BOTTLED POTIONS | Cottage Food Production & Event Sales Checklist

Scope: Pre-bottled potions produced under Arizona Cottage Food Program registration (i.e. bottled tea sold in potion bottles)
This guide does NOT cover brewing or serving gongfu tea on-site; use the separate Live Tea Service Checklist for that activity.

1 | Registration and product approval

☐ Confirm Arizona Cottage Food Program registration is active and covers the potion recipes being sold. Do this before EVERY event. 

☐ Confirm current accredited food-handler certification for the preparer or direct supervisor.

☐ Check each recipe’s classification (shelf-stable vs. time/temperature-control-for-safety, or TCS); document approved handling and storage conditions.

☐ Confirm products are prepared and packaged in the registered home kitchen, not at the event or at a commercial kitchen under this cottage-food procedure.

Arizona Cottage Food registration is separate from Maricopa County Mobile Food Type I, which Tea Tavern uses for live tea service. Registration alone does not prove every bottled recipe is eligible.

2 | Prepare, bottle and label

☐ Clean and sanitize preparation surfaces, tools, and food-contact containers; use legally approved ingredients.

☐ Fill food-safe bottles and close securely with a tamper-evident seal (the label itself may serve as the seal if it makes opening evident).

☐ Attach a clear, legible label to EACH bottle containing:

    ☐ Registered food preparer’s name and Arizona Cottage Food registration number

    ☐ All ingredients and the date produced

    ☐ The exact statutory home-kitchen disclosure below

    ☐ ADHS cottage food information/reporting URL below

    ☐ Product name/flavor and any applicable storage/use-by guidance (operational best practice)

Required disclosure: “This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection.”

Required ADHS information: “To obtain additional information about cottage foods or to report a food-borne illness, go to azdhs.gov/Cottagefood.”

3 | Refrigeration, storage and transport

☐ Determine whether each potion is TCS; do not assume all bottled tea is shelf-stable.

☐ For TCS potions: Maintain the appropriate safe temperature during storage and transport; use a thermometer and insulated refrigeration/cooler as appropriate.

☐ For TCS potions: Transport directly to ONE destination, for no longer than TWO hours including traffic, and sell only at that initial destination.

☐ Keep bottled products and preparation equipment stored at the registered home when not being transported for sale.

☐ Record production date, batch, storage requirements, and any recipe-specific shelf-life/use-by date. Do not automatically apply the former seven-day commercial-production rule to cottage foods.

If the approved product requires cold holding, keep it refrigerated at its applicable safe temperature; 41°F or below is a conservative cold-holding benchmark for many TCS foods, not a blanket determination for every potion.

4 | Pack and operate the event sales station

☐ Pack labeled, sealed bottles; inventory/count sheet; price list; payment supplies; clean display and appropriate coolers/thermometers.

☐ Bring proof of current cottage food registration and food-handler certification to the event. DO THIS FOR EVERY EVENT, EVERY TIME. 

☐ Keep potions protected from contamination and, if applicable, properly chilled throughout the event.

☐ Do not open, pour, remix or serve bottled potions as part of this cottage-food sales checklist; on-site drink service belongs in the separate live-tea procedure.

☐ At close, check temperatures and disposition of remaining bottles; return products/equipment to permitted home storage, and document waste or spoilage.

5 | Quick reference: official application and rules

ADHS Cottage Food Program — register via Login; program guidance: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/food-safety-environmental-services/cottage-food-program/

ADHS step-by-step registration instructions: https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/food-safety-environmental-services/cottage-food-program/cottage-food-program-how-to-register.pdf

Arizona statute A.R.S. § 36-932 — labeling and sales: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/36/00932.htm

Arizona cottage food regulation R9-8-101.02: https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/food-safety-environmental-services/cottage-food-program/r9-8-101-02-cottage-food.pdf

Fees: ADHS cottage food registration fee is not listed here because an official current amount was not verified as of 10/12/226; confirm on the registration portal. 

Accredited food-handler training may have a separate provider fee.

Internal reference • Updated October 2026 • Recheck official ADHS guidance before changing recipes, processes or delivery methods.