FAQ
The basics
A regional economic impact certification for producers in the seven-county Sierra Nevada region. It recognizes businesses that grow, raise, harvest, quarry, make or prepare a physical product here, and whose ownership, jobs, inputs or revenue stay anchored here. More about the program.
Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne.
No. It’s a certification. Businesses qualify against a published standard, are verified by the program administrator, and recertify every year.
The Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce administers the program, supported by a coalition of chambers, counties, tourism bureaus, arts councils, economic development organizations and producers across all seven counties.
It certifies that a business meets the Economic Impact Standard and operates in one of two pathways, Sierra Grown or Sierra Crafted. It does not certify Organic, animal welfare, grass-fed, Fair Trade or geographic origin designations. Read the Program Standard.
Who qualifies
Businesses in the seven counties with a physical product tied to the region: farms and ranches, foresters and quarries, food and beverage makers, restaurants, cafes, caterers and food trucks, and artisans and makers.
Not for certification. Businesses whose main activity is a service, including professional, financial, insurance, real estate, and trade and contracting services, don’t meet the production requirement.
You can’t be certified under a pathway, but you can use the Sierra Sourced mark to promote certified products you sell or serve, as long as the product really is certified and the mark isn’t modified. A separate Sierra Sourced Partner designation for establishments is on the way. Let us know you’re interested.
Yes. Stone, aggregate, sand, gravel, timber, firewood and biomass from the region qualify under Sierra Grown and are listed in the Agriculture lane.
Sierra Grown is for products raised, cultivated, harvested or quarried here. Sierra Crafted is for products made, processed, finished or prepared here, even with some outside inputs. If you do both, pick your primary activity. We’ll help sort it out during review.
Yes. Inputs that aren’t available in the region, like coffee beans or cacao, are documented exceptions and don’t count for or against you on Criterion D. Sierra Crafted product businesses disclose where those inputs come from.
Getting certified
Every certified business meets Criterion C, Regional production: the product or its primary input is grown, raised, harvested, quarried or extracted here, or the product is substantially made here. Then at least two of these four:
Nothing to apply, nothing to be certified, and nothing for your directory listing. A basic listing is free and always will be. The only cost is optional: a trademark license if you want to use the Sierra Sourced mark on your products and marketing.
For Criterion C, documents such as a lease, business license, production photos, equipment list or facility documentation. For the other criteria you claim, documents such as ownership records, payroll summaries, supplier invoices or a P&L, or a signed, notarized owner attestation. Plus the signed Producer Attestation, which is part of the application.
Only the program administrator, for verification. Documents are confidential and never published. Application data is used only in aggregated, anonymized form to show regional needs like processing, cold storage and distribution.
We’ll be in touch within 3 business days of your application. Certification review takes up to 30 days, and we’ll reach out if anything is missing. Denials come with a written explanation and can be appealed within 30 days.
If you also license the mark, you get the mark and pathway stamp files and Brand Guidelines.
The administrator assigns it during review, based on your largest share of revenue and whether what you sell is raw or processed: Agriculture, Food & Beverage, or Artisans & Makers. A rancher selling packaged cuts is listed under Food & Beverage; one selling live cattle is listed under Agriculture.
Yes, every year. If something material changes, like an ownership transfer, moving outside the region or a new production model, let us know within 30 days.
Possibly. The administrator may schedule an on-site visit with at least 14 days’ notice, with priority on larger producers, regulated product categories, random samples and complaints.
Restaurants and food service
Yes. Restaurants, cafes, caterers and food trucks apply under Sierra Crafted in the food service class. Preparing meals or drinks here meets Criterion C. You still need two more criteria, plus the sourcing floor.
At least 10% of your food and drink purchases, by cost, from products grown or crafted in the region, measured over the 12 months before you apply or recertify. Open less than a year? It’s measured over the time you’ve been operating.
Not at this stage. Any product grown or crafted in the region counts toward the floor, whether or not its producer is certified.
Purchase orders, supplier invoices or a notarized owner attestation. It’s confirmed again at each annual recertification. You’ll also name your regional suppliers on your menu or your directory listing, and you can’t present an uncertified supplier as certified.
No. It’s required in addition to the criteria, and it doesn’t satisfy Criterion D, which stays at 50%.
Whichever brings in more revenue: your own products, or meals and drinks prepared to order. A restaurant run by a hotel or a retailer can apply as a food service business in its own right.
The mark and labels
Certification and your listing are free, but using the Sierra Sourced mark and your GROWN or CRAFTED stamp takes a separate trademark license. Once licensed, you get the files and Brand Guidelines. The license fee and term are set in the program’s published fee schedule.
Packaging, hangtags, labels, displays, your website and social media, ads, vehicles, storefronts and events. On products, the mark appears with your pathway stamp in the approved lockup. Don’t recolor, redraw or modify it.
The recommended approach is off-label use: hangtags, case signage, displays, inserts and marketing, not the federally regulated label panel. Putting the mark on the label panel itself is allowed but requires extra FSIS documentation at label approval. The Program Standard lists what’s needed.
Yes, in marketing and at the point of sale. Guidance for TTB-regulated label panels is being finalized, so talk with us before submitting a label application that includes Sierra Sourced or a pathway stamp.
Not on its own. A Sierra Grown animal or crop raised here can be processed at an out-of-region facility, like a USDA-inspected plant, as long as it stays segregated from non-conforming product through processing.
Buyers and retailers
Browse the directory by lane, pathway or county, or look for the mark on products, menus and storefronts.
Every business in the directory has been verified against the Program Standard and recertifies yearly. Businesses licensed to use the mark show it on their listing. If you see the mark used by a business that isn’t listed, let us know.
Yes. Tell us what you’re sourcing and we’ll point you to certified businesses that can supply it.
Chambers, counties, tourism bureaus and other organizations can join the coalition to help with outreach and promotion. Get in touch.
Still have questions?
