(February 11, 2013) Santa Cruz, CA – CCOF announced today the award of over $6,000 in relief funds to eight certified organic operations that experienced extreme hardships such as drought, fire, invasive pest losses, or other natural disasters in 2012. One operation, Brad’s Raw Chips of Pennsylvania, suffered from a Hurricane Sandy power outage.
“CCOF may be the only organic certifier and trade association in the United States that provides direct assistance to its members during times of hardship,” said CCOF Executive Director Cathy Calfo. “We know how hard our members work to provide healthy, organic food and we want to be there when they need us.”
Recipients of this year’s funds include one Pennsylvania farmer, one Colorado farmer, and six California farmers. Certified members Brad’s Raw Chips, Casa Rosa Farms, Crazy Flower Vineyards, Del Sur Farms, Foothill Organic Growers, Malek Ranch, The Twisted Bine, and Wine Country Cuisine all suffered weather, fire, or pest-related losses.
Since 2007, CCOF has allocated funds to partially offset certification costs for certified members who have experienced extreme hardship. Selected operations were awarded by a committee of CCOF board members and staff based on need and the number of requests received.
About CCOF
CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers), a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1973 and is one of the nation’s oldest and largest third-party organic certifying agencies. CCOF certifies, educates, advocates, and promotes organic through:
- A premier organic certification program for growers, processors, private labelers, and retailers.
- Programs to increase awareness of and demand for certified organic product and to expand public support for organic agriculture.
- Advocacy for governmental policies that protect and encourage organic agriculture.
CCOF certifies more than 2,500 organic operations in 33 states and three foreign countries and serves over 240 supporting members – consumers, suppliers, businesses and individuals – interested in supporting its work.