Oregon Kosher

What Oregon Kosher does

Oregon Kosher is a non-profit kosher certification agency founded in 1997 by leaders of the Oregon Jewish Community and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It certifies food companies and establishments for kosher compliance across the Pacific Northwest and neighboring states, serving both retail and industrial food producers in verticals including bakery, distillery, winery, and grocery. Its core offering is multi-year kosher certification delivered through a four-step process: initial consultation, ingredient and equipment application review, on-site inspection by Rabbinic Field Representatives, and ongoing supervision. The agency also operates a free consultation intake channel via Calendly and a consumer-facing Locally Kosher directory listing certified SW Portland establishments.

The underlying technology is human-driven rabbinic inspection and supervision rather than software; certification is performed by a professional rabbinic team including Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Tzvi Fischer and Rabbinic Administrator Rabbi Tuvia Berzow, supported by the Oregon Kosher Vaad HaKashrus. Oregon Kosher is a member of AKO (Association of Kashrut Organizations), which ensures universal acceptance of its certifications across the kosher certification industry, and its symbol is recognized on national and global brands.

Revenue mechanics are professional-services-style, quote-based fees tailored to each company's products and the frequency of rabbinic field visits, billed under multi-year contracts. Fees are explicitly never tied to client sales or size, distinguishing the model from organic and non-GMO certification. Oregon Kosher is privately held, non-profit, and operates without disclosed external funding, parent company, or subsidiary structure.

Name

Oregon Kosher

Legal name

Oregon Kosher

Website

https://oregonkosher.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Oregon Kosher is a non-profit regional kosher certification agency based in Portland, Oregon, certifying food companies and establishments across the Pacific Northwest through rabbinic inspections and ongoing supervision. It serves SMB food producers in bakery, beverage, and retail via multi-year, quote-based certification contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Kosher Certification Services

akta.pro primary industry

Kosher Certification Services (AFALAMAG)

Keywords

• Kosher certification
• Food certification services
• Kosher supervision
• Religious dietary compliance
• Food industry auditing

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Kosher Certification Services: Fees for kosher certification services are the primary revenue stream. These fees are tailored for each company based on their products and the frequency of visits required by Rabbinic Field Representatives. Unlike Organic or non-GMO certification, Oregon Kosher fees are never tied to the company's sales or size.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Oregon Kosher is a full-service regional kosher certification agency that certifies companies in retail and industrial food production across the Pacific Northwest and neighboring states. The agency conducts site inspections and provides ongoing rabbinic supervision through Rabbinic Field Representatives, applying kosher law requirements to ingredients, equipment, and production processes. Certification confirms that products bearing the Oregon Kosher symbol meet kosher dietary requirements.

Product overview

Oregon Kosher is a non-profit regional kosher certification agency offering a unified service model consisting of three interconnected offerings: Kosher Certification Services (the core product providing certification, site inspections, and ongoing supervision), Free Consultation (an entry-point service guiding businesses through the certification process), and the Locally Kosher Directory (a consumer-facing resource listing certified establishments). The agency works with companies across the food industry including bakeries, distilleries, wineries, and grocery stores.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kosher Certification Services Full-service kosher certification for food industry companies in retail and industrial fields across the Pacific Northwest and neighboring states, including application review of ingredients and equipment, site inspections, and ongoing supervision by Rabbinic Field Representatives. Certification confirms that products bearing the Oregon Kosher symbol meet kosher law requirements.
• Free Consultation Free consultation service to help food industry businesses understand the kosher certification process, including discussion of business needs, ingredient review, equipment assessment, and custom implementation planning. Scheduled via Calendly.
• Locally Kosher Directory Visitor's guide to kosher food establishments in SW Portland, listing certified restaurants, caterers, and stores under Oregon Kosher supervision including Cafe @ the J, Century Catering, and Kashrootz Catering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kosher products sell 20% better than non-kosher products
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AKO (Association of Kashrut Organizations)coreOthersOregon Kosher is a member of AKO (Association of Kashrut Organizations), an industry body of kosher certification agencies. This membership ensures universal acceptance of Oregon Kosher certifications across all kosher certification agencies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CRC (Chicago Rabbinical Council): Rabbinical kosher certification body with decades of operation in the US food industry. CRC offers direct competition to Oregon Kosher through its end-to-end kosher supervision and certification services.
• Star-K Kosher Certification: Major international kosher certification agency serving food manufacturers, restaurants, and caterers. Star-K operates with a parallel inspection-and-supervision model, making it a direct peer for Oregon Kosher's food-industry clientele.
• Kosher Supervision of America (KSA): US-based kosher certification agency providing supervision and certification services to food companies using a similar rabbinic-inspection model. KSA competes for many of the same SMB and mid-market food producers as Oregon Kosher.
• Orthodox Union (OU Kosher): The largest kosher certification agency in the world, certifying tens of thousands of products globally. OU Kosher is the dominant direct peer to Oregon Kosher, serving the same food-industry customer base with similar rabbinic inspection-based certification services.
• KOF-K Kosher Supervision: Kosher certification agency serving food producers globally with rabbinic field representatives and routine inspections. KOF-K is a direct peer in business model and target customer profile.
• International Kosher Supervision (IKS): Kosher certification agency providing inspection-based certification to food producers and manufacturers. IKS competes for similar industrial and retail food clients using a comparable rabbinic field-representative approach.
• OK Kosher: One of the largest global kosher certification agencies, certifying products across food categories worldwide. OK Kosher is a direct competitor with similar business model of rabbinic field supervision and certification fees.

Emerging players

• EarthKosher: Smaller, more recently founded kosher certification agency emphasizing modern customer service and remote-friendly operations. EarthKosher is an emerging peer with partial overlap to Oregon Kosher's customer base and a digitally native positioning Oregon Kosher does not yet match.

Regional players

• Atlanta Kosher Commission (AKC): Regional kosher supervision body in the Southeastern US with similar community-rooted non-profit structure. AKC is a regional peer with a comparable operating model — non-profit, regionally focused, multi-category food clients — but operating in a different US geography.
• Vaad Harabonim of Greater Seattle: Pacific Northwest peer in the kosher supervision space, serving the Seattle market with a similar community-based model. Operates in an adjacent regional geography, representing both direct competition (NW food brands) and a potential partnership/integration candidate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oregonkosher
• Facebookfacebook.com/OregonKosher
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oregon-kosher

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 Oregon Kosher