CERES

What CERES does

CERES (full legal name: CERtification of Environmental Standards GmbH) is an international inspection and certification body founded in 2001 and headquartered in Hersbruck, Germany, with a second legal entity — CERES-CERT AG — based in Frick, Switzerland. The company operates four service divisions: BIO (Agriculture/Processing/Trade) covering organic food certifications including EU Organic, USDA NOP, JAS, Bio Suisse, Bioland, Demeter, Naturland, KRAV, COR Canada Organic, and the Singapore Organic Standard; Textile and Recycling covering GOTS, IVN Best, OCS, GRS, RCS, RDS, RWS, RMS, RAS, and the Higg Facility Environmental Module; Sustainability covering GLOBALG.A.P., Rainforest Alliance, C.A.F.E. Practices, 4C System, Bird Friendly, SPP, and UEBT; and Climate and Environment covering European and World Biochar Certificates, CO2-Land, and proprietary Global C-Sink standards for artisan, biochar, rock, and tree sequestration. Customers include organic producers, processors, traders, textile manufacturers, and agricultural supply chain participants across more than a dozen jurisdictions. CERES holds accreditations including ANAB ISO/IEC 17065 (D-ZE14008-01-00), ANAB ISO 17029, ANAB ISO 14065, ANAB ISO 14064, NOP, JAS, GLOBALG.A.P., and UK post-Brexit export recognition.

CERES's underlying technology stack centers on the cloud-based EASY-CERT customer portal used for certification status management and verification, an online transaction certificate application system, and several domain-specific tools including the Global C-Sink Registry (global-c-registry.org), the World-Climate Farm Tool for carbon footprint calculation, and the European Biochar Certificate Management Tool. These platforms support an enterprise sales-led GTM with four dedicated departments, dedicated phone lines per division, in-person on-site inspections by trained auditors, and lead generation through trade events such as Biofach.

The business model is professional services: CERES earns revenue from inspection fees, application fees, and annual renewal fees for each standard certified, with separate disclosed price lists per division (BIO Agriculture/Processing/Trade; Textile and Recycling; Sustainability; Climate and Environment) and jurisdiction-specific pricing for clients served through partner entities in the UK, Turkey, China, and Continental Europe. CERES distributes through its own direct sales force and through the EASY-CERT partner network (Austria Bio Garantie, agroVet, bio.inspecta, Carbon Standards International AG, Bio Garantie international) and operates as part of the EASY-CERT group AG, the parent conglomerate.

Name

CERES

Legal name

CERES - CERtification of Environmental Standards - GmbH

Website

https://ceres-cert.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CERES is a German-Swiss international inspection and certification body providing accredited certification services for organic food, sustainable textiles, sustainability standards, and climate and environmental standards to producers, processors, and traders globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Third-Party Certification and Inspection Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & Environmental Certifications (Carbon, Water, Regenerative) (AFALAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Safety & Quality Scheme Certifications (GFSI Programs) (AFALAMAI)

Keywords

• Organic certification services
• Sustainable textile inspection
• Agricultural standards verification
• Environmental compliance auditing
• Climate certification body

Headquarters

HQ city

Happurg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certification Services: CERES generates revenue through inspection and certification fees for various standards including organic food, textiles, sustainability, and climate/environmental standards. The certification process involves application fees, on-site inspections, and annual renewal fees.
2. Inspection and Certification Fees: Fees for BIO agriculture/processing/trade certification, textile and recycling certification, sustainability certification, and climate and environment certification. Different price lists apply based on the service area and partner company providing the service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CERES is an international inspection and certification body that audits and certifies producers, processors, and traders against organic, sustainable textile, food sustainability, and climate/environmental standards. Services include on-site inspections, transaction certificate issuance, and verification through online portals. The company operates four divisions — BIO Agriculture/Processing/Trade, Textile and Recycling, Sustainability, and Climate and Environment — issuing certifications such as EU Organic, NOP, GOTS, GLOBALG.A.P., Rainforest Alliance, GRS, EBC, and World-Climate Farm Standard.

