Why does kombucha contain alcohol?
Yeasts turn sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide; bacteria convert most of that alcohol into organic acids. The result is a lightly tart drink with a very small amount of alcohol. Everyday foods such as ripe fruit, fruit juice and bread also contain trace ethanol.
The Turkish limit: 3.0 grams per litre
The Turkish Food Codex Communiqué on Non-Alcoholic Beverages (2007/26) caps ethanol arising from production in non-alcoholic drinks at 3.0 g per litre — about 0.38% ABV, stricter than the 0.5% threshold used in the US and EU.
The communiqué does not name kombucha, but we treat this as our own upper limit and confirm current interpretation with the provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry.
How we control alcohol
We manage fermentation by temperature and time, and flavour and carbonate in a pressurised brite tank rather than in the bottle (forced carbonation). That prevents uncontrolled fermentation and alcohol build-up in the bottle.
Finished kombucha is stored at 2–4 °C and shipped refrigerated. We measure ethanol for every batch at bottling and test retained samples at the end of shelf life. We share the results with businesses on request.
What our labels say
Our labels show ingredients, sugar and alcohol information, storage (keep refrigerated) and best-before date, in Turkish and English.
Is kombucha halal?
Opinions differ: some sources see no problem with non-intoxicating trace alcohol, while more cautious views also exist. Issuing a religious ruling is not our role; for a definitive answer we recommend the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and halal certification bodies.
In Türkiye, halal certifiers are accredited by the Halal Accreditation Agency (HAK). We don't call an uncertified product "halal"; if our certification status changes, we'll announce it on this page.
Who should be careful?
People who must avoid alcohol completely, pregnant people, children and immunocompromised people should ask their doctor before drinking kombucha. See our blog articles on alcohol, pregnancy and sugar & caffeine for details.