Instructions to apply for OBA Certification:
Vendor (bee manager) reviews the certification requirements and detailed guidelines and makes any changes needed to their operation in order to comply with our standards.
Vendor submits a completed application survey. Vendor will be contacted after the application survey has been reviewed by the OBA Certification Manager (CM). Since OBA is willing to certify the bees only or both the bees and the vendor operation, it is appropriate and possible to request certification for one or both.
On-sight inspection is performed by the CM. If on-sight inspection is not possible, video footage may be substituted under the direction and requirements deemed necessary by the CM.
Vendor pays $75 to OBA for certification application if gross sales are less than $50,000, or $250 if gross sales are equal or greater than $50,000.
Certification Manager reviews application and inspection materials and either approves without further vendor action, or comments after each line item in need of attention or correction. Only after all concerns are satisfactorily addressed will the application ultimately be approved.
If any items of concern cannot be addressed such that they are satisfactory to the CM, the application is rejected, and the final decision with comments are sent back to the applicant.
Once certified, vendor will be given a certificate of OBA Sustainable Certification and may use the dated official symbol of certification in printed or digital format to accompany products sold and distributed, as they see fit.
Following certification, CM will send a questionnaire annually for the next 3 years to determine if there have been significant changes in production volume or process. Depending on response, vendor either pays the annual fee for keeping updated, or notes changes and lets CM determine if another inspection is warranted. If no inspection is necessary for three years, the CM will do another physical inspection on the 4th year.
Vendor Application Survey for OBA Certification
