Organic Integrity Cooperative offers expert solutions for businesses that need assistance managing their USDA Organic certification.

Helping your business achieve and maintain USDA Organic certification, we specialize in consulting for compliance, guiding responses to noncompliance letters, and conducting internal audits to strengthen certification quality systems.

With expert support every step of the way, we make organic certification straightforward and efficient for your operation.

Our Services

  • Consulting about USDA Organic

    We offer expert consulting to guide your business through the USDA Organic certification process, ensuring full compliance with organic standards. Our team provides step-by-step support to make certification both achievable and sustainable for your unique operation.

  • Responding to Noncompliances

    When noncompliance issues arise, we work closely with you to develop clear, effective responses that address regulatory concerns. Our experience with USDA Organic standards enables us to help resolve compliance challenges efficiently, so you can keep your certification on track.

  • Internal Audits of Quality Systems

    Our team conducts thorough internal audits to assess and enhance the quality systems of USDA-accredited certifiers. By identifying gaps and opportunities, we support continuous improvement in your certification programs, ensuring integrity and adherence to organic standards.

Schedule a call.

We offer a free 15-minute introductory call to help assess whether our services align with your needs. Schedule a time with us to discuss your goals and see how we can support your journey in organic certification.

We will assess your specific needs and when you’re ready to move forward, we’ll collaborate with you to develop a list of deliverables and a timeline to ensure your success. Our consulting services are efficient and thorough and will help you save time and money. Our consulting clients include food processors, vegetable distributors, large greenhouse growers, farmers, dairies, commodity exporters, importers, brokers, certification agencies, nonprofit educators, and organic sector advocates.

As a worker-owned cooperative, our members are deeply rooted in the organic farming and production community. We conduct inspections for organic farms, dairies, food manufacturers, fiber and textile producers, and wild harvest operations worldwide. Our consulting services guide businesses through the complexities of organic certifications, including USDA Organic, EU Organic, Mexico’s Ley de Productos Orgánicos, OMRI, CDFA OIM, and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).We also design curriculum and lead training sessions in partnership with the International Organic Inspectors Association, certification agencies, and private companies.

From certification compliance to industry education, there’s nothing in organic certification we can’t support.

.

A Cooperative of Organic Certification Experts

Our Team

  • Angela Wartes-Kahl

    Angela has been an organic crop, processing, and textile inspector since 2011, and is the former Fiber and Textile Coordinator at Oregon Tilth, managing their Global Organic Textile Standard program from 2016 to 2020. Angela served as the vice-chair of the Organic Trade Association’s Fiber Council and was an advisor to Fibershed’s Regional Fiber Manufacturing Initiative. Angela has been an organic farmer since 2005, focusing on natural fiber crops as the co-founder of Fibrevolution, Inc. Angela currently serves as our company president.

  • Garth Kahl

    Garth has worked as an organic inspector for nearly 25 years, working on 3 continents, including inspections of crops, processing, wild harvest, livestock, apiculture, grower groups and textiles. He is accredited as an organic inspector in all scopes by the International Organic Inspectors Association. From 2007 to 2011 he was the Latin American Program Manager and interim Farm Program Manager for Oregon Tilth Certified Organic. Garth currently serves on the Mexican Materials Review Panel for OMRI and the Impartiality Committee for the International Organic Accreditation Agency (IOAS). Garth has trained dozens of organic inspectors.

  • Andrew Black

    Andrew has 18+ years of experience as an organic inspector and final reviewer across crops, dairy, processing, and wild harvest. Since 2005, he has supported the organic community, including helping build Oregon Tilth’s Latin American certification program with Garth Kahl and Carrie-Anne Palmeri. Andrew founded Certified Kind, a private cannabis and hemp standard, and served as founding Executive Director of Sun+Earth Certified, a nonprofit promoting organic cannabis practices. Recently, he has focused on consulting for organic certification challenges and conducting internal audits for USDA-accredited certifiers.

  • Carrie-Anne Palmeri

    Carrie-Anne brings nearly 20 years of international experience in the organic sector, specializing in organic field production, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, and public education. She has successfully developed bilingual (Spanish & English) Quality Assurance, Accreditation, and Certification Systems under 10 domestic and international standards. Her expertise includes designing risk-based management systems to ensure organic integrity throughout the supply chain. Over the years, Carrie-Anne has represented organic stakeholders on various international boards and task forces and currently serves as President of the Canada Organic Trade Association (2022-present).

  • PJ Wiebusch

    After several years of working on Organic farms and drawing on his formal education in Mathematics, PJ began his career as an Organic Inspector in 2015. Working for multiple certifiers, he has conducted more than 1000 inspections of crop, livestock, and handling operations throughout the Western U.S. and Mexico. PJ specializes in organic dairy compliance and helps train other organic inspectors with the International Organic Inspectors Association and the Accredited Certifiers Association.