We understand that cost is an important factor when considering Rainforest Alliance certification. While costs vary depending on your work and your needs, this page gives you an overview of certification costs for farmers and companies.
Cost of Rainforest Alliance certification for farmers
Farmers pay for audit services from the Certification Body of their choice because Certification Bodies must remain fully independent, in line with international assurance expectations such as those set by ISEAL (the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance). However, Certification Bodies still operate within the Rainforest Alliance’s assurance and oversight system. That means we only approve Certification Bodies that meet strict quality requirements, and we regularly review their work. If a Certification Body does not continue to meet these requirements, we can take corrective action or revoke their approval. This helps prevent unfair practices, including unreasonable fees. Farmers are also free to compare offers from different approved Certification Bodies before selecting one. The fees vary significantly depending on the size of the farm and location. Smallholders may want to organize and seek certification as a group to reduce expenses.
Farmers are also responsible for covering all costs associated with meeting the requirements of the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard. These costs may include removing parts of their farm from production to comply with buffer-zone widths, implementing new management practices, or building new infrastructure. The Rainforest Alliance offers technical support to help farmers on the path toward certification. Contact a local Rainforest Alliance representative or trainer.
Costs for companies
There are three costs for companies, when applicable:
- Companies whose Supply Chain Risk Assessment (SCRA) results indicate that they require an audit must pay for supply chain audit fees from the independent, Rainforest Alliance-authorized Certification Body of their choice. Certification Bodies must remain fully independent, in line with international assurance expectations such as those set by ISEAL (the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance). However, Certification Bodies still operate within the Rainforest Alliance’s assurance and oversight system. That means we only approve Certification Bodies that meet strict quality requirements, and we regularly review their work. If a Certification Body does not continue to meet these requirements, we can take corrective action or revoke their approval. This helps prevent unfair practices, including unreasonable fees. Companies are also free to compare offers from different approved Certification Bodies before selecting one. The fees vary significantly depending on the location, size, and complexity of the company’s operations. Companies whose SCRA indicates “very low risk” will receive an endorsement and are not required to conduct an audit.
- Premium payments. Under the Rainforest Alliance’s evolving shared responsibility model, we have merged investments previously made through both the Sustainability Differential and Sustainability Investment into a single premium payment by volume. This premium is paid to farmers by their buyer, brand owner, or importer (depending on the crop) to reward them for implementing more sustainable farming practices and achieving certification. The premium is negotiable in most crops (except cocoa and Kenyan tea, where a minimum premium per metric ton is mandated) and is paid on top of the market price—separately from any quality premiums or differentials. The Rainforest Alliance does not gain any revenue or fees associated with companies paying premiums. Reporting on premium payments (volume and amount) is mandatory, regardless of the premium’s size, to ensure transparency and enable impact monitoring.
- A volume-based royalty is paid to the Rainforest Alliance once per supply chain, calculated on the volume of certified goods purchased. The Rainforest Alliance License Agreement General Terms and Conditions outline the total amount of royalty required per product, how it is collected, and at which point in the supply chain it is invoiced. Royalties are applicable whenever companies claim that a crop is purchased from a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm or sell it as “certified.” This happens whether the claim is on a product, on packaging, in a contract or invoice, or on promotional materials (on or offline), regardless of whether our seal or other marks are used.
What does royalty revenue finance?
Rainforest Alliance certification offers many benefits for companies. We provide systems to trace and verify products certified against our standards throughout the supply chain. We develop certification policies and standards, manage a certification database and a quality control system for Certification Bodies, and manage complaints and appeals. We offer field training and technical support to farmers, and we engage in advocacy activities to encourage sustainable government policies and programs. We provide data to substantiate product claims, and the use of our on-pack seal comes at no extra cost. We also promote the Rainforest Alliance certification seals in the marketplace, measure their impact, and create communications tools to raise public awareness and support companies in their marketing efforts.
Royalty by crop
Coffee: US$0.0175 per pound of green coffee
Cocoa: US$0.0157 per kilogram of cocoa beans
Tea: US$0.0147 per kilogram of made tea
Cured vanilla: US$500 per metric ton1; Dried key herbs and spices: US$75 per metric ton2; Dried rooibos and all other herbs, spices, and herbal tea ingredients: US$25 per metric ton; Fresh chili: US$15 per metric ton
Hazelnuts: €42 per metric ton
Cashews and almonds: US$46 per metric ton
Bananas: US$0.0235 per box (18.14 kilograms)
Orange juice: US$0.0177 per pound of soluble solids
Banana puree: US$0.005 per pound of soluble banana puree solids
All other juices and purees: US$0.015 per pound of soluble solids
Canned fresh fruit: US$1 per metric ton of drained weight
Fresh pineapple: US$3 per metric ton
Other fresh fruits: US$4 per metric ton
Crude coconut oil: US$10 per metric ton
Vegetables: US$3 per metric ton
Royalty rates for macadamia, pecan, peanut, and pistachio will be added soon
1 The price of cured vanilla beans will drop to US$500 per metric ton for shipments from January 1, 2025, until December 31, 2026. It will go back to US$1,250 per metric ton after January 1, 2027. Saffron is priced at US$1,250 per metric ton of dried saffron.
2 Our “key herbs and spices” are: pepper, Ceylon cinnamon, chili pepper, oregano, coriander, paprika, cardamom, dill, clove, parsley, thyme, laurel / bay leaf, rose. “Other herbs and spices” include rooibos, cassia, and nutmeg.
3 Also applicable to fresh plantains.
For more information about our royalties and the next royalty rate increase scheduled for October 28, 2026, please refer to the Royalty Schedule within the Rainforest Alliance License Agreement General Terms and Conditions.
