organic farming, agroecology, and rural entrepreneurship.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Naturland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Demeter: International biodynamic agriculture certification association headquartered in Germany. Demeter certifies organic and biodynamic farms using standards that, like Naturland's, exceed EU organic baselines, and both compete directly for premium-positioned organic farmers and processors in DACH markets.
- Bio Suisse: Switzerland's umbrella organization for organic agriculture with the Bud label, certifying organic farms and processors under standards exceeding Swiss/EU regulation. Comparable member-governed association structure with premium positioning in the Swiss market.
- Soil Association: UK-based organic certification and advocacy organization certifying farms, processors, and retailers against organic standards exceeding UK/EU baselines. Comparable membership-based structure with annual certification fees and a focus on standards development and farmer training.
- Bioland: Germany's largest organic farming association and Naturland's primary domestic competitor. Both organizations certify organic farmers and processors under standards exceeding EU requirements, with overlapping farmer bases in Germany and competing for the same processor/trade partner relationships.
- Biokreis: German organic farming association certifying farms and processors under standards that exceed EU requirements. Direct competitor to Naturland in the German farmer certification market with a smaller member base but overlapping value proposition.
- Ecocert: France-based organic and sustainable certification body operating globally across agriculture, textiles, cosmetics, and food. Directly comparable to Naturland as a third-party certifier offering organic standards exceeding regulation in multiple verticals including aquaculture and forestry.
- Fairtrade International / FLO-CERT: Global fair trade certification system and its sister certification body FLO-CERT. Overlaps with Naturland Fair's value proposition in certifying smallholder producer groups on social and trade equity dimensions, and competes for the same downstream brand licensing fees.
Broad incumbents
- IFOAM - Organics International: Global umbrella organization for the organic agriculture movement, of which Naturland is a member and whose vice president is Naturland's strategy director. IFOAM sets international organic norms but does not directly certify farms, making it a broader industry body rather than a direct certification competitor.
- Control Union Certifications: Global certification company providing organic, sustainability, and social compliance certifications across agriculture and textiles. Competes with Naturland Zeichen GmbH for processor and trader certification contracts, particularly in international markets.
Emerging players
- Rainforest Alliance: International sustainability certification covering agriculture, forestry, and tourism. Overlaps with Naturland's expanded scope into forest management and tropical crop certifications, competing for sustainability-labeled supply chains in coffee, cocoa, and bananas.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Naturland social profiles
Digital presenceNaturland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Naturland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Naturland subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Naturland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Naturland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Naturland
What does Naturland do?
Naturland operates a member-based organic farming certification association that sets, maintains, and audits comprehensive organic standards covering crop production, livestock, aquaculture, beekeeping, forest management, processing, gastronomy, cosmetics, textiles, timber, social responsibility, fair trade, and sustainable fisheries. It sells annual certification and membership to farmers and processors, and delivers training through the Naturland Academy alongside international development projects funded by EU and government programs.
Is Naturland a public or private company?
Naturland is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Naturland founded?
Naturland was founded in 1982. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Naturland based?
Naturland is headquartered in Gräfelfing, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Naturland make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Certification Services are the primary driver. The others are membership Fees, training and Education Services and international Project Funding.
Who are Naturland's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Demeter, Bio Suisse, Soil Association, Bioland, Biokreis, Ecocert and Fairtrade International / FLO-CERT. Broad incumbents are IFOAM - Organics International and Control Union Certifications. Rainforest Alliance is listed as an emerging player.
Does Naturland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Naturland.
What industry is Naturland in?
Naturland's product category is Organic Agriculture Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALAMAA, Organic Certification Services, with a secondary code of AFALAMAD, Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services. Its SIC code is 700.