Certified Organic Direct

What Certified Organic Direct does

Certified Organic Direct is a privately held B2B ingredient sourcing and procurement company founded in 2019 (per company footer copyright) and headquartered at 200 South Virginia St., Reno, Nevada. The company operates as an intermediary that connects food manufacturers, meal kit companies, restaurant groups, co-packers, universities, and specialty food manufacturers with suppliers of organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and kosher ingredients in bulk packaging. Its core differentiator is a direct-from-manufacturer distribution model that bypasses traditional distributors to reduce delivery shortages and enable on-time delivery against production deadlines.

The company carries 17 established product categories spanning dairy, fresh and cooked proteins, non-dairy alternatives, powdered and liquid ingredients, vinegars, grains, sweeteners, starches and flours, legumes, breads, oils, purees, spices, IQF and dehydrated ingredients, broths and stocks, and juice concentrates, plus newer lines in not-from-concentrate single strength juices, citrus and non-citrus fruit purées, frozen fruits, and vegetable purées. It holds Non-GMO Project Verified, GFCO Gluten-Free, USDA Organic, and CCOF certifications, and displays a 2024 Verified Vendor seal. There is no proprietary technology platform — the operation runs on a WordPress website, a client login portal, email outreach, and a phone sales line (844-I-LUV-COD).

Commercially, the company generates revenue through transaction-based sourcing engagements, with pricing quoted per order based on ingredient specifications and volumes rather than from a public price list. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by direct outreach, phone, and email. The company is led by President Jim Lewis, has 1-10 employees per firmographic data, has not raised institutional capital, and discloses no revenue figure.

Name

Certified Organic Direct

Legal name

Certified Organic Direct

Website

https://certifiedorganicdirect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Certified Organic Direct is a privately held B2B ingredient sourcing intermediary that sources bulk organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, and natural ingredients directly from manufacturers for food manufacturers, meal kit companies, co-packers, and food service operators across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bulk Organic Ingredient Sourcing

NAICS

Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural, Organic & Health Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic & Natural Packaged Grocery Wholesale (AFAIAJAB), Natural & Organic Foods Distribution (CRAOABAH)

Keywords

• Bulk organic ingredients
• Food ingredient sourcing
• Organic procurement services
• Clean-label ingredients
• Non-GMO ingredient supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ingredient Sourcing and Procurement: The company generates revenue by sourcing organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, and other natural ingredients in bulk quantities for food industry clients. They leverage direct relationships with suppliers and manufacturers to secure competitive pricing and deliver ingredients directly from source to customer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Certified Organic Direct is a B2B ingredient sourcing and procurement service that supplies organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and kosher ingredients in bulk to food industry buyers. The company sources ingredients directly from manufacturers and ships them directly to clients, bypassing traditional distributors to secure competitive pricing and ensure on-time delivery for production deadlines. Its catalog spans dairy, proteins, grains, sweeteners, oils, spices, purees, juices, and specialty ingredients offered in multiple bulk packaging formats.

