New laws could yank popular kombucha teas off South Carolina shelves
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Kombucha tea has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years...but a new South Carolina law may force some stores to take it off their shelves.
New guidelines from the South Carolina Department of Revenue say you need a permit to sell all beer and fermented beverages containing 6.5 alcohol by volume or less.
There's no minimum alcohol percentage listed, so South Carolina attorney Brook Bristow says that definition includes kombucha, even if it has no alcohol in it, since it is fermented.
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As a result, the law could create a headache for producers, distributors, and retailers who don't already have alcohol permits, impacting places like health stores, juice bars, and farmer's markets.
On all levels there is going to be some impact," Bristow, the owner of Bristow Beverage Law said. "In theory much of the products that are already on store shelves could very well be illegal products because they were never licensed.
Bristow said one kombucha producer has already reached out to him about managing the permit process.
