Beverages in California

Roasted coffee is the one beverage category explicitly on the CDPH Approved Cottage Foods List. Whole bean and ground roasted coffee both qualify as shelf-stable products with very low water activity.

• ✓ Whole bean roasted coffee allowed
• ✓ Ground roasted coffee allowed
• ✓ Single-origin, blended, and flavored dry roasts allowed
• ✗ Ready-to-drink brewed coffee not allowed — liquid beverage requires refrigeration
• ✗ Added dairy powder or flavoring syrups: verify with CDPH before adding
• ℹ Sell in sealed packaging with full label compliance including net weight

Ready-to-drink cold brew coffee — the bottled liquid product — is not permitted under cottage food registration. As a liquid that requires refrigeration after opening and has a limited shelf life, it is classified as a TCS food.

• ✗ Bottled cold brew concentrate: not allowed under CFO
• ✗ Ready-to-drink cold brew: not allowed under CFO
• ✓ Cold brew concentrate produced in a licensed commercial kitchen is permitted with proper labeling
• ℹ Roasted coffee beans used to make cold brew can be sold as a cottage food product separately

Kombucha's status under California cottage food law is not definitively settled in publicly available sources. Live-culture kombucha involves variable fermentation chemistry — including alcohol content that can exceed 0.5% ABV (the federal threshold for "alcoholic beverage" classification) — and typically requires refrigeration for live cultures.

• ✗ Live kombucha with active cultures: likely requires refrigeration — not CFO-eligible
• ✗ Kombucha exceeding 0.5% ABV: classified as an alcoholic beverage under federal law — requires separate licensing
• ℹ Contact CDPH directly before producing: [email protected]
• ℹ Commercial kitchen + ABC license may be required depending on product formulation

Fresh juices — including cold-pressed — are perishable products that require refrigeration and, under FDA's FSMA rules for juice, either pasteurization or a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan when sold commercially. Neither pathway is compatible with a home kitchen registration.

• ✗ Cold-pressed juice: requires commercial kitchen and FDA HACCP compliance
• ✗ Freshly squeezed lemonade for direct same-day sale: check local temporary food permit rules — different from cottage food
• ✓ Commercially produced bottled juice repackaged in original containers: not CFO scope, but may be resellable under other permits
• ℹ Shelf-stable lemonade powder mix: may qualify as a dry baking mix — verify with CDPH

Shrubs — vinegar-based drinking syrups made with fruit and sugar — are acidified products. While they may appear shelf-stable, their pH must be precisely controlled to prevent pathogen growth, placing them in the acidified foods category. California cottage food law does not allow acidified foods.

• ✗ Fruit shrubs and drinking vinegars: classified as acidified foods — not permitted
• ✗ Switchel and vinegar-based tonics: same classification — not permitted under CFO
• ✓ Commercially licensed facility with FDA acidified foods registration: path forward for serious shrub producers
• ℹ Dried shrub powder mixes (add your own vinegar): potentially qualifying as a dry mix — verify with CDPH

Loose-leaf tea blends, dried herbal teas, and dry chai blends fall under the "dried herbs and herb blends" category on the CDPH approved list. As fully dry products with very low water activity, they are generally shelf-stable and cottage food-eligible.

• ✓ Loose-leaf tea blends (dried): allowed under herb blends category
• ✓ Dry chai spice blends: allowed as a spice/herb blend
• ✓ Dried herbal tisane mixes: allowed when fully dry with no added fresh or liquid ingredients
• ✗ Ready-to-drink brewed tea: liquid beverage, requires refrigeration — not permitted
• ℹ Confirm specific blend ingredients with CDPH if using non-standard herbs

Selling freshly made lemonade or similar drinks at farmers markets or events is not covered by cottage food registration — it falls under temporary food facility rules managed by county Environmental Health Departments. These are a separate, simpler pathway for same-day beverage sales at events.

• ℹ Contact your county EH department for a Temporary Food Facility permit
• ℹ Usually requires a handwashing station and approved water source at the event
• ✗ Cannot bottle and sell for later consumption under a temporary permit
• ✓ Dry lemonade mix or lemonade powder: potentially allowed as a dry mix — verify with CDPH

Water kefir, milk kefir, and other live-culture fermented drinks are not on the CDPH approved cottage foods list. Like kombucha, they involve live fermentation with variable alcohol content and typically require refrigeration — both disqualifying factors.

• ✗ Water kefir: not on approved list, live culture requires refrigeration
• ✗ Milk kefir: dairy product — requires licensed dairy facility
• ℹ Commercial kitchen with appropriate beverage permits is required