California Certified Organic Farmers
CCOF is a nonprofit, USDA-accredited organic certification agency founded in 1973, serving over 4,000 farmers, growers, handlers, processors, and livestock operations across the U.S. and internationally through certification, food safety, and foundation grant programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersSanta Cruz, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What California Certified Organic Farmers does
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), founded in 1973 and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, is a nonprofit, USDA-accredited organic certification agency. It serves farmers, growers, livestock operations, handlers, processors, and retailers across the United States and internationally, with a public directory of more than 4,000 certified organic producers and handlers. CCOF operates through two principal entities: CCOF Certification Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that conducts the core certification and inspection work under the National Organic Program (NOP), and the CCOF Foundation, an affiliated nonprofit that delivers grants, education, and farmer transition support (including the Future Organic Farmer grant program, the Hardship Assistance Fund, and participation in the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program). The organization also administers California's OCal cannabis certification, the Regenerative Organic Certified standard, Certified Transitional, Certified Grass-Fed Organic Livestock, and food safety certifications (GLOBAL G.A.P. and PrimusGFS v3.2), and runs international export programs under equivalence arrangements with Canada, the EU, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and the UK.
CCOF's core technology stack is anchored by the MyCCOF online portal, a member-facing platform that handles certificate retrieval, inspection monitoring, Organic System Plan (OSP) management, payments, and a Material Search database indexing over 11,000 reviewed inputs (including CCOF-internal reviews, OMRI Products List entries, and WSDA Brand Name List materials). The portal supports Grower, Handler, Livestock, Retail, OCal Cultivator, Canada Handler, and Regenerative Organic Certified ROSP workflows, and is integrated with the USDA Organic Integrity Database. Marketing, education, and advocacy are delivered through a multi-channel mix including a website and blog, weekly email newsletters, YouTube training content, free weekly virtual "Organic Office Hours" sessions, and partnerships with policy and farm-to-school coalitions.
Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual certification and inspection fees, international export program fees (Global Market Access), food safety certification fees, and foundation grants/donations (notably from Clif Family Foundation and Farm Aid). As a nonprofit, all revenue is reinvested into mission activities including advocacy, education, and member support; specific pricing is contact-based and not publicly disclosed. The organization is governed by a member-elected board of organic producers and operates without venture capital, private equity, or external institutional investment ownership.
California Certified Organic Farmers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- California Certified Organic Farmers
- Legal name
- California Certified Organic Farmers
- Website
- https://ccof.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- CCOF is a nonprofit, USDA-accredited organic certification agency founded in 1973, serving over 4,000 farmers, growers, handlers, processors, and livestock operations across the U.S. and internationally through certification, food safety, and foundation grant programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
California Certified Organic Farmers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Organic Certification Services
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Food Safety & Quality Scheme Certifications (GFSI Programs) (AFALAMAI), Sustainability & Environmental Certifications (Carbon, Water, Regenerative) (AFALAMAC)
Keywords
Where California Certified Organic Farmers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Cruz
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
California Certified Organic Farmers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Certification and Inspection Fees: CCOF Certification Services, LLC generates revenue through certification and inspection fees for farmers, growers, handlers, and livestock operations seeking USDA organic certification. As a nonprofit, all revenue is reinvested into achieving the mission of advancing organic agriculture.
- International Programs and Export Services: Fees for Global Market Access (GMA) program supporting international exports to Canada, EU, Japan, Korea, and other markets with equivalence arrangements.
- Food Safety Services: GLOBAL G.A.P. and PrimusGFS v3.2 food safety certification services offered as additional certification offerings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Certification services for farmers, growers, handlers, and processors |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
California Certified Organic Farmers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CCOF is a USDA-accredited organic certification agency that issues USDA Organic, OCal (California state organic), Regenerative Organic Certified, GLOBAL G.A.P., and PrimusGFS v3.2 certifications to farms, ranches, livestock operations, handlers, processors, and retailers. Certification covers Grower, Handler, Livestock, Retail, Canada Handler, OCal Cannabis Cultivator, and Regenerative Organic scopes, and is supported by the MyCCOF portal for Organic System Plan submission, inspection scheduling, certificate management, and a Material Search database with over 11,000 reviewed input materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Organic Certification USDA-accredited organic certification under the National Organic Program for farms, ranches, processors, handlers, and retailers. Covers Grower, Handler, Livestock, and Retail scopes with annual certification, inspection, and Organic System Plan compliance.
- International Programs / Global Market Access Export certification and Global Market Access (GMA) program for organic producers and handlers shipping to Canada, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and other markets with equivalence arrangements. Includes Transaction Certificates for export and import.
- Food Safety Services (GLOBAL G.A.P. and PrimusGFS v3.2) GLOBAL G.A.P. and PrimusGFS v3.2 food safety certification services delivered to growers and processors as a complementary certification beyond organic certification.
- Certified Transitional Program Certification program for operations transitioning from conventional to organic farming, providing market access and labeling during the three-year transition period before full USDA organic status.
- Certified Grass-Fed Organic Livestock Program Combined organic and grass-fed certification for livestock operations, differentiating products in the marketplace with a 100% grass-fed claim layered on top of USDA organic certification.
- OCal Cannabis Certification California state OCal certification for cannabis cultivators operating under CDFA organic-equivalent standards for cannabis products.
- Regenerative Organic Certified Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) certification for farms and brands meeting regenerative organic standards for soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness, delivered via a Regenerative Organic System Plan (ROSP).
