SGF
SGF International e.V. (Safe-Global-Fair) is a German non-profit association founded in 1974 that operates an independent Voluntary Control System (VCS) auditing and certifying the global fruit juice supply chain. It serves more than 500 member companies across approximately 50 countries, spanning raw-material producers, processors, bottlers, and laboratories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersOber-saulheim, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SGF does
SGF International e.V., branded as SGF (Safe-Global-Fair), is a German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1974 and headquartered in Saulheim, Germany. It operates an independent Voluntary Control System (VCS) for the global fruit juice industry, providing third-party auditing, certification, and quality verification across the entire supply chain — from raw materials (IRMA, the raw-material control scheme) through bottlers and packers (IQCS, the independent quality control scheme) to finished products. Membership stands at more than 500 companies across approximately 50 countries, spanning raw-material producers, juice processors, bottlers, retailers, and laboratories.
The core technology stack combines a structured audit framework with analytical instrumentation. SGF-Profiling, developed in cooperation with Bruker Biospin, uses NMR-based spin-generated fingerprint profiling to verify juice authenticity and detect adulteration. The association has progressively digitalized member-facing operations through JuiceBase, the IT platform that underpins the VCS; FFVA, a food-fraud vulnerability assessment tool; and JUICEBUZZ, a mobile application for industry communication. SGF also co-founded the European Juice Control System (EJCS) with AIJN in 2018 and maintains a Standards Committee and Scientific Advisory Board to evolve the technical protocols.
The business model is membership-driven rather than transactional. Revenues are generated through recurring membership dues from the 500+ member companies, supplemented by fee-based services such as audits, certifications, and training. The association participates in standard-setting with bodies including China's CIQA, which advises Chinese processors to join SGF prior to exporting to the EU, and the Arabian Beverages Association (ABA), where SGF membership is recognized under the ABA standard for juices imported into the Gulf region. Governance is handled by an Administrative Council and led by President Dirk Schweikert (elected 2025), with technical committees including the IRMA Pool and an Expert Panel supporting day-to-day operations.
SGF firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SGF
- Legal name
- SGF International e.V.
- Website
- https://sgf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SGF International e.V. (Safe-Global-Fair) is a German non-profit association founded in 1974 that operates an independent Voluntary Control System (VCS) auditing and certifying the global fruit juice supply chain. It serves more than 500 member companies across approximately 50 countries, spanning raw-material producers, processors, bottlers, and laboratories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SGF industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Industry Quality Certification
- akta.pro primary industry
- Supplier Approval & Second-Party Audit Programs (Retailer/Brand/Manufacturer) (AFALACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Witness Audits, Office Assessments & Certification Governance Services (AFALACAG), Traceability, Mass Balance & Recall Mock Audits (Chain-of-Custody Verification) (AFALABAK), Sanitation, GMP & Prerequisite Program (PRP) Audits (SSOPs, Hygiene, Pest Control) (AFALABAI), Internal QA Audits & Compliance Monitoring (GMP/SSOP/HACCP Verification) (AFALALAC)
Keywords
Where SGF is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ober-saulheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
SGF business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: SGF operates as an international industrial association with members from the fruit juice industry. Companies join the association and pay membership fees to participate in the Voluntary Control System and access certification, auditing, and other services. New Membership Fee Regulations were approved in 2017.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
SGF product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SGF operates the Voluntary Control System (VCS), an industry self-control framework that audits and certifies quality, safety, authenticity and sustainability of fruit juice products across all production and trade stages — from raw materials (IRMA), processors, warehouses, brokers, tank cleaning and transport through bottlers/packers (IQCS). Members join the association, pay fees, and undergo independent audits supported by the JuiceBase IT platform and JUICEBUZZ mobile app, with pre-screening via SGF-Profiling technology.
Product overview
SGF (Safe Global Fair) operates a Voluntary Control System (VCS) as its core product—a comprehensive quality and safety certification framework for the global fruit juice industry. The VCS covers all production and trade stages including processing, warehouse, broker, tank cleaning, transport, and bottler operations. This is supported by the JuiceBase IT platform for internal and external users, and the JUICEBUZZ mobile app for registered members. SGF also offers specialized services including IRMA (International Raw Material Assurance) for raw material control, IQCS (International Quality Control System) for market and bottler controls, and the Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment (FFVA) tool.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% of all SGF raw material suppliers and traders endorsed the Code of Conduct by 2008
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SGF
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SGF technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
SGF partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.
- IFU (International Federation of Fruit Juice Producers)coreCollaborative partner for Global Juice Roadshows conducted in multiple regions worldwide. Joint efforts to inform industry about developments and promote quality standards.
- ABA Arab Beverages AssociationcoreCo-operation Agreement gives SGF the mandate to control products produced by members for the Arabian market including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Egypt. Cooperation was reactivated in 2024.
- European Juice Control Systems (EJCS)coreFounding of the informal 'Union of European Juice Control Systems' (EJCS) as successor of the legal entity EQCS. Coordinates quality control systems across European countries.
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)coreProject agreement QUALITHAI between GIZ and SGF to improve product safety and quality for the Thai fruit juice industry. The project was successfully concluded in 2015.
- MEYED (Turkish Fruit Juice Association)regionalCooperation with the Turkish fruit juice association to promote quality standards and SGF certification among Turkish juice producers.
- Association of Russian Fruit Juice Producers (RSPS)regionalContract about an IRMA service programme for Russian fruit juice producers to provide quality control and certification services.
- South African Fruit Juice Association (SAFJA)regionalContract to provide SGF/IRMA control system services to South African fruit juice producers.
- Chinese Citrus Research Institute (CRI), ChongqingcoreCooperation agreement focused on safety and authenticity data of Chinese orange juice. This partnership enables SGF to work with Chinese research institutions to verify quality and authenticity of products from the world's largest orange juice production region.
- China Chamber of Commerce of I/E of Foodstuffs, Native Produce & Animal By-Products, Fruit & Vegetables & Industrial Food Dept China (CFNA)coreCooperation agreement to facilitate SGF's work with Chinese industry on quality and safety standards for fruit juice products entering international markets.
- CBIA (China Beverage Industry Association)coreCooperation based on mutual association membership to assure quality of fruit juices and raw materials on the Chinese market.
- CitrusBR (Brazilian Association of Citrus Exporters)coreMutual membership between CitrusBR and SGF supporting the philosophy and commitment of corresponding partner association. Brazil is one of the world's largest orange juice producers and exporters.
- CIQA (China Inspection Authority for Import and Export)coreMemorandum of Understanding for long-term cooperation. CIQA advises all China's fruit processors to join SGF, participate in the SGF/IRMA control system, and comply with IRMA audit and inspection standards. All Chinese importers are advised to purchase from suppliers audited by SGF/IRMA.
- Quality Juice Foundation (QJF)coreFoundation with headquarters in Mainz assumes SGF's assets in the improbable event of SGF going into liquidation. Provides financial stability and protection for members.
- GlobalG.A.P.coreCooperation in the area of safeguarding minimum ecological and social standards on the level of fruit farmers and suppliers in the fruit juice industry. Combines farm-level certification with SGF's processing and trading controls.
- Bruker BiospincoreCo-development partner for SGF-Profiling (Spin Generated Fingerprint Profiling), an efficient pre-screening method for quality analysis of fruit juice.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SGF competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SGS SA: SGS is a global leader in inspection, verification, testing and certification, operating across food, agricultural, and beverage sectors. SGF competes with SGS's food safety audit and certification services for beverage industry clients, particularly for international juice producers requiring recognized third-party verification.
- BRCGS (Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards): BRCGS provides GFSI-benchmarked certification standards across food safety, packaging materials, storage and distribution, and consumer products. It is widely adopted by juice bottlers and retailers, making it a broad incumbent competing against SGF's vertical-specific VCS in the same beverage producer customer base.
- SQF Institute (Safe Quality Food): SQF Institute administers the SQF food safety and quality certification program, a GFSI-benchmarked scheme used by many global food and beverage manufacturers including juice producers. It competes for the same certification budgets as SGF and serves overlapping customer segments in the beverage industry.
- Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) company offering agri-food and beverage certification services. It serves overlapping customers as SGF, particularly multinational juice brands requiring recognized quality and authenticity certifications across multiple geographies.
- Intertek: Intertek provides food safety auditing, testing, and certification services globally, including for the beverage industry. It is a comparable TIC player competing with SGF for third-party audit and certification engagements among juice producers, bottlers, and traders.
Direct peers
- GlobalG.A.P. GlobalG.A.P. is a farm-level certification standard for good agricultural practices. SGF has had a cooperation agreement with GlobalG.A.P. since 2008 covering ecological and social standards for fruit farmers supplying the juice industry. The two organizations work together as complementary certification layers in the juice supply chain.
- FSSC 22000 (Foundation for Food Safety Certification): FSSC 22000 is a globally recognized food safety certification scheme covering the entire supply chain, directly comparable to SGF's VCS. It serves food and beverage manufacturers including juice producers, offering GFSI-benchmarked certification as a competing standard to SGF's industry-specific approach.
Emerging players
- DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft): DLG is a German agricultural society that tests, certifies, and awards quality seals for food and beverage products. While DLG's coverage of fruit juice is narrower than SGF's, it represents a comparable German-headquartered food quality certification body with overlapping member/customer profiles in the food and beverage sector.
Others
- IFU (International Federation of Fruit Juice Producers): IFU is the international federation of fruit juice producers and a co-organizer of SGF's Global Juice Roadshows since at least 2021. IFU collaborates with SGF on industry information and events, making it an adjacent industry body rather than a direct competitor but a closely related ecosystem participant.
- AIJN (European Fruit Juice Association): AIJN is the European Fruit Juice Association representing juice producers. While not a certification body itself, AIJN's Code of Business Conduct (CoBC) — which SGF members must approve per the 2015 General Assembly decision — creates a direct governance linkage. AIJN is an ecosystem partner defining the standards SGF helps operationalize.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SGF social profiles
Digital presenceSGF financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SGF leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
SGF funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SGF 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 SGF
What does SGF do?
SGF operates the Voluntary Control System (VCS), an industry self-control framework that audits and certifies quality, safety, authenticity and sustainability of fruit juice products across all production and trade stages — from raw materials (IRMA), processors, warehouses, brokers, tank cleaning and transport through bottlers/packers (IQCS). Members join the association, pay fees, and undergo independent audits supported by the JuiceBase IT platform and JUICEBUZZ mobile app, with pre-screening via SGF-Profiling technology.
Is SGF a public or private company?
SGF is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SGF founded?
SGF was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SGF based?
SGF is headquartered in Ober-saulheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does SGF make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Fees.
Who are SGF's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SGS SA, BRCGS (Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards), SQF Institute (Safe Quality Food), Bureau Veritas and Intertek. Direct peers are GlobalG.A.P. and FSSC 22000 (Foundation for Food Safety Certification). DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft) is listed as an emerging player. Others are IFU (International Federation of Fruit Juice Producers) and AIJN (European Fruit Juice Association).
Does SGF have an API?
No public API is recorded for SGF.
What industry is SGF in?
SGF's product category is Food Industry Quality Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALACAF, Supplier Approval & Second-Party Audit Programs (Retailer/Brand/Manufacturer), with a secondary code of AFALACAG, Witness Audits, Office Assessments & Certification Governance Services.