Inoq

What Inoq does

INOQ (Istituto Nord Ovest Qualità) is an Italian cooperative society (Società Cooperativa) founded in 1998 and headquartered in Moretta, Cuneo, in the Piedmont region of Italy. The company operates as a third-party certification body (Organismo di Certificazione) providing control and certification services for protected designations of origin (DOP), protected geographical indications (IGP), and Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (STG) marks in the agri-food sector. Its service portfolio extends to organic certification (Certificazione Biologica), voluntary certifications (Certificazioni Volontarie), and Italian national quality systems covering integrated production (SQNPI), livestock production and meat labeling (SQNZ), and animal welfare (SQNBA), along with second-party inspection services, milk quality inspection, and professional training.

INOQ serves Italian food producers, farmers, and processors primarily within the Piedmont region, including notable DOP/IGP producers across dairy (Bra DOP, Castelmagno DOP, Murazzano DOP, Raschera DOP, Robiola di Roccaverano DOP, Toma Piemontese DOP), meat (Crudo di Cuneo DOP, Salame Piemonte IGP, Vitelloni piemontesi della coscia IGP), and produce (Nocciola Piemonte IGP, Mela Rossa Cuneo IGP, Castagna Cuneo IGP, Fagiolo Cuneo IGP, Marrone della valle di Susa IGP). Revenue is generated through certification fees — professional service fees covering document review, on-site inspections, and certification issuance — with pricing not publicly disclosed and likely quote-based depending on certification scope.

The company is owned by its cooperative members rather than external investors, with no disclosed venture capital or private equity ownership. It is governed by President Tommaso Mario Abrate and General Director Gianni Comba, with a leadership team spanning quality management, certification schemes, IT, and administration. The business model rests on regulatory authorization to certify, which is itself a prerequisite for producers seeking EU Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) payments and market differentiation through protected designation marks. Distribution is direct, with field inspectors serving producers regionally from the Moretta headquarters and a referenced CSQA Cuneo office.

Name

Inoq

Legal name

ISTITUTO NORD OVEST QUALITÀ - ORGANISMO DI CERTIFICAZIONE - Società Cooperativa

Website

https://inoq.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INOQ is an Italian cooperative certification body founded in 1998, providing DOP, IGP, organic, and national quality system certifications to agri-food producers primarily in the Piedmont region of Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agri-food Certification Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Geographic Indication & Origin/Authenticity Certification (PDO/PGI, Country-of-Origin) (AFALAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Safety & Quality Scheme Certifications (GFSI Programs) (AFALAMAI), Internal QA Audits & Compliance Monitoring (GMP/SSOP/HACCP Verification) (AFALALAC), Labeling & Claims Compliance Review (Nutrition, Allergen, Country-of-Origin) (AFALADAF), Auditor Qualification, Training & Competency Certification (Food Safety) (AFALACAD)

Keywords

• Food certification services
• Protected designation origin
• Organic certification
• Geographical indication certification
• Agri-food inspection

Headquarters

HQ city

Moretta

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certification Services: INOQ provides control and certification services for protected brands DOP and IGP, collective, company or voluntary certifications in the agri-food sector. Revenue is generated through certification fees for various schemes including DOP/IGP/STG, Organic, Voluntary certifications, SQNPI (National Quality System for Integrated Production), SQNZ (National Quality System for Livestock and Labeling), and meat certification.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

INOQ is a certification body (Organismo di Certificazione) providing control and certification services for protected marks including DOP (Protected Designation of Origin), IGP (Protected Geographical Indication), STG (Traditional Specialty Guaranteed), Organic, voluntary, and Italian National Quality System certifications (SQNPI, SQNZ, SQNBA) in the agri-food sector. The cooperative also performs milk quality inspections, second-party verification inspections, and delivers training to food producers.

Product overview

INOQ (Istituto Nord Ovest Qualità) is a certification organism (Organismo di Certificazione) providing control and certification services for protected marks (DOP, IGP, STG), organic certification, voluntary certifications, and National Quality Systems (SQNPI, SQNZ, SQNBA) in the Italian agri-food sector. The company offers inspection services (milk quality, second-party verifications) and training. Certified products include Italian cheeses (such as Bra DOP, Castelmagno DOP, Toma Piemontese DOP), meats (Salame Piemonte IGP, Vitelloni piemontesi della coscia IGP), and specialty products (Nocciola Piemonte IGP, Mela Rossa Cuneo IGP). This is a certification and verification service portfolio, not a technology product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certificazione DOP | IGP | STG

Named customers16 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS Italy: Italian operations of SGS, the global testing, inspection, and certification company, with agri-food and quality certification services. Comparable as a broad incumbent in food certification.
• DNV: Global certification and assurance provider with food and agriculture certification services. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating certification schemes in the agri-food sector.
• Bureau Veritas Italy: Italian arm of global testing, inspection, and certification group offering agri-food, organic, and quality certification services. Comparable as a broad incumbent with agri-food certification overlap.
• RINA Services: Italian-headquartered global certification, testing, and inspection group with agri-food certification offerings. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating across multiple certification verticals including food safety and geographical indications.

Direct peers

• ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica e Ambientale): Italian certification body focused on organic, sustainability, and ethical certifications including organic and integrated production schemes. Comparable as a peer in Italian organic and voluntary agri-food certification.
• Certiquality: Italian certification body offering voluntary and regulated certifications including DOP/IGP, organic, and integrated production schemes. Direct comparable in the Italian agri-food certification market.
• CSQA Certificazioni: Major Italian certification body providing DOP/IGP, organic, integrated production, and animal welfare certifications across Italy. Directly comparable as it operates the same regulatory certification schemes as INOQ but at national scale.
• Valoritalia: Italian certification body specializing in DOP/IGP designations, particularly in the wine and agri-food sectors. Comparable as a direct competitor in protected designation certification services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Inoq