Before starting a cookie business from home, you must first resolve one issue above all others: The legality of operating a home based bakery. Is it legal in your community to sell foods made at home? While the answer may not be obvious, requiring research online, via phone calls and possibly in-person, knowing absolutely that it is legal, is the first step. This may be a significant blow to anyone living in states or municipalities where home food production is absolutely illegal who wanted to start a cookie business from home. There are 25 states with cottage food regulations that permit a home cookie business in some capacity including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
In states where home processing is illegal, the laws are changing. In fact, there are eight states with active grass-roots efforts to change the laws. The states are:
California
Colorado
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/ColoradoCottageLaw
Georgia
Georgia Cottage Food Law Facebook Page
Louisiana
Maryland
MD Cottage Food Law Facebook Page
Minnesota
Nevada
NV Cottage Food Law Facebook Page
South Carolina
These efforts are very effective in making change happen and while it can feel very slow, especially for those needing the income, in the past few years, we’ve witnessed many states alter their laws to allow home-based baking businesses. If your state is one of those where baking and selling cookies from your home is not permitted, do not give up. Our book outlines many of the creative ways you can work from a commercial kitchen and finance your dream. Yes, it is a cost that bakers in states where home processing is allowed do not incur. However, there are upsides to working from a commercial kitchen for rent or opening a brick and mortar bakery. The growth opportunities are often significantly higher outside of the cottage food regulations.
This video from Julia Sforza of Half-Pint Preserves shares many of the challenges of the New York Cottage Industry Laws