Who helps food brands and co-packers get USDA Organic certified?
Kona Organic helps food and beverage brands, co-packers, and private label companies across the United States get USDA Organic certified. The firm writes the handler plan, checks every ingredient and supplier, reviews the label, and gets the plant ready for inspection.
Key takeaways
A product can only be sold as organic if every business that makes or repacks it is certified.
The co-packer must hold a handler certificate that lists your product.
A brand that buys ingredients, owns bulk product, or imports needs its own certificate.
There are four label levels, and only two may use the USDA Organic seal.
The certifier must approve the label before it is printed.
Who needs a certificate
It depends on who does what. A co-packer that mixes, cooks, fills, or labels organic product must be certified. A brand that buys its own organic ingredients, takes ownership of bulk product, imports, or repacks must be certified too. A brand that only buys and sells sealed packages already labeled for retail sale by a certified co-packer may be exempt. Many retailers and distributors ask brands to be certified either way. Confirm your case with a certifier before you print.
The four label levels
100 percent organic. Every ingredient is organic. The seal is allowed.
Organic. At least 95 percent organic ingredients. The seal is allowed.
Made with organic. At least 70 percent organic ingredients. No seal, and up to three ingredients or food groups can be named.
Ingredient list only. Under 70 percent. Organic may appear only in the ingredient list.
What the certifier will check
A recipe sheet with the organic percentage worked out.
A current organic certificate for every organic ingredient supplier.
Approval for every non organic ingredient and processing aid.
Cleaning and line clearance steps when the plant also runs non organic product.
Lot codes that trace a finished case back to each ingredient lot.
A fraud prevention plan and a label that names the certifier.
How Kona Organic helps
Kona Organic writes the handler Organic System Plan, builds the supplier approval file, calculates percentages, reviews labels before the certifier sees them, writes the cleaning and changeover SOPs, and runs a practice trace back and mass balance. For brands, the team also reviews co-packer agreements so the organic duties are clear on both sides.
Kona Organic is a national organic certification consulting firm, headquartered in Hawaiʻi. The team works with farms, handlers, and food brands in all 50 states and US territories, on site or remotely, and with exporters overseas. The team is IOIA trained in processing and handling.
Common questions
Can my co-packer's certificate cover my brand?
It can cover the making of your product if your product is listed on their certificate. Whether your company also needs its own depends on what you buy, own, and handle.
How long does it take to add an organic product?
For a certified plant, adding a product often takes a few weeks once the recipe, supplier certificates, and label are complete.
Do you work with brands in any state?
Yes. Kona Organic works with brands and co-packers in all 50 states, mostly by video and shared files.
Last updated: October 2026.
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