As a certified or even un-certified, but still organic business owner, you may need to locate real organic ingredients for your business. Examples of businesses who may need to locate officially certified organic ingredients include certified organic restaurant owners or organic handlers who make mixed organic goods, such as beauty products, jams or baked good.
If you're certified organic, you're required to use only certified organic goods. However, even if you're not certified, but you're still marketing your business as organic, you should make sure to use certified organic ingredients because using fake organics can affect your business in the eyes of customers and your peers.
Finding organic ingredients used to be a lot harder, but it's gotten easier as organic sales have continued to rise.
Below are some ways to locate actual organic ingredients from growers and manufacturers.
- National Organic Program list of certified operations is a great place to locate all the certified companies you need, but it can be cumbersome to search though as the list is extensive.
- CCOF Organic Directory Online allows you to search among CCOF's certified organic clients, products and services, includes organic farmers, processors, handlers, packers, and retailers.
- Organic Trade Association's Organic Pages showcases certified organic products, producers, ingredients, supplies and services offered by OTA members.
- 606organic site has organic sources for agricultural ingredients listed on NOP § 205.606.
- Local Harvest can connect you with nationwide organic farms to buy directly from.
- Your organic certification agency can help you locate reputable organic supplies.
- Oregon Tilth has a list of local CSA, U-Picks and Farmers Markets for consumers, but it's a nice list for businesses who want to stay local too. This list is Oregon-specific, but a good example of what you may be able to find locally. If you're not in Oregon locate your own local organic certification agency.
- Ask your peers for recommendations on the best suppliers.
