CERTIMEX was founded in 1997 to answer the needs expressed by Mexican producers to be able to rely on a national certifier which carries out quality certification and inspection services economically accessible to all levels of production and marketing.

CERTIMEX started its activities by offering only certification of organic or ecological products and processes which have been successfully to the present.

The interest displayed by the producers, processors and marketers motivated CERTIMEX in 2000 to develop certification systems for other items, to consider documents of inspection standards and procedures and to elaborate, together with Comercio Justo Mexico A.C. the criteria and procedures for the certification of the Fair Market. Procedures of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center were later also incorporated and the personnel of CERTIMEX have been trained to carry out inspections for coffee under shade.

Work relations with Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) started in July 2002 and CERTIMEX is carrying out inspections according to the standards of the Fairtrade organization.

This progress has made CERTIMEX an organization which is capable of offering inspection and certification services for organic coffee, coffee under shade and coffee for the fair-market (“Sustainable coffee”), according to the standards of the “Consejo Civil para la Cafecultura Sustentable en Mexico” (CCCSM) (Civil Counsel for Sustainable Coffee in Mexico).