Kombucha Production Permit in Türkiye: Rules & Limits

There is no single “kombucha licence” in Türkiye. Getting a kombucha production permit means a sequence of steps: set up a company, fit out hygienic premises, obtain a municipal workplace licence, then apply to the provincial or district Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry for a food business registration certificate (gıda işletme kayıt belgesi). Because kombucha is plant-based, it falls under registration rather than the stricter approval regime. The harder part is technical: labelling and alcohol control, because the Turkish Food Codex limits production-derived ethanol in non-alcoholic drinks to 3.0 g/L.

We set out the steps below from our experience setting up our own brewery in Fethiye and preparing plants for clients. Rules change, so confirm each step with your provincial directorate before you commit money.

What documents do you need to start kombucha production in Türkiye?

The short list:

1. Company formation and tax registration (sole trader, limited or joint-stock company).
2. Premises: leased or owned, suitable for food production, not a residence.
3. Workplace opening and operating licence (işyeri açma ve çalışma ruhsatı) from the municipality, or from the organised industrial zone (OSB) management if you are inside one.
4. Food business registration certificate from the Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry.
5. Mandatory qualified staff once you pass the size threshold.
6. HACCP-based food safety procedures.
7. A compliant label, including your registration number.
8. An ethanol control plan with laboratory testing.
9. Optional: halal certificate, ISO 22000.

Registration or approval: which applies to kombucha?

The Regulation on Registration and Approval of Food Businesses sets two routes. According to the ministry’s scope page, approval covers businesses handling animal-origin products such as meat, milk, eggs and fishery products; everything not on that list falls under registration. Kombucha, brewed from tea, sugar and a culture, is not listed, so it goes through registration.

Registration is lighter than approval, but design the plant with the same hygiene logic anyway: separate product and staff flows, proper drains and clean/dirty zones. Official controls continue after you are registered.

How do you get a food business registration certificate?

You apply to the Provincial or District Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry where the plant is located. The ministry’s registration procedure page lists the registration application form and declaration as the core document for food producers. The declaration covers details such as company name, tax number, production capacity and technical staff.

Under the current text of the regulation:

• You can apply with a wet signature or electronically with an e-signature.
• The authority reviews the file within 15 working days; a complete file gets a certificate, an incomplete one is returned with the gaps listed.
• If the company name, address or activity changes, the certificate lapses and you must reapply within three months.
• Registration does not replace permits required by other public bodies.

The submission channel (in person or through the ministry’s electronic system) can differ between provinces. We could not verify a single named online system for food producers, so ask the Food and Feed Branch of your provincial directorate directly. In our region that is the Muğla Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry.

Do you need a food engineer?

According to the ministry’s mandatory personnel page, non-alcoholic beverage producers must employ a qualified person (food engineer, chemical engineer, chemist or food technologist, among others) once total motor power exceeds 30 HP or staff exceed 10. An owner with a relevant bachelor’s degree can take the role. A small pilot may sit below the threshold, but pumps, glycol chillers, compressors and fillers add up quickly.

What do the premises need?

The Food Hygiene Regulation sets the general hygiene requirements. For kombucha, the practical list is:

• Floors, walls and ceilings that are easy to clean; adequate drainage and ventilation.
• Separate or clearly divided areas for raw materials, brewing, fermentation, filling and cold storage.
• Changing area and hand-wash stations for staff.
• Potable water, with treatment if needed.
• Stainless steel (AISI 304/316) product-contact surfaces and CIP-cleanable lines.
• A cold room for finished product.

Plan equipment together with these requirements; see our guide to commercial kombucha brewing equipment.

Are HACCP and ISO 22000 mandatory?

The Food Hygiene Regulation makes the food business operator responsible for applying HACCP-based procedures together with good hygiene practice. Working to HACCP principles is a legal duty; certifying it is voluntary. Typical critical control points for kombucha are pH (acidification), fermentation temperature and time, ethanol, and cold holding after filling.

ISO 22000 or similar schemes are not required by law, but retail chains, large hotels and export buyers often ask for them.

What must a kombucha label show in Türkiye?

The Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Food Labelling and Consumer Information (Official Gazette 26.01.2017, No. 29960 bis) lists the mandatory particulars:

Mandatory item	Note for kombucha
Name of the food	Descriptive, not misleading
Ingredients and allergens	Tea, sugar, fruit, flavourings, etc.
Net quantity	e.g. 330 mL
Best-before / use-by date	Backed by shelf-life testing
Storage conditions	“Keep at 2–4 °C” is critical for live product
Operator name and address
Business registration number	From your registration certificate
Country of origin
Nutrition declaration	Energy, sugars, etc.

