How certification works
Three steps, published criteria, and no surprises at inspection time.
Get the forms-
Apply
Download the form for your standard and send it back to us. Every document is free — no login, no paywall.
Get the forms -
Inspection
An independent local inspector visits your operation and checks it against the standard. Our criteria are published, so nothing is a surprise.
Read the steps guide (PDF) -
Certification
Pass the evaluation and receive your certificate — publicly verifiable through EASY-CERT, trusted by buyers worldwide.
Verify certificates online
Built around how producers actually work
Transparency
Our criteria, policies and interpretations are published for anyone to read. Nothing changes without notice.
Speed
Lean procedures and short turnaround times — because your harvest won’t wait for paperwork.
Partnership
Self-assessment tools that put you in control of your compliance, before the inspector arrives.
A local team with a global name
Our inspectors live and work here. They know South African agriculture, and they are trained and updated to the same status as CERES inspectors worldwide.
- Independent, locally based inspectors
- One inspection can cover several standards
- Certificates recognised in the EU, USA, Japan and Switzerland
- Bureaucracy kept to the necessary minimum
Why “CERES”?
An acronym — Certification of Environmental Standards — and a namesake: Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and good harvests.
Her Greek counterpart, Demeter, lends her name to one of the standards we certify today.