Selling kombucha in Nebraska

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

NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration says: “(7) A private home where a producer of food that meets the requirements of section 81-2,280 is prepared for sale directly to the consumer including, but not limited to, at a farmers market, fair, festival, craft show, or other public event or for pick up at or delivery from such private home;” (NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration, read October 24, 2026). NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration says: “My friend owns a coffee shop and really wants to sell my cottage food items. Can she sell them? No. Cottage food must be sold directly to the customer.” (NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration, read October 24, 2026). Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says: “Food that is not time/temperature control for safety food may be delivered by United States mail or a commercial mail delivery service.” (Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280, read October 24, 2026). Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says: “Food that is time/temperature control for safety food shall be delivered only by the producer to the consumer in person. When transported, such food shall be maintained at a temperature in accordance with the Nebraska Pure Food Act and not be transported for longer than two hours.” (Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280, read October 24, 2026). ShelfStep's summary of the rules and their sources, read October 24, 2026; not legal advice.

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

NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration says: “What does the sign need to read at an event? This food was prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to regulation and inspection by the regulatory authority and may contain allergens.” (NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration, read October 24, 2026). Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says: “(5)(a) The producer shall inform the consumer by a clearly visible notification that the food: (i) Was prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to regulation and inspection by a regulatory authority; and (ii) May contain allergens.” (Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280, read October 24, 2026). Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says: “(b) For sales conducted at a farmers market, fair, festival, craft show, or other public event, such notification shall be provided at the sale location. (c) For sales conducted for pickup or delivery, such notification shall be provided at the producer's private home, on the producer's website, if such website exists, and in any print, radio, television, or Internet advertisement for such sales.” (Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280, read October 24, 2026). Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says: “The producer shall label the food so that the name and address of the producer is provided to the consumer on the package or container label. Food that is time/temperature control for safety food shall also have labeling that includes ingredients in descending order of predominance.” (Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280, 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 kombucha to stores. Every step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in Nebraska. All of Nebraska'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 Nebraska's own pages say about making kombucha 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.

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 kombucha at home in Nebraska?

Nebraska's own pages name kombucha, or foods like it, among what Nebraska says a home kitchen may not make. ShelfStep found these lines by the words they use; whether they cover your product is for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to say. Those lines, as the state writes them:

Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: what may not be made at homeNebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says:“(2) Such producer shall only provide food that is not adulterated and is not any of the following types of time/temperature control for safety food: (a) Any part of an animal, vertebrate or invertebrate, or animal by-product; (b) Fluid milk or milk products as defined in the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance adopted by reference in the Nebraska Milk Act; (c) Raw eggs; (d) Unpasteurized juice; (e) Infused oils or honey; (f) Sprouts; (g) Low-acid canned food and hermetically sealed acidified food; (h) Tofu, tempeh, or similar meat substitutes; or (i) Kimchi, kombucha, or similar fermented foods.”Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 · Read Oct 24, 2026

What rules does kombucha come under beyond Nebraska's?

Outside a home kitchen, ShelfStep's plan reads kombucha 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 kombucha

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 Nebraska?

Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldNDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration says:“(7) A private home where a producer of food that meets the requirements of section 81-2,280 is prepared for sale directly to the consumer including, but not limited to, at a farmers market, fair, festival, craft show, or other public event or for pick up at or delivery from such private home;”NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration · Read Oct 24, 2026
Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldNDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration says:“My friend owns a coffee shop and really wants to sell my cottage food items. Can she sell them? No. Cottage food must be sold directly to the customer.”NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration · Read Oct 24, 2026
Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldNebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says:“Food that is not time/temperature control for safety food may be delivered by United States mail or a commercial mail delivery service.”Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 · Read Oct 24, 2026
Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: where it may be soldNebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says:“Food that is time/temperature control for safety food shall be delivered only by the producer to the consumer in person. When transported, such food shall be maintained at a temperature in accordance with the Nebraska Pure Food Act and not be transported for longer than two hours.”Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 · Read Oct 24, 2026

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

Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: the home-made labelNDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration says:“What does the sign need to read at an event? This food was prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to regulation and inspection by the regulatory authority and may contain allergens.”NDA, Nebraska Cottage Food Registration · Read Oct 24, 2026
Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: the home-made labelNebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says:“(5)(a) The producer shall inform the consumer by a clearly visible notification that the food: (i) Was prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to regulation and inspection by a regulatory authority; and (ii) May contain allergens.”Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 · Read Oct 24, 2026
Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: the home-made labelNebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says:“(b) For sales conducted at a farmers market, fair, festival, craft show, or other public event, such notification shall be provided at the sale location. (c) For sales conducted for pickup or delivery, such notification shall be provided at the producer's private home, on the producer's website, if such website exists, and in any print, radio, television, or Internet advertisement for such sales.”Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 · Read Oct 24, 2026
Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: the home-made labelNebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 says:“The producer shall label the food so that the name and address of the producer is provided to the consumer on the package or container label. Food that is time/temperature control for safety food shall also have labeling that includes ingredients in descending order of predominance.”Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,280 · Read Oct 24, 2026

How do I get kombucha into a store in Nebraska?

Nebraska's Cottage Food Program rules: what applies beyond the home-kitchen rulesNebraska Revised Statute 81-2,270 says:“(1) No person shall operate without a valid permit: (a) A food establishment conducting those food handling activities authorized by such permit; (b) A food processing plant; or (c) A salvage operation.”Nebraska Revised Statute 81-2,270 · 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 kombucha 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 kombucha 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 kombucha to storesEvery step, its reason and its typical cost Selling food made at home in NebraskaAll of Nebraska'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.