Product overview

CERES is an international inspection and certification body operating as four interconnected service divisions: BIO (Agriculture/Processing/Trade) for organic food certification, Textile and Recycling for sustainable textiles, Sustainability for broader environmental and social standards, and Climate and Environment for carbon and climate-related certifications. The portfolio includes specific standards such as EU Organic, NOP, JAS, GOTS, GLOBALG.A.P., Rainforest Alliance, and various recycled material standards (GRS, RCS, RDS, RMS, RWS). Climate and environmental offerings encompass the European Biochar Certificate (EBC), World-Climate Farm Standard, CO2-Land, and multiple C-Sink standards. The company provides online tools including the EASY-CERT Customer Portal, World-Climate Farm Tool, Global C-Sink Registry, and European Biochar Certificate Management Tool. ClaimCheck provides verification for sustainable business practices across industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ClaimCheck by CERES: A service providing parameters for sustainable business practices for manufacturers and service providers.

Products and services

• BIO - Agriculture / Processing / Trade Certification

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• EASY-CERT group AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEASY-CERT group AG is the umbrella organization for Austria Bio Garantie, agroVet, bio.inspecta, and CERES. The companies operate as comprehensive service providers for sustainable and social control and certification services in their national and international markets.
• bio.inspecta AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company based in Frick, Switzerland providing inspection and certification services for organic and other label products, as well as ISO standards and food safety. National and international strengths of ABG and bio.inspecta are combined for the benefit of clients.
• bio.inspecta Ltd.regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary of bio.inspecta based in Izmir, Turkey, providing local inspection and certification services.
• bio.inspecta shpkregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary of bio.inspecta with offices in Pristina, Kosovo and Tirana, Albania.
• bio.inspecta Pty. Ltd.regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary of bio.inspecta based in Melbourne, Australia.
• q.inspecta GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company of bio.inspecta based in Switzerland.
• Carbon Standards International AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of EASY-CERT group, established in 2021, specialized in developing system solutions, concepts, and standards for climate-neutral agriculture and industry. Develops Global C-Sink Registry, Biochar Tool, and World-Climate Farm Tool.
• Austria Bio GarantieregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPart of EASY-CERT group focusing on organic agriculture and organic processing in Austria.
• agroVet GmbHregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPart of EASY-CERT group focusing on agriculture and processing in Austria.
• Bio Garantie internationalregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPart of EASY-CERT group operating in Italy, Croatia, Romania, and Hungary.
• CERES Certifications Ltd.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing certification services for clients in the UK market.
• CERES Kontrol ve Belgelendirme Hizmetleri Ltd. Şti.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing certification services for clients in Turkey.
• Shanghai Trust Transfer Certification Co., Ltd.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company providing certification services for clients in China.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• bio.inspecta AG: Swiss organic and sustainability certifier and fellow EASY-CERT group member, providing nearly identical services to CERES in Switzerland and partner markets. Effectively a sister-company peer.
• BCS Öko-Garantie: German organic certification body operating internationally across EU organic, NOP, JAS, and private organic standards. Comparable in scale, geography, and service mix to CERES.
• SCS Global Services: US-based third-party certification body offering organic, sustainability, recycled content, and climate-related certifications. Directly comparable to CERES in standard portfolio.
• Control Union: Global certification body offering organic, textile, sustainability, and forestry certifications (GOTS, GRS, OCS, organic). Closely comparable to CERES in service portfolio, multi-standard approach, and international footprint.
• IMO Institut für Marktökologie: Swiss/German organic and sustainability certifier offering inspection and certification for organic, Fairtrade, and textile standards. Comparable to CERES in scope, geographic base, and standard coverage.
• Ecocert: France-based certification body specializing in organic agriculture, sustainable textiles, cosmetics, and environmental certification. Directly competes with CERES across organic, textile, and sustainability standards.
• Austria Bio Garantie: Austrian organic certification body and fellow EASY-CERT group member operating in agriculture and processing. Directly comparable service portfolio and group affiliation.
• OneCert: International organic certification body providing NOP, EU organic, JAS, and private label certifications, with comparable multi-jurisdiction reach to CERES.

Broad incumbents

• SGS: Global testing, inspection, and certification giant with growing sustainability and textile certification offerings. Overlaps with CERES but at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC incumbent expanding in agricultural and sustainability certification. Serves as both competitor and potential consolidator in the certification market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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