Soil Association

What Soil Association does

Soil Association is a UK-registered charity founded in 1946 and headquartered in Bristol, with an additional office in Edinburgh. It operates as the leading food and farming charity in the United Kingdom, with approximately 150 staff in the charity entity and approximately 150 staff in its wholly-owned certification subsidiary. The group structure comprises Soil Association Limited (the charity, a company limited by guarantee), Soil Association Certification Limited (wholly-owned trading subsidiary), SA Sales and Services Limited (wholly-owned trading subsidiary), Soil Association Land Trust Limited (sister charity), and Soil Exchange Limited. Its core activities span four areas: campaigning and policy advocacy; organic and sustainable certification through Soil Association Certification across food, farming, forestry, textiles, and beauty sectors (with operations in approximately 40 countries for forestry certification); the Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) certification programme for public sector caterers (Bronze, Silver, Gold tiers), including Food for Life Scotland funded by the Scottish Government and serving over 108,700 school meals daily across 17 Scottish local authorities and 1.5 million meals daily across 6,723 UK schools and early years settings; and Soil Association Exchange, a farm-sustainability measurement platform collecting primary farm data for farmers and corporates.

The organisation's revenue model is hybrid and aligned with its charitable status. Income streams include individual membership subscriptions at £5–£10 per month, one-time donations, legacy bequests, and lottery participation; certification fees from Soil Association Certification licensees (the subsidiary being not-for-profit, with returns reinvested in the charity's work); grant funding from government bodies (e.g., Scottish Government for Food for Life Scotland) and institutional funders; corporate partnerships and trusts/foundations support; and trading activity through SA Sales and Services Limited. Annual turnover from business activities is described as considerably below the £36m Modern Slavery Act reporting threshold, and group supply chain expenditure is approximately £6m per annum. Its go-to-market combines direct B2B engagement for certification, public-sector partnership-based engagement for Food for Life programmes, self-serve digital channels for individual giving and membership, and community-led campaigning through petitions, MP outreach, and member activism on issues such as glyphosate use and gene-editing regulation.

Underlying technology centres on proprietary private organic standards (for GB and Northern Ireland) that exceed baseline UK and EU regulatory requirements, set by an independent Standards Committee. A dedicated Trade and Regulatory Affairs function monitors UK and EU regulations, shapes policy, and supports the organic trade on export requirements, green claims, and labelling. Digital infrastructure includes client portals for certification account management, an organic certificate checker, and the Soil Association Exchange platform with separate farmer-facing and corporate-facing portals. The organisation's primary technical differentiators are domain specialisation in organic standards rather than software or AI capabilities.

Name

Soil Association

Legal name

Soil Association Limited

Website

https://soilassociation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Soil Association is the UK's leading food and farming charity (founded 1946), operating Soil Association Certification, Food for Life Served Here catering certification, and Soil Association Exchange to advance organic food, farming, and forestry standards globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic and Sustainable Certification Services

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA), Sustainability & Environmental Certifications (Carbon, Water, Regenerative) (AFALAMAC)

Keywords

• Organic certification services
• Sustainable food certification
• Public sector catering certification
• Organic farming standards
• Sustainable forestry certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership and Individual Giving: Individual memberships starting at £5–£10/month, one-time donations, legacy gifts (bequests in wills), and participation in the Soil Association lottery. Membership provides access to benefits and supports the charity's campaigning and advocacy work.
2. Soil Association Certification: Soil Association Certification Limited is a wholly-owned, not-for-profit trading subsidiary that certifies businesses to organic and sustainable standards. Revenue is generated through certification fees from licensees across food, farming, forestry, textiles, and beauty sectors. Financial returns are ploughed back into the Charity's wider work.
3. Grant Funding: The charity receives grant funding from government bodies (e.g., Scottish Government funds Food for Life Scotland) and institutional funders for specific programmes and charitable activities. The Soil Association Land Trust receives donated land from retiring farmers and landowners.
4. Corporate Partnerships and Trusts/Foundations: Partnerships with corporate entities and support from trusts and foundations, providing funding and collaboration for specific programmes and campaigns.
5. SA Sales and Services Limited: A wholly-owned trading subsidiary that assists other Soil Association entities with sales and services (e.g., orders), generating revenue that supports the group's operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Soil Association is a UK food and farming charity that certifies businesses to organic and sustainable standards through its wholly-owned subsidiary Soil Association Certification Limited, covering food, farming, forestry, textiles and beauty sectors in GB, NI and internationally. It also delivers the Food for Life Served Here tiered certification scheme (Bronze, Silver, Gold) for public sector caterers, runs the Food for Life Scotland programme funded by the Scottish Government, and operates the Soil Association Exchange platform for farm-level sustainability measurement. Revenue is generated through certification licensing fees, individual memberships, donations, government grants, corporate partnerships, and trusts/foundation support.

