World’s First Almond Grower Earns Gold Benchmark Equivalence under the SAI Farm Sustainability Assessment

Pomona Farming is pleased to announce that it is the first almond grower to earn Gold Benchmark Equivalence under the SAI Farm Sustainability Assessment scheme.  In one year, the Pomona Farming team worked diligently to receive a gold FSA SAI accreditation, and in addition, completed a full 4-Pillar SMETA Audit and GLOBALG.A.P Certification.

“We commend Pomona Farming for its commitment to food safety, social compliance and sustainable agriculture practices through third-party audits and certification,” said Kevin Warner, Director of ESG Certifications and Strategy in SCS Global Services’ food and agriculture division. “These verifications are becoming increasingly important to do business and Pomona Farming’s achievement in successfully completing GLOBALG.A.P., SMETA and SAI FSA assessments set an important precedent for the almond industry.”

Pomona Farming’s founding principles are based on supporting good stewardship of the land. As such, Pomona Farming’s priority is to always ensure the company uses the earth’s resources responsibly.  Following the messaging of the Almond Board of California’s 2025 sustainability initiatives, Pomona Farming created its own Environmental Social Governance (ESG) platform—Pomona Cares.  Pomona Cares’ mission is to be a premiere global provider of clean nut and fruit ingredients. Pomona Cares’ strategy is to supply consumers with the utmost transparency and food safety from the farm gate to the brand.

“Pomona is constantly evolving to improve its sustainability and ‘Earth-First’ Farming Initiatives. As a team, we examine every step in the farming and supply-chain process to find improvement opportunities while constantly safeguarding our environmental resources,” said Deanna Eakin, Managing Director of Pomona Cares. “These certifications are crucial for our customers; at the same time, the audits are invaluable to the farm.  Through the continued feedback from the audits, the farm team can execute continuous improvements—both large and small—with the goal of supplying consumers with products that are sustainable and consistent with an ‘Earth-First’ objective.”

About Pomona Farming LP — Pomona is the Ancient Roman Goddess of Fruitful Abundance.  On its farmlands in California and on the island of Maui, the company produces everything from almonds to avocados – even grass-fed, hormone-free beef – and so much more.  To ensure abundance for years to come, Pomona Farming practices an integrated approach to sustainable agriculture on all nearly 100,000 acres (~40,500 ha) of farmland.  Throughout California’s Central Valley, Pomona Farming manages approximately 47,000 acres (~19,000 ha) of almond orchards, planted with several traditional varieties of California almonds, including organic and self-pollinating.  The company also sustainably farms olives, raisins, wine grapes, forage crops, and other tree nuts across the Central Valley.  For more information, visit https://pomonafarminglp.com.

About SCS Global Services — SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in climate mitigation, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, consumer products, and more. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, SCS has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to companies, agencies and advocacy organizations due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. For more information, visit www.scsglobalservices.com. Learn more about SAI Farm Sustainability Assessment here: https://www.scsglobalservices.com/services/farm-sustainability-assessment