Ceres Organics

What Ceres Organics does

Ceres Organics is a New Zealand-based organic food and natural products retailer founded in 1982 and operating as a social enterprise with 101-250 employees. The company sells a 903-SKU catalog spanning baking, cooking, snacks, breakfast, beverages, home care, and personal care categories, with 94% of products certified organic, NATRUE certified, or in conversion to organic under BioGro, B Corp, and NATRUE credentials. Its brand portfolio includes owned sub-brands (Ceres Organics Tea, Ceres Naturals) and acquired or carried brands (Pacific Harvest, Dr. Hauschka, Natracare).

The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform built on Shopify at ceres.co.nz, supplemented by a New Zealand physical retail stockist network and a dedicated B2B trade portal (portal.ceres.co.nz) for wholesale customers. Pricing is unit-based in NZD across a broad range (~$3 to ~$200 per SKU), with 15% off case deals and a refillable range promotion (REFILLMORE20) offering 20% off with a NZ$150 minimum spend. GTM motion is content-led, anchored on a recipe database, 'Organic for Life' education program, 'Meet our Growers' supply-chain storytelling, and email/social channels targeting health-conscious consumers, families, specialty-diet buyers, and environmentally conscious shoppers.

Ceres Organics monetizes through one-time product sales across its own brand portfolio and carried third-party brands, with no disclosed subscription revenue model and no disclosed funding rounds. The company supports over 100 food producers and thousands of growers, and has run over 165 positive impact days. Revenue, ownership structure, and headcount growth figures are not disclosed in the source data, limiting quantitative assessment of financial scale and trajectory.

Name

Ceres Organics

Legal name

Ceres Organics

Website

https://ceres.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ceres Organics is a New Zealand-based organic food and natural products retailer founded in 1982, operating a 903-SKU DTC e-commerce store, physical stockist network, and B2B trade portal serving health-conscious, family, and specialty-diet consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Food Retail

NAICS

All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298), Food and Beverage Retailers (445)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic Grocery E-commerce & Delivery-Only Retail (CRAHAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural/Organic Bulk & Supplement Grocers (CRAHAMAF), Organic & Natural Packaged Grocery Wholesale (AFAIAJAB), Natural & Organic Foods Distribution (CRAOABAH)

Keywords

• Organic food retail
• Certified organic products
• Natural personal care
• Plant-based foods
• Online grocery store

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct retail sales of organic food, beverages, personal care, and home care products through e-commerce platform and physical retail channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ceres Organics sells certified organic food and natural household/personal care products through its own e-commerce platform at ceres.co.nz and through physical retail stockists in New Zealand. The range spans approximately 903 products across baking, cooking, snacks, breakfast, beverages, home care, and personal care categories, complemented by acquired and carried brands including Pacific Harvest, Dr. Hauschka, and Natracare.

Product overview

Ceres Organics operates as an organic food and natural products retailer offering a comprehensive range of organic food products and natural household/personal care items. The core offering centers on the Ceres Organics food range encompassing pantry staples, baking ingredients, canned and prepared foods, grains, rice, pulses, pasta, oils, vinegars, spices, snacks, breakfast items, and beverages. The company has recently expanded through the acquisition of Pacific Harvest (New Zealand seaweed products) and the launch of a premium organic tea range. Ceres Organics also carries complementary brands including Dr. Hauschka (natural skincare/makeup) and Natracare (natural period care), while offering specialty lines like a refillable range and functional foods for health-conscious consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ceres Organics Tea: Premium organic tea blends
• Pacific Harvest
• Ceres Naturals

