is it worth being organically certified?

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is it worth being organically certified?
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is it worth having organic certification

yes

[ 2 ]

90%

[ 20 ]

Total Votes : 22

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earthsoul

Joined: 10 Feb 2011
Posts: 320
Location: Ceredigion West Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:14 pm Post subject: is it worth being organically certified?
I just wondered, I sell eggs, meat etc and I would like to be in the woofers initiative but is the money on the certification worth it????

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:21 pm Post subject:
Depends who you're selling to and in what volumes - large scale and remote from your consumers, possibly, small scale and building a relationship with the consumer, I doubt it.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:23 pm Post subject:

How much land have you got, (how much income are you expecting to make - don't answer this here), vs costs of certification, both financial and form-filling etc etc ??

For small producers, it's not worth it, unless you have a really high-value product, and an eager market.
Depends also on whether you are planning on selling locally (in which case, the local aspect is probably enough, and you can explain your methods to customers, i.e. organic-type methods but not certified as too expensive), or nationally to people you will not meet, or to wholesale customers who will insist on the form-filling etc.

FWIW, I never certified as organic, and I don't think it affected sales one way or the other. Though at the time, there was no organic standard for what I was making / selling (but there is now).

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:26 pm Post subject:
I believe that most consumers are more interested in their food being ethically produced rather than organic. We looked into the certification and it was the same whether you have 5 acres or 500 acres - bloody expensive. I would advise marketig on the basis of ethics, rather than a certificate.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:28 pm Post subject:

Mary-Jane wrote:

I believe that most consumers are more interested in their food being ethically produced rather than organic

That's because you sell locally, in a rural location, or to people who know you. Waitrose would tell you an Organic label, and beating the staff to death, followed by air shipment is better than any amount of ethics, so it depends.

However, I vote no, as it'll cost you a ton, and get you little in return. Unless you're a supermarket?

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:30 pm Post subject:
My friends locally (sheep and cattle) have just dropped their organic certification - essentially too many hoops for too little gain for either their land, their animals or their pockets.

cassy

Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:47 pm Post subject:
It seems quite normal now for small producers to state that they work to organic standards but are not certified due to cost. I don't think it would make a difference if people are buying direct from you (it wouldn't to me).

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:50 pm Post subject:
Not sure whether you need to be certified to host wwoofers - you certainly don't for HelpX, which is similar and some DSers have hosted folk under that scheme.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 12:51 pm Post subject:
Another no here. Unless you are/have plans to be a pretty big producer I can't see that the return on investment is there.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 1:01 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

Fair point.

windyridge

Joined: 03 Oct 2010
Posts: 2732
Location: Up the garden from Henry

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 1:09 pm Post subject:

gil wrote:

Not sure whether you need to be certified to host wwoofers - you certainly don't for HelpX, which is similar and some DSers have hosted folk under that scheme.

I doubt my brother is certified (well in this take of the word

) and he hosts wwoofers

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 1:36 pm Post subject:
A cheaper alternative to organic registration.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 3:49 pm Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

A cheaper alternative to organic registration.

And one that I endorse, and I think there are one or two others on here but I'll let them own up, in case I am wrong.

earthsoul

Joined: 10 Feb 2011
Posts: 320
Location: Ceredigion West Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 11 10:44 pm Post subject:
thank you I am so grateful for that link to be honest this site has been a real source of information and all from typing into a search engine male goats!!!!!

Katieowl

Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 4317
Location: West Wales

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 11 8:36 am Post subject:

My neighbours who sells veg from their smallholding in the summer calls their produce "Naturally Produced" She explains to her customers that they don't use any chemicals in the growing. They didn't go down the certified organic route because of cost. When she's been in the market, one of her cabbages costs 50p, the organic bloke on the next stall charges �2.50!

If your 'target market' is local, promoting your brand in the same way as my neighbour, I think you'd get a reputation for having 'good stuff' anyway, and save the �� to grow your business another way!

Kate

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