Nature's International Certification Services

What Nature's International Certification Services does

Nature's International Certification Services (NICS) is a USDA National Organic Program (NOP)-accredited certification agency headquartered in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Founded in 2005 by organic farmers, NICS assesses organic operations — including crops, wild crops, livestock, and processing/handling facilities — for compliance with NOP standards, issuing organic certifications and transitional land verifications. The company also performs inspections for the American Grassfed Association (AGA) and the Organic Plus Trust program, and offers export certification services to Canada, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

NICS operates a professional services model with revenue generated through application fees, inspection fees, and certification fees, sold via a direct, sales-led process in which prospects contact the office by phone or email to request application packets. GTM is relationship-driven and geographically concentrated across 21 U.S. states (Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin), with the explicit ability to assist clients in additional states. The company exposes an interactive NOP Assessment Tool on its website for pre-qualification and offers organic inspector training.

NICS has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of France-based Ecocert Group since 2019 and relocated to a new headquarters at 210 Airport Road in Viroqua in 2022. The company does not disclose revenue, has no outside funding rounds, and maintains a headcount of 11–50 employees. There is no evidence of proprietary technology platforms, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities; the technology stack appears limited to a corporate website, contact forms, and downloadable certification forms.

Name

Nature's International Certification Services

Legal name

Nature's International Certification Services LLC

Website

https://naturesinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nature's International Certification Services is a USDA NOP-accredited organic certification agency headquartered in Viroqua, Wisconsin, serving organic producers, handlers, and processors across 21 U.S. states and exporting to seven international markets as a subsidiary of Ecocert Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Certification Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Traceability & Chain-of-Custody Certification (Mass Balance, Segregation, Identity Preserved) (AFALAMAK), Pre-Assessment, Gap Assessment & Certification Readiness Services (AFALACAE)

Keywords

• Organic certification services
• USDA NOP certification
• Transitional land verification
• Grass-fed inspections
• International export certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Viroqua

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. Organic Certification Services: NICS generates revenue through certification fees, including application fees and inspection fees. Clients submit completed applications along with appropriate fees for review and processing. The certification is a multi-step process involving initial review, on-site inspection, and final certification decision.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Nature's International Certification Services (NICS) is a USDA-accredited organic certification agency that assesses and certifies organic operations, including crops, wild crops, livestock, and processing/handling facilities, for compliance with the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). In addition to NOP certification, NICS provides transitional land verification, American Grassfed Association (AGA) inspections, Organic Plus Trust program reviews, and international export certification services covering Canada, the EU, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

Product overview

Nature's International Certification Services (NICS) offers a single integrated certification service portfolio centered on USDA NOP Organic Certification as its core product. The company provides transitional land verification for farms converting to organic practices, and has expanded through integrations with the American Grassfed Association and Organic Plus Trust program for specialized inspections. NICS also offers an interactive NOP Assessment Tool to help applicants determine certification needs, along with international export certification services covering Canada, EU, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland, and Taiwan. The company acquired organic inspector training capabilities as part of its expanded scope, positioning itself as a comprehensive certification agency serving organic producers, handlers, and processors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• USDA NOP Organic Certification Comprehensive assessment and certification service for organic operations (crops, wild crops, livestock, and processing/handling) to verify compliance with USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards.
• Transitional Land Verification

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ecocert GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019NICS was acquired by Ecocert Group in 2019, uniting under a shared mission to provide world-class organic certification services. The acquisition brought NICS under the umbrella of a global leader in organic certification and sustainable development. NICS moved its headquarters to new offices at 210 Airport Road in Viroqua, WI in 2022 as part of this new phase of development.
• American Grassfed Association (AGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNICS performs inspections for the American Grassfed Association, enabling them to certify grass-fed livestock producers who meet AGA standards for grass-fed认证.
• Organic Plus TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNICS performs inspections and reviews for the Organic Plus Trust program, providing additional organic certification verification services beyond standard USDA NOP requirements.
• International Export Partners (Canada, EU, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland, Taiwan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNICS provides services for organic producers who wish to export their products to international markets including Canada, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland, and Taiwan, helping them meet destination market organic certification requirements.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Where Food Comes From: A public-listed verification and certification company offering organic and source-verification services. Competes with NICS in organic certification verification while being part of a broader assurance platform.
• SCS Global Services: A larger certification, auditing, and testing firm offering organic, food safety, and sustainability certifications across many categories. Overlaps with NICS on organic certification services but operates a much broader portfolio.
• Ecocert Group: NICS's parent company — a global leader in organic and sustainable certification operating across many product categories and geographies. Relevant as a broad incumbent shaping the same certification services market and a benchmark for NICS's strategic direction.
• SGS Société Générale de Surveillance: A global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) giant offering organic and agricultural certification among many other categories. Comparable to NICS in the certification line while operating at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• Global Organic Alliance (GOA): A USDA-accredited organic certification body providing NOP certification and inspection services across crops, livestock, and processors. Directly comparable in service mix and organic certification category.
• California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF): One of the largest USDA-accredited organic certifiers in the U.S., offering NOP certification, transitional certification, and international export services. Direct competitor to NICS across overlapping service lines and customer segments.
• Oregon Tilth Certified Organic: A USDA-accredited organic certification agency serving farmers, processors, and handlers across the U.S. Directly comparable to NICS in accreditation scope, organic product certification focus, and producer/handler customer base.
• Quality Assurance International (QAI): A USDA-accredited organic certification body offering NOP certification, food safety certification, and export organic services. Operates in directly overlapping product categories and customer segments as NICS.
• Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA): A USDA-accredited organic certification agency focused on farms and processors, particularly in the upper Midwest. Closely comparable to NICS in scale, geographic orientation, and core NOP certification offering.

Regional players

• Pro-Cert Organic Systems: A Canada-based organic certification body accredited under multiple regimes including Canada, NOP, and EU equivalence. Comparable to NICS in offering cross-jurisdictional organic certification but serves a different primary geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Nature's International Certification Services