Selling cold brew coffee in District of Columbia

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 District of Columbia. All of District of Columbia'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 District of Columbia'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.

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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 District of Columbia?

District of Columbia's own pages, as ShelfStep read them on October 24, 2026, do not name cold brew coffee or foods like it, so this page cannot tell you whether a home kitchen in District of Columbia may make it. Ask the District of Columbia Department of Health before you make it at home to sell. What the state allows and leaves out in general is on the District of Columbia page.

What rules does cold brew coffee come under beyond District of Columbia'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 District of Columbia?

District of Columbia's Cottage Food Business rules: where it may be soldDistrict of Columbia Department of Health, Cottage Food Businesses says:“The Cottage Food Act of 2013, which took effect on January 25, 2014 (D.C. Law 20-63; D.C. Official Code § 7-742.01), was amended by the Certificate of Need Improvement Amendment Act of 2025 (D.C. Law 26-7) , effective June 10, 2025. This amendment allows Cottage Food Businesses to sell certain food products from their residential kitchens. These businesses may sell directly to consumers through direct, retail (excluding sales to restaurants and grocery stores), and online sales within the District of Columbia.”District of Columbia Department of Health, Cottage Food Businesses · Read Oct 24, 2026
District of Columbia's Cottage Food Business rules: where it may be soldDistrict of Columbia Department of Health, Cottage Food Businesses says:“Pursuant to the 2025 amendment, Cottage Food Businesses may also sell wholesale to licensed food establishments, consistent with applicable District laws and regulations.”District of Columbia Department of Health, Cottage Food Businesses · Read Oct 24, 2026

What does District of Columbia say a home-made label must carry?

District of Columbia's Cottage Food Business rules: the home-made labelD.C. Code § 7-742.02, Cottage food businesses (D.C. Law Library) says:“(G) The following statement printed in 10-point or larger type in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background of the label: “Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia's food safety regulations.”D.C. Code § 7-742.02, Cottage food businesses (D.C. Law Library) · Read Oct 24, 2026
District of Columbia's Cottage Food Business rules: the home-made labelD.C. Code § 7-742.02, Cottage food businesses (D.C. Law Library) says:“(c) The owner of a cottage food business may sell only cottage food products that are: (1) Stored on the premises of the cottage food business; and (2) Prepackaged with a label that contains the following information: (A) The cottage food business identification number; (B) The name of the cottage food product; (C) The ingredients of the cottage food product in descending order of the amount of each ingredient by weight; (D) The net weight or net volume of the cottage food product; (E) Allergen information as specified by federal labeling requirements; (F) If any nutritional claim is made, nutritional information as specified by federal labeling requirements; and”D.C. Code § 7-742.02, Cottage food businesses (D.C. Law Library) · Read Oct 24, 2026
District of Columbia's Cottage Food Business rules: the home-made labelD.C. Municipal Regulations, Title 25-K § 104, Cottage Food Regulations (D.C. Register, Dec. 29, 2017) says:“104.1 A cottage food business shall label each food product in accordance with Section 4932(c)(2) of Section 2 of the Cottage Food Amendment Act of 2013 (D.C. Official Code § 7-742.02(c)(2) (2016 Supp.)), and in accordance with 21 CFR part 101 (2016), Food Labeling.”D.C. Municipal Regulations, Title 25-K § 104, Cottage Food Regulations (D.C. Register, Dec. 29, 2017) · Read Oct 24, 2026

How do I get cold brew coffee into a store in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia's Cottage Food Business rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesD.C. Code § 7-742.02, Cottage food businesses (D.C. Law Library) says:“(a) This section shall not: (1) Apply to a food establishment that is required to have a license under Department regulations; or”D.C. Code § 7-742.02, Cottage food businesses (D.C. Law Library) · Read Oct 24, 2026
District of Columbia's Cottage Food Business rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesD.C. Code § 7-742.02, Cottage food businesses (D.C. Law Library) says:“(a) This section shall not: ... (2) Exempt a cottage food business from any applicable District or federal tax laws.”D.C. Code § 7-742.02, Cottage food businesses (D.C. Law Library) · 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 District of ColumbiaAll of District of Columbia'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.