KOSGEB and GEKA Grants for a Kombucha Plant in Türkiye

There is no single “kombucha grant” in Türkiye. For a small or mid-sized plant, the realistic route is KOSGEB’s Entrepreneur Support Programme. It combines a small non-repayable start-up grant with an 80% Business Development Support, which is repayable and can pay for new machinery. GEKA, the South Aegean Development Agency, currently funds consultancy rather than equipment. IPARD and the investment incentive certificate can apply in narrower cases. Below we set out what we have learned setting up our own brewery in Fethiye and planning plants for clients, checked against the official texts.

Which KOSGEB grant fits food production?

KOSGEB has no programme labelled “food”. What matters is your NACE activity code. Kombucha production counts as manufacturing and is usually classed under 11.07, soft drinks; confirm the code with your accountant and the KOSGEB office.

The KOSGEB Entrepreneur Support Programme Directive, Rev. 14 (July 2026) defines three parts:

Start-up support (İş Kurma, non-repayable)

• Establishment support: 10,000 TL for a sole proprietorship or 20,000 TL for a capital company. A further 10,000 TL is added if the entrepreneur is young (under 35), a woman, disabled, a veteran or a first-degree relative of a martyr.
• Staff cost support: over the 36-month period, one month’s gross minimum wage cost to the employer for each yearly period in which staff insurance days reach 360.
• Applications are open year-round but must be made within one year of founding the company. The entrepreneur must first complete KOSGEB’s traditional entrepreneurship training.

This support helps with set-up costs but will not build a plant.

Business Development Support (İş Geliştirme, repayable, covers equipment)

This is the part that matters for a kombucha plant:

• Rate and cap: 80% of eligible costs, up to 1,500,000 TL, plus 150,000 TL for priority groups. Combined with start-up support, the total is capped at 2,000,000 TL.
• Eligible costs: new machinery, equipment and moulds bought within the project period (used machinery only if its electric motors are at least IE2 efficiency class), software, staff, and services such as training, consultancy, certification, testing, marketing and design.
• Repayment: a 6-month grace period after the 36-month project ends, then 4 equal quarterly instalments. No interest or commission is charged if instalments are paid on time, and a guarantee is required before payment.
• Applying: only during call windows, within three years of founding, and after the advanced entrepreneurship training. The application includes a video of up to 10 minutes. Applications scoring below 50 with the board or jury are rejected.

Competition is real. The 2nd 2026 call ran from 20 April to 8 May 2026, and support went to the top 500 nationally and the top 3 in each province.

Interest support and later-stage options

Women and young entrepreneurs who score 50 or more with the jury can choose interest support instead. KOSGEB then pays 50% of the interest on a bank loan of up to 1,000,000 TL over 36 months.

KOSGEB’s Capacity Development Programme is aimed at fast-growing existing SMEs. It offers a 20-point financing support on loans of up to 20 million TL, including for machinery. Its 3rd 2026 window ran from 22 August to 15 September 2026. It suits a second expansion more than a first build.

GEKA support programmes for Muğla, Aydın and Denizli

GEKA covers the TR32 region: Aydın, Denizli and Muğla. As of November 2026, its open manufacturing call is the 2026 Competitive Industrial Enterprises Alternative Support Programme. According to the application guide:

• What it funds: studies, roadmaps and investment plans for green transformation (energy and water efficiency, carbon footprint) or digital transformation. The work must be done by one of the solution partners named in the guide.
• How much: 80% of costs, up to 400,000 TL, for projects of up to 6 months.
• Who can apply: small, medium or large manufacturers (NACE C) registered or with a branch in the three provinces. Micro-enterprises are not eligible.
• When: period 7 runs from 2 November to 15 December 2026, and the last period closes in June 2027.

So GEKA’s 2026 programme is for improving a plant that is already running, not for buying fermenters. The guide also states two rules worth knowing. Activities started before the contract are not funded, and spending already supported under an investment incentive certificate cannot also receive agency funding. GEKA has run other manufacturing programmes in past years, so watch its site for new calls.

Do IPARD (TKDK) or the investment incentive certificate apply?

IPARD III (TKDK): Muğla was presented as one of the new IPARD III provinces at an information meeting in November 2025. The 2026 call calendar scheduled a €25 million farm diversification call in April and a €30 million agri-food processing and marketing call in May. Grant rates range from 50% to 75% depending on the project. IPARD requires a rural location and a product within the measure’s scope. Confirm with the TKDK Muğla office whether a tea-and-sugar fermented drink qualifies before you plan around it.

