Selling cold brew coffee in Alabama

Q: Where may food made at home be sold in Alabama?

ADPH, Cottage Food says: “Can a cottage food producer sell their products over the internet? Yes. A cottage food producer may sell their food products directly to consumers in person, by phone, or online as long as the receiving person is in Alabama.” (ADPH, Cottage Food, read October 24, 2026). ADPH, Cottage Food says: “Can a cottage food producer mail their products to the consumer? Yes. A cottage food producer may deliver their food products directly to consumers within the state, whether in person, through an agent of the producer, or by mail.” (ADPH, Cottage Food, read October 24, 2026). ADPH, Cottage Food says: “Can foods produced under the Cottage Food Law be sold in restaurants? No. Permitted food establishments are not allowed to sell food items produced in a private home. ... Can a cottage food producer have their products sold in a retail store on consignment? No. A cottage food producer may only sell their products directly to consumers.” (ADPH, Cottage Food, read October 24, 2026). ADPH, Cottage Food says: “A cottage food producer may not sell their products in an establishment or from a mobile food unit permitted by the health department. A cottage food producer may sell from any venue, such as a mobile food unit, van, cart, tent, booth, or storefront that is not permitted by the Health Department, as long as the products are being made in the cottage food producer's home and sold directly to the consumer.” (ADPH, Cottage Food, read October 24, 2026). ADPH, Cottage Food says: “What are the changes in the Cottage Food Law? There are additional foods allowed to be sold, additional requirements for the product labels, additional delivery methods, and the limit for annual income under the law has been removed.” (ADPH, Cottage Food, read October 24, 2026). ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read October 24, 2026; not legal advice.

Q: What does Alabama say a home-made label must carry?

ADPH, Cottage Food says: “All the following must be included on each food produced in a cottage food operation in at least 10-point font: The common or usual name of the food The name of the cottage food operation The home or P.O. Box address of the cottage food operation A list of the ingredients in the food in descending order of predominance A statement that the food is not inspected by the Health Department Disclaimer that the food may contain allergens” (ADPH, Cottage Food, read October 24, 2026). ADPH, Cottage Food says: “Does the label have to be on every product sold? Yes. The Cottage Food Law stipulates that all items for sale must be labeled. ... Is a scannable QR code allowed on a cottage food label in lieu of contact information and/or a list of ingredients? No.” (ADPH, Cottage Food, read October 24, 2026). ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read October 24, 2026; not legal advice.

Q: Where do I go from here?

How to sell cold brew coffee to stores. Every step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in Alabama. All of Alabama's lines, what you may make, register and outgrow How do I find and choose a co-packer?. 5 min read How do I work out my shelf life and best-by date?. 4 min read Do I need to register with the FDA to sell my food product?. 4 min read ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read October 24, 2026; not legal advice.

Sources last read Oct 24, 2026

What Alabama's own pages say about making cold brew coffee at home, each line linked, and the path to a store when you want one to stock it.

Run the free rules check for it: no account, no AI.

A can of cold brew coffee with a printed label.

General information, not advice. This is written for small food makers and cites its sources, but it is not legal, regulatory or food-safety advice, and it cannot account for your product, your state or your facility. Rules change and thresholds are adjusted yearly. Confirm anything you are about to act on with your state agency, a Process Authority, or the FDA.

Can I make cold brew coffee at home in Alabama?

Alabama's own pages name cold brew coffee, or foods like it, among what Alabama says a home kitchen may make. ShelfStep found these lines by the words they use; whether they cover your product is for the Alabama Department of Public Health to say. Those lines, as the state writes them:

Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: what may be made at homeADPH, Cottage Food says:“Non-potentially hazardous food items containing less than 3% alcohol may be sold under the Cottage Food Law. For non-potentially hazardous food products containing more than 3% alcohol, it is best to consult the Alabama Beverage Control Board.”ADPH, Cottage Food · Read Oct 24, 2026

What rules does cold brew coffee come under beyond Alabama's?