Quantifiable outcome
- Directory of over 4,000 certified organic producers and handlers
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use California Certified Organic Farmers
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
California Certified Organic Farmers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
California Certified Organic Farmers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Comsint CommunicationscoreCCOF partnered with Comsint Communications for AI-driven strategic positioning, media relations, and market development for organic agriculture. Comsint provides strategic communications including policy communications, consumer engagement, and proactive media strategy. The partnership aims to position organic as essential infrastructure for a healthier world.
- National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)coreNCAT partnered with USDA Food and Nutrition Service's Office of Community Food Systems to develop farm to school trainings for agricultural producers. The $1.8 million three-year project helps producers build capacity to market to schools.
- National Farm to School NetworkcoreNational Farm to School Network partnered with NCAT and USDA OCFS on a $1.8 million three-year project to help agricultural producers market to schools. NFSN serves as a national information, advocacy, and networking hub for farm to school initiatives.
- Organic Trade Association (OTA)minorCCOF serves as a strategic partner of OTA, collaborating on organic industry advocacy and policy initiatives.
- National Organic Coalition (NOC)minorCCOF is a network affiliate of NOC, working on policy advocacy at the national level.
- Organic Farmers Association (OFA)minorCCOF is an organizational member of OFA, representing organic farmers in policy discussions.
- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)minorCCOF is a represented member of NSAC, participating in sustainable agriculture policy advocacy.
- Accredited Certifiers Association (ACA)minorCCOF Certification Services is a member of ACA, an association of USDA-accredited organic certifiers. CCOF actively participates in ACA Working Groups to develop consistent organic certification policies and practices.
- Santa Cruz County Farm BureauminorCCOF is an associate member of Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
California Certified Organic Farmers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oregon Tilth (OTCO): One of the largest USDA-accredited organic certifiers in the US, focused on organic certification and education for farmers, handlers, and processors. Direct competitor to CCOF with similar scope across crop and processor certification.
- Quality Assurance International (QAI): Major USDA-accredited organic certifier offering organic and food-safety certifications to growers, processors, and retailers across North America. Closely comparable service breadth to CCOF, including international market access.
- Organic Certifiers: USDA-accredited organic certification body serving growers, wild crop harvesters, livestock producers, and processors. A direct competitor in the same USDA NOP certification market served by CCOF.
- ECOCERT: France-based global certification body offering organic and sustainability certifications in over 130 countries. Comparable to CCOF on organic certification and increasingly active in the US through its global organic program.
- Control Union: International certification and inspection body offering organic certification (multiple standards), sustainability, and supply-chain integrity services. Comparable to CCOF on organic certification breadth and international reach.
- SCS Global Services: Third-party certifier providing organic, food-safety, sustainability, and chain-of-custody certifications. Comparable to CCOF on USDA NOP organic certification and additional adjacencies like Regenerative and food safety.
- Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA International): One of the largest USDA-accredited organic certifiers worldwide, operating across crop production, livestock, and handling/processing — directly comparable scope to CCOF's grower and processor certification portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- GLOBALG.A.P. Scheme owner of the GLOBALG.A.P. food safety standard that CCOF offers as a certification service. Indirect competitor/scheme partner with overlapping food-safety certification footprint relative to CCOF's GLOBAL G.A.P. offering.
- NSF International: Global public-health and safety organization providing food-safety, organic, and quality certifications among many other services. Overlaps with CCOF on organic certification but as part of a much broader portfolio rather than an organic-focused specialist.
Regional players
- Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie: Germany-based organic certification body serving primarily European markets with global expansion. Comparable scope to CCOF in organic certification, but with a primary European geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
California Certified Organic Farmers social profiles
Digital presenceCalifornia Certified Organic Farmers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
California Certified Organic Farmers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
California Certified Organic Farmers subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
California Certified Organic Farmers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
California Certified Organic Farmers 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 California Certified Organic Farmers
What does California Certified Organic Farmers do?
CCOF is a USDA-accredited organic certification agency that issues USDA Organic, OCal (California state organic), Regenerative Organic Certified, GLOBAL G.A.P., and PrimusGFS v3.2 certifications to farms, ranches, livestock operations, handlers, processors, and retailers. Certification covers Grower, Handler, Livestock, Retail, Canada Handler, OCal Cannabis Cultivator, and Regenerative Organic scopes, and is supported by the MyCCOF portal for Organic System Plan submission, inspection scheduling, certificate management, and a Material Search database with over 11,000 reviewed input materials.
Is California Certified Organic Farmers a public or private company?
California Certified Organic Farmers is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was California Certified Organic Farmers founded?
California Certified Organic Farmers was founded in 1973. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is California Certified Organic Farmers based?
California Certified Organic Farmers is headquartered in Santa Cruz, United States, in the North America region.
How does California Certified Organic Farmers make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Certification and Inspection Fees are the primary driver. The others are international Programs and Export Services and food Safety Services.
Who are California Certified Organic Farmers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oregon Tilth (OTCO), Quality Assurance International (QAI), Organic Certifiers, ECOCERT, Control Union, SCS Global Services and Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA International). Broad incumbents are GLOBALG.A.P. and NSF International. Kiwa BCS Öko-Garantie is listed as a regional player.
Does California Certified Organic Farmers have an API?
No public API is recorded for California Certified Organic Farmers.
What industry is California Certified Organic Farmers in?
California Certified Organic Farmers's product category is Organic Certification Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALAMAA, Organic Certification Services, with a secondary code of AFALAMAI, Food Safety & Quality Scheme Certifications (GFSI Programs). Its SIC code is 700.