Product overview

Certified Organic Direct is a B2B ingredient sourcing company that provides organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and kosher ingredients to the food industry. The company operates as a unified sourcing platform that connects food manufacturers, meal kit companies, restaurant groups, co-packers, and other food service businesses with bulk-size ingredient suppliers. The product portfolio includes 17 core product categories spanning dairy, proteins, grains, sweeteners, oils, spices, purees, and specialty ingredients, along with new product lines in not-from-concentrate juices, fruit purees, frozen fruits, and vegetable purees. All ingredients are sourced directly from manufacturers to provide competitive pricing and reliable delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bulk Organic Ingredient Sourcing Service Core sourcing and procurement service that connects food manufacturers, co-packers, meal kit companies, restaurant groups, and food service operators with bulk organic and natural ingredient suppliers. Ingredients are delivered directly from manufacturers to the client to avoid distributor-related delivery shortages.
• Bulk Dairy Ingredients Organic and natural dairy ingredients supplied in bulk sizes for food service and manufacturing customers.
• Fresh Proteins Fresh organic protein ingredients sourced directly from manufacturers for food manufacturers and food service operators.
• Cooked Proteins Pre-cooked organic protein ingredients supplied in bulk for food manufacturing and food service applications.
• Non-Dairy Ingredients Non-dairy alternative ingredients for food manufacturers requiring dairy-free options.
• Powdered Liquid Ingredients Powdered and liquid ingredients supplied in bulk sizes for food manufacturing applications.
• Bulk Vinegars Organic vinegar ingredients supplied in bulk quantities for food service and manufacturing customers.
• Bulk Grains Organic grain ingredients sourced in bulk for food manufacturing and food service applications.
• Bulk Sweeteners Organic and natural sweetener ingredients available in bulk packaging for food industry buyers.
• Starches & Flours Organic starch and flour ingredients supplied in bulk sizes for food manufacturing customers.
• Bulk Legumes & Beans Organic legume and bean ingredients sourced for food manufacturers and food service operators.
• Bulk Breads Organic bread ingredients and products supplied for food service and manufacturing customers.
• Bulk Oils Organic oil ingredients supplied in bulk packaging for food manufacturing applications.
• Bulk Purees Organic fruit and vegetable purees supplied in bulk sizes for food industry buyers.
• Bulk Spices Organic spice ingredients sourced in bulk for food manufacturing and food service customers.
• IQF & Dehydrated Ingredients Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) and dehydrated organic ingredients supplied in bulk for food manufacturers.
• Broths & Stocks Organic broth and stock ingredients supplied in bulk sizes for food manufacturing customers.
• Juice Concentrates Organic juice concentrate ingredients supplied for beverage and food manufacturing customers.
• Not-From-Concentrate Single Strength Fruit Juices Not-from-concentrate single strength fruit juices supplied for beverage manufacturers.
• Fruit Juice Concentrates Organic fruit juice concentrates supplied for food and beverage manufacturing customers.
• Citrus and Non-Citrus Fruit Purées Organic citrus and non-citrus fruit purees supplied for food and beverage applications.
• Frozen Fruits Organic frozen fruit ingredients supplied for food manufacturing customers.
• Vegetable Purées Organic vegetable purees supplied for food manufacturing and food service applications.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI): UNFI is the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor of natural, organic, and specialty foods in North America. It sells to retailers, foodservice, and B2B customers across the same product categories COD serves (organic dairy, produce, frozen, specialty grocery), but at far larger scale and via a traditional warehouse-distribution model.
• Brenntag SE: Brenntag is a global market leader in chemical and specialty ingredient distribution, including a substantial food and nutrition ingredients business. Its broad product portfolio and global sourcing network overlap with COD's food manufacturer-facing wholesale model, though at much greater scale and across non-organic and organic segments.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): ADM is a global leader in human and animal nutrition, with a sizable specialty ingredients business serving food and beverage manufacturers. Its flavor and ingredient solutions, plus deep sourcing footprint, represent an incumbent competitor to COD across multiple ingredient categories (sweeteners, proteins, grains, oils).
• McCormick & Company: McCormick's industrial ingredients and flavor solutions business (spices, seasonings, condiments) serves global food manufacturers, with a growing organic and clean-label portfolio. While McCormick is far larger and more branded-focused, it overlaps with COD's spice, seasoning, and ingredient sourcing role for B2B food customers.
• Ingredion Incorporated: Ingredion is a major global ingredient solutions company specializing in starches, sweeteners, and clean-label texturizers for food and beverage manufacturers. It competes in several of COD's product categories (sweeteners, starches, flours) and serves overlapping food manufacturer customers, though at vastly larger scale.
• KeHE Distributors: KeHE is a leading distributor of natural, organic, specialty, and international foods to retailers and foodservice operators across the U.S. and Canada. It overlaps with COD's product breadth across organic grocery, dairy, frozen, and fresh categories and competes for the same small-to-mid-sized B2B customers.
• Cargill, Incorporated: Cargill is one of the largest privately held food and agriculture companies, with substantial food ingredients and specialty protein businesses serving global food manufacturers. Its scale and supplier relationships make it an incumbent competitor for many of COD's dairy, protein, and grain customers.

Direct peers

• Glanbia Nutritionals: Glanbia Nutritionals is a global ingredient solutions provider specializing in dairy and plant-based proteins, pre-mixes, and flavors sold to food and beverage manufacturers. Its B2B focus on functional and clean-label ingredient categories overlaps directly with COD's specialty/manufacturer ingredient business.
• Prinova Group: Prinova is a global ingredient distributor and solutions provider serving the nutritional, food, beverage, and sports nutrition industries. Its business model of matching specialty ingredients with food manufacturers parallels COD's organic and natural ingredient sourcing role, though Prinova is much larger and more chemistry/premix focused.
• SunOpta Inc. SunOpta is a plant-based food and beverage company focused on organic, non-GMO, and specialty ingredients sourced for B2B customers. It is the closest publicly traded comparable, serving many of the same food manufacturer and beverage segments with a comparable organic ingredient portfolio (juices, frozen fruits, purees, sweeteners).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Certified Organic Direct