Outside a home kitchen, ShelfStep's plan reads cold brew coffee as a beverage. The plan's own line for it, a default and not a law:

ShelfStep’s plan default, not a lawBeverages: their own FDA rules (juice HACCP, etc.).21 CFR 120.1

What the rules behind it say, in their own words, with the page and the day ShelfStep read each. ShelfStep does not decide which of them apply to your product.

Source to check: the rules behind ShelfStep's plan for cold brew coffee

Juice and the juice HACCP rule21 CFR 120.1(a) says:“(a) Any juice sold as such or used as an ingredient in beverages shall be processed in accordance with the requirements of this part.”21 CFR 120.1(a) · Read Oct 8, 2026
Juice HACCP and retail establishments21 CFR 120.3(j) and (l) says:“(2) For purposes of this part, processing does not include: (i) Harvesting, picking, or transporting raw agricultural ingredients of juice products, without otherwise engaging in processing; and (ii) The operation of a retail establishment. ... (l) Retail establishment is an operation that provides juice directly to the consumers and does not include an establishment that sells or distributes juice to other business entities as well as directly to consumers.”21 CFR 120.3(j) and (l) · Read Oct 8, 2026

Source to check: FDA food facility registration

FDA's definition of a food facility21 CFR 1.227 says:“Facility means any establishment, structure, or structures under one ownership at one general physical location, or, in the case of a mobile facility, traveling to multiple locations, that manufactures/processes, packs, or holds food for consumption in the United States. ... The private residence of an individual is not a facility.”21 CFR 1.227 · Read Oct 8, 2026

Where may food made at home be sold in Alabama?

Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldADPH, Cottage Food says:“Can a cottage food producer sell their products over the internet? Yes. A cottage food producer may sell their food products directly to consumers in person, by phone, or online as long as the receiving person is in Alabama.”ADPH, Cottage Food · Read Oct 24, 2026
Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldADPH, Cottage Food says:“Can a cottage food producer mail their products to the consumer? Yes. A cottage food producer may deliver their food products directly to consumers within the state, whether in person, through an agent of the producer, or by mail.”ADPH, Cottage Food · Read Oct 24, 2026
Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldADPH, Cottage Food says:“Can foods produced under the Cottage Food Law be sold in restaurants? No. Permitted food establishments are not allowed to sell food items produced in a private home. ... Can a cottage food producer have their products sold in a retail store on consignment? No. A cottage food producer may only sell their products directly to consumers.”ADPH, Cottage Food · Read Oct 24, 2026
Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldADPH, Cottage Food says:“A cottage food producer may not sell their products in an establishment or from a mobile food unit permitted by the health department. A cottage food producer may sell from any venue, such as a mobile food unit, van, cart, tent, booth, or storefront that is not permitted by the Health Department, as long as the products are being made in the cottage food producer's home and sold directly to the consumer.”ADPH, Cottage Food · Read Oct 24, 2026
Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: where it may be soldADPH, Cottage Food says:“What are the changes in the Cottage Food Law? There are additional foods allowed to be sold, additional requirements for the product labels, additional delivery methods, and the limit for annual income under the law has been removed.”ADPH, Cottage Food · Read Oct 24, 2026

What does Alabama say a home-made label must carry?

Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: the home-made labelADPH, Cottage Food says:“All the following must be included on each food produced in a cottage food operation in at least 10-point font: The common or usual name of the food The name of the cottage food operation The home or P.O. Box address of the cottage food operation A list of the ingredients in the food in descending order of predominance A statement that the food is not inspected by the Health Department Disclaimer that the food may contain allergens”ADPH, Cottage Food · Read Oct 24, 2026
Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: the home-made labelADPH, Cottage Food says:“Does the label have to be on every product sold? Yes. The Cottage Food Law stipulates that all items for sale must be labeled. ... Is a scannable QR code allowed on a cottage food label in lieu of contact information and/or a list of ingredients? No.”ADPH, Cottage Food · Read Oct 24, 2026

How do I get cold brew coffee into a store in Alabama?

Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesADPH, Manufactured Food Processing says:“Manufactured food processing permits are required for commercial kitchens that manufacture, process, pack, hold, or prepare foods that are distributed to other businesses (wholesale) or for interstate (outside Alabama) distribution. A private residence (home kitchen) cannot obtain a Manufactured Food Processing Permit.”ADPH, Manufactured Food Processing · Read Oct 24, 2026
Alabama's Cottage Food Operation rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesADPH, Manufactured Food Processing says:“Producing foods that will be sold directly to the consumer (retail) will require a Food Service Permit . Some operations may qualify as a Cottage Food business.”ADPH, Manufactured Food Processing · Read Oct 24, 2026

From there, ShelfStep's standard plan for a beverage has 19 steps. The first 6 help you find out where and how cold brew coffee can be made at all, so they come first:

1.
Write the recipe down with exact amounts
Cost, price, nutrition and the label are all worked out from this. Write it in the units you actually use; ShelfStep converts for the label. What matters is that someone else could make the same batch from what is written.
2.
Decide how it is kept: on a shelf, in the fridge or frozen
The planned storage helps the reviewer assess the process, shelf life and packaging.
In the plan: It decides which rules you follow.
3.
Find out where you are allowed to make it for sale
This finds out whether the state’s rules allow making this in a home kitchen or point to a commercial one — and that changes the cost and the timeline of everything after it. It is much cheaper to find out now than after buying packaging.
In the plan: Your state's home-kitchen rules, in its own words. Whether they cover your product is for your state's agency to say.
4.
Have the pH and water activity of a finished batch measured
These measurements give your reviewer information about the batch; they do not establish safety or storage conditions on their own.
In the plan: The two numbers the acidified-food rules name. Measured on the finished product, once it has settled.
5.
Get a Process Authority's letter on how it is made safe
Ask a qualified reviewer which process and storage conditions your product needs. This is where you ask someone qualified, a Process Authority, to put in writing how the product is made safe. Buyers, insurers and inspectors may ask for that document, and it cannot be obtained after the fact for product you have already sold.
In the plan: Needs the pH first. Their letter sets out the process they ask you to hold to, and the storage line for your label.
6.
Look into FDA registration
Registration is how FDA knows your facility exists; the plan is what an inspector or a buyer’s audit asks to see. Both are far easier to do now than during either.
In the plan: Look into registration with FDA. Any filing your Process Authority letter names belongs here too.

Every step, with its reason and what it typically costs, is on the cold brew coffee page:

1. Write the recipe down with exact amounts 2. Decide how it is kept: on a shelf, in the fridge or frozen 3. Find out where you are allowed to make it for sale 4. Have the pH and water activity of a finished batch measured 5. Get a Process Authority's letter on how it is made safe 6. Look into FDA registration 7. Choose the container and what seals it 8. Shortlist three co-packers or commercial kitchens 9. Work out what one batch, and one unit, costs to make 10. Set up lot codes and a recall plan 11. Make a first full-size batch 12. Find out how long it keeps 13. Get barcodes 14. Draft the label with everything it has to say 15. Set the wholesale and shelf price from the cost 16. Sell it at a market before you scale 17. Get product liability insurance 18. Make the one-page sheet a buyer reads 19. Name your first three stores

Where do I go from here?

How to sell cold brew coffee to storesEvery step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in AlabamaAll of Alabama's lines, what you may make, register and outgrow

How do I find and choose a co-packer?5 min read How do I work out my shelf life and best-by date?4 min read Do I need to register with the FDA to sell my food product?4 min read

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The rules check runs the same deterministic engine ShelfStep uses inside the app, on your answers, and quotes the sentences each rule rests on, with their links and the day ShelfStep read them. It does not decide which apply. It is free, needs no account and uses no AI. A ShelfStep workspace then keeps your plan, your records and the dates, free for one product.

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Something here out of date, or a state we should write up next? Email hello@shelfstep.com.