Product overview

Soil Association is a leading UK food and farming charity operating a multi-product portfolio. The core offering centres on Soil Association Certification, a global certification body providing organic and sustainable certification across food, farming, forestry, beauty and textiles sectors. Complementary products include the Food for Life Served Here certification programme for public sector catering (Bronze/Silver/Gold tiers), the Soil Association Exchange farm sustainability measurement platform, and various client management tools including online client portals and an organic certificate checker. Regional programmes include Food for Life Scotland (a Scottish Government-funded initiative for public sector food procurement) and Soil Association Scotland/Cymru. The organisation also distributes sector-specific newsletters (Organic Trade News, Organic Farming News, Forestry and Nature Markets News) and provides certification updates as part of client licensing agreements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soil Association Certification Leading global certification body that certifies businesses to organic and sustainable standards across food, farming, forestry, beauty and textiles, including organic, FSC, PEFC and EUDR compliance certification.
• Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) Tiered certification scheme (Bronze, Silver, Gold) for public sector caterers and food service providers that recognises and rewards serving fresh, local, and sustainable food.
• Soil Association Exchange Farm sustainability measurement platform providing primary farm-level data collection for farmers and corporates, enabling nature-friendly farming transition, nature markets, and ESG reporting.
• Food for Life Scotland Scottish Government-funded programme supporting Scottish local authorities and public sector sites to achieve Food for Life Served Here certification and procure fresh, local, sustainable food for school meals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.5 million freshly prepared meals served daily across 6,723 UK schools through Food for Life Served Here caterers
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food & Drink Exporters Association (FDEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoil Association Certification partnered with the Food & Drink Exporters Association (FDEA) to support its 35x35 ambition: raising UK food and drink exports to £35 billion by 2035. Soil Association Certification hosted a webinar for aspiring organic exporters as part of this partnership.
• Scottish Agroecology Partnership (SAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAP is a coalition of eight organisations including Nature Friendly Farming Network, Scottish Crofting Federation, Pasture for Life, Soil Association Scotland, Nourish Scotland, Landworkers' Alliance, Propagate, and Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Soil Association Scotland co-hosts the Sustainable Agriculture Tent at the Royal Highland Show with SAP partners.
• Woodland Trust ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoil Association Scotland runs joint panel sessions with Woodland Trust Scotland on the role of trees in building farm and croft resilience. Also collaborates on policy work regarding payment options for low density agroforestry.
• Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the 'Give Peas a Chance!' pilot project, developing educational resources for schools and delivering classroom visits to teach pupils about the journey of organic peas from farm to plate.
• Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the 'Give Peas a Chance!' pilot project, delivering classroom talks to introduce the new pea ingredient to pupils and teachers.
• Nature Friendly Farming NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership (SAP). A UK-wide network of farmers committed to nature-friendly farming, collaborating on events, policy, and campaigning.
• Scottish Crofting FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership (SAP), representing crofters and small-scale producers in Scotland.
• Pasture for LifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership (SAP), promoting pasture-fed livestock and regenerative farming.
• Nourish ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership (SAP), working on food policy and Good Food Nation goals.
• Landworkers' AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership (SAP), representing small-scale producers and agroecological farmers.
• PropagatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership (SAP), focused on training and capacity building for agroecological farmers.
• Rare Breeds Survival TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew member of the Scottish Agroecology Partnership (SAP). Collaborates with Soil Association Scotland on Sustainable Farmer of the Year Awards. Works to conserve and promote rare native British livestock breeds.
• Public Sector Catering AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoil Association Scotland participates in roundtable discussions organised by the Public Sector Catering Alliance on public sector food procurement opportunities for Scottish producers, as part of a new Scottish Government taskforce.
• NFU ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates alongside Soil Association Scotland in roundtable discussions on public sector food procurement opportunities as part of a new Scottish Government taskforce.
• English Organic Forum (EoF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoil Association is part of the English Organic Forum (EoF), making the commercial and trade case for a national Organic Action Plan for England, providing evidence, and highlighting priority areas such as data, supply chain resilience, and consumer motivation.
• Scotland ExcelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic procurement body for Scottish local authorities. Supports collaborative procurement that encourages innovation and brings wider environmental, economic and social benefits to communities. Advises suppliers on accessing public sector contracts.
• IFRS FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoil Association Certification has been in contact with the IFRS Foundation to advocate for interoperability and recognition of organic within the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Sustainability Standards, as UK SRS are based on IFRS standards 1 and 2.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ecocert: France-based global organic and sustainable certification body certifying food, farming, forestry, cosmetics and textiles — the closest direct competitor to Soil Association Certification across overlapping schemes and geographies.
• Control Union: Global certification and inspection body providing organic, sustainable, FSC/PEFC, and supply-chain compliance services across 70+ countries — directly competes with Soil Association Certification for organic and forestry licensees.
• Organic Farmers & Growers: UK-based organic certification body (one of the UK's first) certifying organic food, farming and processing — a direct UK competitor to Soil Association Certification in the GB organic market.

Emerging players

• Regenified: US-based regenerative agriculture certification and verification company — an emerging player competing for corporate sustainability claims that could otherwise flow to formal organic certification.
• Soil Capital: European regen-ag focused verification and farmer payments business intersecting with Soil Association Exchange's farm-data and nature markets offering.
• Demeter International: Global biodynamic agriculture certification body operating in 50+ countries; a niche/emerging player in the broader organic certification ecosystem where Soil Association also operates.

Broad incumbents

• NSF International: Global public health and safety organisation providing organic and sustainability certification for food, cosmetics and consumer products — a broad incumbent in adjacent certification categories.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC major offering sustainability, agri-food, and supply-chain certification services; competes with Soil Association Certification in tenders where buyers prefer a single multi-service provider.
• SGS: Geneva-headquartered global testing, inspection and certification giant that offers organic and agricultural certification alongside a much broader portfolio — a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise licensees.

Regional players

• Quality Welsh Food Certification: Welsh organic certification body operating across Wales and the UK — a regional peer with overlapping organic certification services and Welsh public-sector relationships comparable to Soil Association Cymru.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLiWAozVmDLEm3-1MsGIldr01X2bjOAQKM

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Soil Association