Trade Association Thursday: Going organic

This news article that talks about how the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is looking to expand its customer base, made me decide to feature the organization this week.  That and the continuation of our focus on food-related trade associations.

Report card:

http://www.ota.com

Overview: The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy.

1.  Allow association memberships?  Yes, $300 minimum.

2.  Public membership directory?  It lists members both at the full and associate level and gives them a place to provide a profile as well.  This is more advertising than it is company information (revenue, markets, contacts).  “B-”

3. Active national conference?  Yes, but not much detail as registration for the June event starts in January. (“Incomplete”)

4.  Subchapters?  They have membership forums and also an association in Canada.  “C+”

5.  Industry information?  A couple good fact sheets, the news section touts growth of certain sectors.  It also has standards and policy positions as well.  There is a bookstore with some useful sounding titles available for a fee. “B”

6. Glossary of industry terms?  Not really but does provide definitions of organic.  “C-”

7.  Overall sense of the industry?  The association provide a broad range of resources from fact sheets, to policy positions, to consumer pieces along with the list of members and profiles.   “B+”

Overall:  Good amount of content, the website is easy to use, clear and accessible. “B”

Tags: food, Linkedin, organic food, trade association