Investment incentive certificate: Presidential Decision No. 9903 of 30 May 2025 introduced a new incentive system. KPMG’s summary puts the default minimum fixed investment at 12 million TL in regions 1–2 and 6 million TL elsewhere, and these figures are revalued yearly. Benefits include VAT and customs duty exemptions, but the threshold is usually too high for a starter plant of a few hundred litres.

Comparison table

Programme	Type	Funds equipment?	Rate / cap (per source)	Best fit
KOSGEB start-up	Non-repayable	No	10,000–20,000 TL plus staff support	New company in its first year
KOSGEB Business Development	Repayable, interest-free	Yes (new machinery)	80%, up to 1,500,000 TL	Manufacturer under 3 years old
KOSGEB Capacity Development	Loan finance support	Yes	20 points on loans up to 20M TL	Fast-growing existing SME
GEKA RSİ Alternative	Grant (consultancy)	No	80%, up to 400,000 TL	Non-micro manufacturer in TR32
TKDK / IPARD III	Grant	Depends on scope	50–75% by project type	Rural investment; scope must be confirmed
Investment incentive certificate	Tax and customs benefits	Yes	Minimum investment threshold	Larger investments

How to prepare a strong application

1. Set up the company correctly. The entrepreneur must hold at least 50% and be able to represent the company alone. The activity code on the form must match the project.
2. Get the training certificate. The start-up grant requires the traditional course; Business Development requires the advanced one.
3. Write a numbers-first business plan. Cover weekly capacity (for example 500 L or 2,000 L), sales channels (hospitality, retail, wholesale), unit cost, cash flow and how you will repay.
4. Collect quotes with technical specifications. The KOSGEB board decides the quantity, amount and minimum technical specification of every item it funds, so “fermentation tank” is not enough. Give volume, 304/316L stainless steel, jacket and cooling, and CIP connections. See choosing a kombucha fermentation tank and commercial kombucha brewing equipment.
5. Show premises and a permit path. A lease, a layout and a registration timeline show the project is real. Plant-based drink makers need food business registration rather than approval, as covered in our kombucha production permit guide.
6. Take the video seriously. The Business Development board scores your file and video without interviewing you.

Typical timeline

Step	Timing (per official texts)
Start-up application	Open year-round, within 1 year of founding
Corrections requested	30 days to respond
Business Development decision notice	Within 15 days of the board decision
Business Development project	36 months
Repayment	Starts 6 months after the project ends, 4 equal instalments
GEKA RSİ results	About 2 weeks after each period closes

Why applications fail

• Buying before approval. Spending before the board decision or the GEKA contract is not eligible.
• Missing the window. The limits are 1 year for start-up support and 3 years for Business Development. A rejected start-up application cannot be resubmitted.
• Ownership history. Start-up support is barred if the entrepreneur owned a sole proprietorship, or 25% or more of another company, in the previous three years.
• Wrong programme. A micro-enterprise applying to GEKA RSİ, or asking a consultancy programme to buy machinery.
• Vague budgets. Line items without specifications or real quotes lose points.
• Double funding. The same cost cannot receive two public supports.
• Tax or social security debt. GEKA will not sign with applicants that have overdue debts.

How a turnkey partner helps

You submit the application, but the technical annexes decide much of the score. Through our kombucha production setup service we prepare:

• a capacity plan based on your sales target, covering brewing, primary fermentation, secondary fermentation or carbonation, and cold storage;
• an itemised equipment list with technical specifications and pro-forma quotes, with tank, filling and CIP options on our equipment page;
• a layout suited to food business registration, and a delivery schedule that fits the project period.

To be transparent, KOSGEB’s service-purchase support only covers consultancy from specific providers, such as universities and consultancies holding a TSE service competence certificate. New machinery can be funded under Business Development. No consultant can guarantee approval. If you are still testing the idea, start with how to start a kombucha business.

The bottom line

The realistic plan is a funding mix rather than one grant. Use KOSGEB start-up support to found the company and Business Development to finance 80% of tanks and filling on interest-free repayable terms. Once the plant is running, look to GEKA for efficiency and digitalisation consultancy. To build the capacity plan and quote file together, contact us or see our production setup page.

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