TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process comprises: providing 5-50 wt.% solution of L-carnitine in ethanol at 40-69 degrees C, and adding 5-50 wt.% solution of L-tartaric acid or of a tartrate in ethanol, or adding tartaric acid or a tartrate; incubating the reaction mixture at 40-69 degrees C for 1 minute to 2 hours; reducing the temperature to 20-40 degrees C after the step of adding solution of tartaric acid or after the step of incubating the reaction mixture; and separating precipitated L-carnitine tartrate crystals from the reaction mixture and drying the crystals. The reaction mixture is incubated at least temporarily at 40-69 degrees C. The tartaric acid is added within 10 minutes to 4 hours. Preferred Components: The water content of the ethanol in the reaction mixture is less than 4.5 wt/wt.%, preferably less than 4 wt/wt.%. The tartaric acid is L-tartaric acid and the tartrate is L-tartrate. The concentration of L-carnitine and/or tartaric acid in the reaction mixture are 5-50 wt/wt.%. The yield of L-carnitine tartrate based on the initial amount of L-carnitine is at least 95 %, and/or the L-carnitine content in the L-carnitine tartrate is at least 65 wt.%. EXAMPLE - Laboratory reactor (500 ml) was charged with ethanol (123.8 g). Then carnitine (41.2 g) was added. The reactor was closed and heated up to 65 degrees C until all solids have been dissolved. The stirrer was set to 500 rpm to give L-carnitine solution. In a second vessel or flask L-tartaric acid (8.77 g) was dissolved in ethanol (66.5g) to give L-tartrate solution, within 60 minutes or longer the solution of the tartaric acid was fed into the carnitine solution to precipitate. Mixing and reactor temperature are controlled and kept constant. After complete addition of the tartaric acid the suspension was stirred for another 30 minutes and cooled down to 30 degrees C within 140 minutes or longer with a cooling liquid. At 30 degrees C the suspension was stirred again for 30 minutes or longer. The solids are filtered off via a Buchner funnel and washed with ethanol (75 g), the obtained crystals comprised of 67.2 wt.% of L-carnitine.