Sodas, kombucha, syrups, and juices sold direct to Iowa consumers
Iowa's cottage food statute explicitly excludes unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juice and anything requiring refrigeration. If your drink needs a fridge or is fresh-pressed juice, cottage food is off the table regardless of recipe.
Refrigerated beverages, fresh juice, and draft kombucha typically need a Home Food Processing Establishment registration or a licensed food establishment, plus a juice HACCP plan under federal rules if selling fresh juice at retail scale.
Kombucha and other ferments must stay reliably under 0.5% ABV to remain a food product; anything higher requires state alcoholic beverage licensing through Iowa ABD in addition to food rules.
| Item | Rule | Regulator |
|---|---|---|
| Shelf-stable syrups, tonics, dry mixes | Cottage food eligible if non-TCS and pH-documented | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Fresh-pressed juice | Excluded from cottage food by statute; needs licensed facility + HACCP | FDA / DIAL |
| Bottled soda / carbonated drinks | Commercial bottling generally needs a licensed facility | DIAL |
| Kombucha under 0.5% ABV | Evaluated case-by-case for TCS status and stability | DIAL |
| Kombucha/ferments over 0.5% ABV | Becomes an alcoholic beverage — separate license required | Iowa ABD |
Freshly squeezed, unpasteurized juice is specifically carved out of the cottage food exemption, so plan on a licensed food establishment or a pasteurized, shelf-stable recipe instead.
No — kombucha's live culture and variable alcohol content put it in a gray zone. Get it lab-tested for ABV and stability before treating it as a simple cottage food.
If you want to rely on the acidified-food pathway under cottage food, yes: document pH ≤4.60 or water activity ≤0.85 per batch with a calibrated meter.
DIAL's cottage food team handles cottage food questions; the Home Food Processing Establishment program and full food establishment licensing also run through DIAL.