Naturland

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.

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

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

• Organic certification services
• Fair trade certification
• Agricultural association services
• Organic farming standards
• Farmer membership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Gräfelfing

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Membership Fees: Membership fees from farmers, processors, and partners. Members gain access to certification, standards, training, networking, and international projects.
3. 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.
4. International Project Funding: Funding from EU programs (Horizon Europe, development cooperation projects) and government sponsors for international development projects promoting organic agriculture.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• COEXPHALcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2024COEXPHAL 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.
• FederBiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaturland 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaturland 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 InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarco 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaturland developed a new bat-friendly standard for agave cultivation in consultation with UNAM, making Naturland agave cultivation bat-friendly.
• Access AgricultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaturland 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

Direct 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/NaturlandoekoLandbau
• YouTubeyoutube.com/naturlandtv
• Instagraminstagram.com/naturland_ev
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturland-association-for-organic-agriculture
• Xx.com/naturland_ev

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Naturland