Pictured above: 2016 PCO (Pennsylvania Certified Organic) Award Winners with Russell Redding, PA Secretary of AgricultureJess and I had the privilege of attending the PCO (Pennsylvania Certified Organic) Annual Membership meeting during Farm Fest 2016.The highlight of our day was Jess receiving the PCO 2016 Outstanding New Organic Processor Award. We met the wonderful PCO staff members and networked with other PCO members. The keynote speaker was Miles McEvoy, the Deputy Administrator for the UDSA National Organic Program (NOP). Mr. McEvoy discussed the USDA Organic Certification process within the United States as well as how the program is administered outside the U.S. from the initial inception of the program through the growing global partnerships. As Essential Oil processors, we found the information he presented gave us a much greater respect for the process of becoming USDA Certified Organic outside the U.S. and how this process is affecting the global economy. Because we source Certified Organic oils from their indigenous locations, most of the oils come from sources outside the U.S. The NOP program guidelines ensure that the USDA standards are consistently met around the globe. We had a great time at Farm Fest 2016 and look forward to next year. ARTICLE FROM THE AWARDS PROGRAM:Pompeii Street Soap Company was started, as many hobbies are, in a basement or garage. One soap batch led to another and after years and years of obsessive improving, the company now supports 8 employees and handcrafts over 200 products. In 2012, the owner, Jessica Grill, earned her aromatherapy certification from a school approved by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA). Her intent was to improve Pompeii's current product formulations but instead her training served as the catalyst to start an entire new brand, Pompeii Organics.The Pompeii Organics brand serves clinical and certified aromatherapists who depend on oils that are distilled from organically cultivated plants, have a chemical analysis for every batch, and are fresh. Pompeii Organics stands apart from other essential oil companies because they obtain a GC/MS analysis of every single batch of oil before making it available to customers. Taking this extra step of having the oils analyzed also assures that pesticides, plastics (phthalates), or synthetics have not made their way into the oil. You can see the chemical analysis of every single batch of oil on the company website (www.pompeiiorganics.com).There are only a handful of essential oil companies that are certified organic and offer batch specific analysis on their website. With 4 of the 8 employees being Certified Aromatherapists, the essential oil knowledge readily available to customers is also rare. The combined expertise of the aromatherapists ensures each product meets exacting quality and purity standards. The Pompeii Organics brand was founded with the highest standards in the aromatherapy industry and continues to meet and exceed these standards every day.What's in store for the future? Although currently certified as a processor, the hope is to eventually add their handcrafted soap, lip balm, and moisturizer formulations to their certificate in the years to come.For more information about Pennsylvania Certified Organic, they have a helpful website:https://www.paorganic.org/