Mandatory information must be in Turkish (other languages may be added), with an x-height of at least 1.2 mm, or 0.9 mm on packs whose largest surface is under 80 cm². Declaring actual alcoholic strength is only required above 1.2% ABV. Get expert review before using any health claim.

The 3.0 g/L ethanol limit: what it means for kombucha

Article 5 of the Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Non-Alcoholic Beverages (2007/26) caps ethanol “arising from the nature of production” at 3.0 g/L, roughly 0.38% ABV. That is stricter than the 0.5% ABV threshold common in the US and EU.

Two caveats:

• Kombucha is not named in the communiqué. Its scope lists fruit drinks, sodas, colas, flavoured waters and similar products. The same article caps volatile acidity at 0.4 g/L, which looks unrealistic for a drink whose sourness comes from acetic acid, a volatile acid. That suggests the text was not written with kombucha in mind. Get written confirmation from the provincial directorate of which Codex provision your product will be assessed against.
• 3.0 g/L is the safe target. Whatever provision applies, a product that stays below 3.0 g/L to the end of its shelf life is defensible with inspectors and buyers alike.

What happens if you exceed the limit?

We found no official statement on kombucha specifically, so what follows is inference from the texts. If the communiqué applies, product above 3.0 g/L is non-compliant and exposes you to administrative sanctions during official controls. Higher up, the regulation on domestic and foreign trade in alcohol and alcoholic beverages defines drinks with 0.5% ABV or more as alcoholic beverages. That risks pulling the product into the alcohol regime overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Tobacco and Alcohol Department (the successor to TAPDK). Ask a food law specialist for a definitive answer.

Why lab testing and the cold chain matter

Live kombucha keeps fermenting in the bottle; a warm bottle can gain ethanol and pressure. That is why the US TTB applies its rules even when alcohol rises after bottling. In practice:

• Test ethanol at an accredited lab using a validated method such as gas chromatography.
• Test at filling, mid-shelf-life and end of shelf life, and deliberately hold one batch at room temperature to see the worst case.
• Keep finished product at 2–4 °C; that is how we store finished kombucha in our Fethiye brewery.
• If you cannot guarantee the cold chain, consider pasteurisation or filtration.

For distribution, read cold chain in kombucha distribution; for the consumer side, see is kombucha alcoholic or halal?. Our own approach is set out in our alcohol and halal policy.

How do you get halal certification for kombucha?

Halal certification is voluntary but a real advantage with hotels, chains and Gulf export buyers. In Türkiye, halal certification bodies are accredited by the Halal Accreditation Agency (HAK); for example, GİMDES was accredited by HAK on 16 July 2024 against OIC/SMIIC 2:2019. Check HAK’s current list of accredited bodies before choosing one. Expect auditors to look at raw materials, flavourings, cleaning chemicals and, above all, your ethanol records.

How long does the whole process take?

The only fixed legal timeframe is the 15-working-day review of the registration file. Everything else depends on the site, the municipality and lead times; the ranges below are rough planning estimates.

Step	Rough planning time	Note
Company formation	1–2 weeks	With an accountant
Site selection and fit-out	1–3 months	Depends on hygiene works
Equipment supply and installation	1–4 months	Longer for imports
Workplace licence	2–8 weeks	Varies by municipality
Food business registration	15 working days review	Missing documents add time
Pilot batches, ethanol and shelf-life tests	1–2 months	Your label’s shelf life rests on this
Halal certificate (optional)	Depends on the body	After registration

Pre-application checklist

Check	Done
Company registered, tax number issued	☐
Non-residential premises suitable for food secured	☐
Layout plan with product and staff flows drawn	☐
Workplace licence obtained	☐
Mandatory staff threshold checked (30 HP / 10 staff)	☐
Registration form and declaration completed	☐
HACCP plan and record sheets ready	☐
Applicable Codex provision confirmed with the directorate	☐
Accredited lab for ethanol testing chosen	☐
Draft label checked against the labelling regulation	☐
Cold room and cold-chain plan in place	☐

Bottom line

Starting kombucha production in Türkiye is manageable if you take the steps in order: premises and licence, then registration, then labelling and alcohol control. The most expensive mistake is leaving ethanol control and the cold chain out of the plant design. For the commercial side, read how to start a kombucha business.

As a team that brews its own kombucha in Fethiye, our turnkey production setup service covers everything from layout to the registration file, HACCP documents and label review. For tanks, fillers and refrigeration, see our equipment page.

Regulations and grant amounts change; confirm current rules with the relevant authority before applying.