Products and services

• Ceres Organics Baking Range Organic baking ingredients including wheat and non-wheat flour, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, cacao, cocoa, binders, thickeners, and sugar and sweeteners, targeted at home bakers seeking certified organic pantry staples.
• Ceres Organics Cooking Range Organic cooking essentials covering canned and prepared foods, grains, rice and pulses, pasta and noodles, oils and vinegars, stocks, spices and seasonings, cooking sauces, table sauces, condiments, and plant-based meat alternatives for everyday meal preparation.
• Ceres Organics Snacks Range Organic savoury snacks (crackers, cakes, seaweed, chip alternatives, fruit and nuts), sweet snacks (bars, confectionery, sweet biscuits, balls and bites), and baby snacks including puffs for infants and toddlers.
• Ceres Organics Breakfast Range Organic breakfast products including cereals, oats, hot cereals, muesli, spreads, nut and seed butters, tahini, and functional foods for health-conscious morning routines.
• Ceres Organics Beverages Organic hot beverages (coffee, hot chocolate, cacao, tea) and cold beverages (plant-based milk, coconut water, juices) for daily consumption.
• Ceres Organics Home Care Natural home cleaning products including surface cleaners, dishwashing liquids, and laundry care items formulated without harmful chemicals.
• Ceres Organics Personal Care Natural personal care products including face and body care, makeup, hair care, period and maternity care, and natural medicine items.
• Pacific Harvest Seaweed Range New Zealand harvested seaweed products including kelp, wakame, kombu, dulse, nori flakes, and seaweed-based seasonings and salts, targeted at consumers of functional and sea-vegetable foods.
• Ceres Organics Tea Range Premium organic tea blends launched as a new product line featuring expertly blended tea varieties.
• Ceres Organics Refillable Range Refillable product offerings allowing customers to reduce packaging waste, including pantry staples available in refillable containers, targeted at environmentally conscious consumers.
• Ceres Organics Functional Foods Health-focused products including functional essentials and super or supplemented foods for wellness-oriented consumers.
• Dr. Hauschka Skincare and Makeup Natural certified skincare and makeup brand carried by Ceres Organics, including body care, face care, haircare, and makeup collections such as cleansing milk, night serum, and body care items.
• Natracare Period and Maternity Care Natural period and maternity care products sold through Ceres Organics, including period care, body and maternity care, and continence care items.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of products certified organic, natrue certified or in conversion to organic
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pacific HarvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific Harvest has officially joined the Ceres Organics family. They specialize in New Zealand harvested seaweed products including kelp, wakame, dulse, and kombu. The partnership expands Ceres Organics' functional food and seaweed product range.
• Dr. HauschkaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDr. Hauschka is a German natural cosmetics brand carried by Ceres Organics. Products include cleansing milk, night serum, and body care items.
• NatracareminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNatracare period care and maternity products are sold through Ceres Organics including period care, body + maternity, and continence care products.
• Growers networkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCeres Organics supports over 100 food producers and 1000's of growers. Growers are essential partners contributing land, community and livelihoods to farm organically. Featured growers include Jeong (seaweed farmer), Charles (apple cider vinegar), Sam/In/Saran (rice), Luciano, and Mind/Po.
• BioGrocoreOthersBioGro is New Zealand's leading organic certification body. Ceres Organics maintains BioGro certification for their products.
• B LabcoreOthersB Lab is the non-profit organization behind B Corp certification. Ceres Organics is B Corp certified.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Harris Farm Markets: Australian specialty grocer emphasizing fresh, organic, and sustainably produced food across multiple stores and home delivery. Comparable organic-and-sustainability positioning in a neighbouring market; useful proxy for specialty-grocer unit economics at greater scale.
• Huckleberry Grocer: NZ specialty grocery retailer focused on organic, local, and sustainably sourced products with curated physical stores. Comparable specialty organic assortment but smaller footprint and physical-retail-led model rather than e-commerce-first.

Broad incumbents

• Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage: US public specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries with strict ingredient standards. Comparable certified-organic-led category strategy and educational content marketing approach.
• Whole Foods Market: Global natural-and-organic supermarket chain (Amazon-owned) and the archetype for premium organic grocery retail. Comparable certified-organic assortment and B Corp-adjacent positioning; useful benchmark for category mix and brand expectations.
• Sprouts Farmers Market: US specialty grocer focused on natural and organic products with an expanding private-label range. Comparable product breadth across fresh, packaged, and wellness categories, although operating at significantly larger scale.
• Countdown (Woolworths New Zealand): Largest NZ supermarket chain (part of Woolworths Group) operating nationwide stores and online grocery. Carries a growing certified-organic and B Corp-aligned range that competes with Ceres Organics on convenience and price for crossover category shoppers.
• Pak'nSave (Woolworths NZ): NZ mainstream discount-grocery banner under Woolworths NZ with growing organic range at lower price points. Represents price competition on staple organic categories that could pressure Ceres Organics' premium positioning.

Direct peers

• Commonsense Organics: New Zealand organic and wholefood retailer operating physical stores and e-commerce with a similar certified-organic assortment. Closest head-to-head comparable given same geography, customer profile, and product categories (pantry, fresh, personal care).
• Chantal Organics: New Zealand-based certified organic grocery brand and retailer with BioGro-credentialed packaged foods across baking, cooking, and snacks. Comparable mix of own-brand packaged organic products distributed through specialty channels.

Emerging players

• Thrive Market: US membership-based online-only organic and natural grocery retailer. Closest direct comparison to Ceres Organics' e-commerce-first DTC model, including subscription mechanics and curated natural-product assortment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CeresOrganicsNZ
• Instagraminstagram.com/ceresorganics
• Xx.com/CeresOrganics

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ceres Organics