Terms & Conditions

1. Acceptance of terms

By accessing or placing an order through this website, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions in their entirety. If you do not agree, please do not use this website or submit an order. We reserve the right to update these terms at any time; continued use of the website following publication of changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.

2. Products and descriptions

We make every effort to ensure that product descriptions, specifications and prices are accurate at the time of publication. Cultures are living organisms whose activity may vary depending on handling and temperature during use.

Live cultures (SCOBYs, kefir grains, starters) are shipped fresh and prepared at the time of order. Preparation times may vary by culture.

We reserve the right to discontinue, replace or reformulate any product at any time without prior notice. If a product you have ordered becomes unavailable after payment, we will contact you to arrange a substitute or full refund.

3. Pricing and payment

All prices are displayed in Euros (€) and include applicable VAT where required by law. Prices are subject to change without notice, but price changes will not affect orders already confirmed. Shipping costs are calculated at checkout based on destination and order weight.

Free standard shipping applies to orders with a product subtotal of €60 or more, before the application of discount codes or gift vouchers. Payment is processed at the time of order placement. Payment processing is handled by third-party providers; we do not store card details.

4. Order confirmation and cancellation

An order confirmation email constitutes acknowledgement of your order, not acceptance of a contract. We reserve the right to cancel any order at our discretion, including for reasons of pricing error, fraud suspicion or product unavailability, with full refund.

You may cancel an order without charge while it has not yet shipped. Live cultures prepared specifically for your order cannot be cancelled once preparation has begun.

5. Delivery and shipping

We ship on standard working days. Live cultures are shipped early in the week to avoid a weekend in transit. Delivery times depend on destination and carrier; estimated transit times are provided at checkout and are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for delays caused by carriers, customs, weather or other events outside our control.

Risk of loss and title to products pass to you upon delivery to the carrier. If a package is lost in transit, please contact us at hello@brinova.com; we will work with the carrier to locate or replace the shipment at our discretion.

We currently ship to: all EU member states, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway and Iceland. For other destinations, please contact us directly. Some products (glassware, fragile items) may have restricted shipping destinations.

6. Returns and refunds

For food hygiene reasons, live cultures and opened starters cannot be returned. Unused equipment and tools may be returned within 30 days of delivery, in original packaging, for a full product refund (excluding outbound and return shipping).

Defective or damaged items will be replaced or refunded in full, including shipping, on receipt of photographic evidence. A live culture that has not survived in transit will be replaced; contact us within 14 days.

To initiate a return, contact hello@brinova.com with your order number and reason for return. Do not return any item without first receiving a return authorisation from us.

7. Live cultures

Live cultures are natural organisms; their appearance and vigour may vary. With proper care according to the instructions provided, they are reusable indefinitely. We guarantee they arrive in good condition and capable of starting a first ferment, but cannot guarantee a result that depends on the conditions of your kitchen.

8. Intellectual property

All content on this website — text, photography, design, CSS, JavaScript and layout — is the property of [Legal entity — pending] or used with permission. You may not reproduce, distribute, republish or use this content for commercial purposes without express written permission.

You may share links to this website and reproduce brief extracts of text for personal, non-commercial purposes with attribution.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, [Legal entity — pending] shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising from your use of this website, the products sold, or the information provided herein. Home fermentation is undertaken at your own responsibility: follow good hygiene practices. Our total liability for any claim shall not exceed the price paid for the product concerned.

This website is provided on an "as is" basis. We do not guarantee continuous, uninterrupted access and accept no liability for temporary unavailability.

10. Governing law and disputes

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the law of the jurisdiction in which [Legal entity — pending] is registered. Any dispute shall first be subject to good-faith negotiation. If unresolved, disputes shall be submitted to the competent courts of the relevant jurisdiction.

Consumers in the EU may also use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform (https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr).