David Crabill
@david
active 2 days, 8 hours ago
Jassmine posted an update 7 months, 2 weeks ago
@david I am confused with oregons law about selling fresh squeezed juice, What licensing would you need to sell fresh juice at a farmers market?
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Judy Theuer posted an update 9 months, 1 week ago
@david I’m so excited to find your community at just the perfect time. I started my journey with the delivery of a freeze dryer on 10 January 2024. I found your tutorial of 5 videos JUST as I was starting to ask every one of the questions addressed in each. I believe I can legally conduct my business (selling freeze dried pet food for small…[Read more]
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Jassmine posted an update 1 year, 7 months ago
@david Do you know if dried herbal tea would fall under the cottage law or the farm? In oregon thank you!
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Pam Hill posted an update 1 year, 10 months ago
Hi! May I sell kefir grains in Virginia? Online? Retail? From home? It’s not intended for consumption, but put in milk, will ferment it, making kefir, which I can’t sell because it requires refrigeration. (Not interested in getting certified now, dog has run of the house and kitchen.) Thanks so much! @david
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Unfortunately I’d say no, that likely wouldn’t be allowed. The law specifies which items are allowed (as opposed to allowing all nonperishable foods), and kefir grains fall outside of that. You can try contacting your local ag or health dept, but they will likely tell you that you need to use a commercial kitchen.
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Nevena Nina Gajic posted an update 5 years, 2 months ago
@david we are planning to sell via amazon and etsy – macarons and cakes in a jar. The online sales would be directed to USA nationwide. Planning to sell USA nationawide via online websites and also since cakes in a jar will contain some cream cheese, does this mean we have to have a commercial kitchen and cannot produce these products at our home?…[Read more]
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Correct, you’d need a commercial kitchen and licensing from the health dept.
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Tiffany posted an update 7 years, 3 months ago
@david Hi David! Part of the CFO checklist is to submit all labels. What do CFOs do when they’ve already been approved as a CFO, but want to add a different product to their menu for which they don’t have a label??
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You would need to contact the dept that approved your labels. Some counties allow additions.
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Kelly Mills posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago
@david Hello David! I am a little bit confused as to what I can/can’t do online. I know I can’t sell my cookies online but curious to know if this means I can’t have a website/blog that highlights my work and incourages potential customers to contact me, etc. Does the no selling online basically mean no Etsy, and/or no website with a shop…[Read more]
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Kelly, you can still advertise and have your items listed online with prices, but you must take payment in-person.
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Swamp Biscuits LLC posted an update 7 years, 11 months ago
@david I’m new to the cottage food business in Louisiana. I was wondering why is there a limit on sales?
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Sales limits are usually to prevent businesses from getting too big for the home. The goal of a cottage food law is typically to give entrepreneurs an easy way to start to help them get off the ground, before they start a full food business in a commercial kitchen.
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Michele La Pointe posted an update 8 years ago
@david is this the correct place to ask you a question about selling home baked goods? If so here it is: may I sell at a multi vendor event where we pay individually for room space? I am the only one selling food. Others sell things like clothes, jewelry, nutritional supplements .
Your information is very helpful too!-
It’s better to post on the state forums (http://forrager.com/groups/laws/forum/), since questions are usually state-specific, but this works too. What state do you live in?
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Kathy Jones posted an update 8 years, 3 months ago
I live in Illinois but have been told my city has not adopted the home kitchen ordinance. Do you know the process in getting your city to consider allowing home kitchen operations? @david
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There are some cities/counties that simply won’t consider or approve the home kitchen operation law, and in that case, you need to use a commercial kitchen to produce your product. You can talk with your health dept about getting an ordinance passed and see what they say. Maybe try contacting some of the counties that have passed one (Cook…[Read more]
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M Chi posted an update 8 years, 4 months ago
@david Hi David!
Thank you for everything you do for the community. Forrager is well-organized and full of amazing information!
A couple questions:
1. Have you heard of us? Tappetite…tappetites.com. We’re a virtual marketplace focused on baked goods and allowing vendors to post instagram-style photos. We’re in beta testing right now w/ both…[Read more]-
I’ll respond to you via email, but for someone stumbling across this and wanting the answers to #3 & #4, here are a couple resources:
3. http://forrager.com/2016/03/why-online-marketplaces-fail/
4. http://forrager.com/groups/laws/forum/topic/how-large-is-the-cottage-foods-community-in-the-us/
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Rustic posted an update 8 years, 5 months ago
@david Hi!
Does anyone have an insurance carrier that’s reasonable? Thinking about selling jell-
FLIP Insurance is often used. http://forrager.com/faq/#insurance
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Khtownley posted an update 8 years, 11 months ago
@david – good afternoon! Newbie here… I am trying to find out if Rice Krispie treats are allowable in Virginia? I’ve been searching for a while now and cannot t figure out if they are considered a ‘safe’ food item. Thank you!!!
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Yes, they should be considered a non-potentially hazardous food item.
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Kitty Mayon posted an update 9 years, 2 months ago
@david thank your reply, ok so i need this license even if im not making the cotton candy at home right? ill be making this fresh in front of the customer with a cotton candy machine. also where do i apply for a class A license? and is it hard to get?
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No — this law is only for items made and packaged at home. To make the cotton candy onsite, you will need to obtain different permits and follow different rules. I’m not very familiar with those, so it’s best if you contact the health dept.
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Kitty Mayon posted an update 9 years, 2 months ago
@david Hi I am trying to start a cotton candy business starting with only taking donations and tips at farmers markets ext. I was told I needed health permits and permission to be outside by the city is this true and if so is there any way around this?
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Whether you call it donations, tips, or price, it doesn’t matter… if you are making money from selling something, it is a business and you have to go through the same procedures that similar businesses do. Cotton candy is allowed under the cottage food law, so you should be able to get a Class A license from your county and then sell it at…[Read more]
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sussy posted a new activity comment 9 years, 5 months ago
@david butterceam is maid with butter milk or cream can i still use regular butter or do i hve to use a bairy free butter n milk
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Maria Promanzio posted an update 9 years, 8 months ago
@david
Hi David I am new here, I would like to sell cookies online and in farmers market I have a few question that maybe you can answer me.
First, I am located in San Rafael Ca, I want to know if I need a commercial kitchen to manufacture my cookies,
Second: I design a label for my cookies, do I need to specify all the ingredient with exact…[Read more]-
1) If your cookies don’t require refrigeration, and you only want to sell/deliver them in-person, you don’t need a commercial kitchen. You can use your home kitchen with a cottage food Class A registration from the health dept. If you want to sell online and ship your cookies, you need to use a commercial kitchen and get a commercial license from…[Read more]
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Butterfly-Bakery posted an update 10 years, 4 months ago
@david Hi David, Other than setting up my LLC and registering on this site what else I have to do to operate under the Cottage Law?
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Registering for this site is not part of the registration process for starting a business. You can check out the law page in your state: http://forrager.com/regions/usa/
Many of the steps are listed there. Here are a couple of things you might be interested in:
http://forrager.com/faq/#starting
http://forrager.com/faq/#llcIf you still have…[Read more]
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May Goo-Smylie posted an update 10 years, 7 months ago
@david Hi David, I’m new here so I’m not sure how it works so I’m sending you a private message. I want to start a business where I compile organic herbs/flowers to make teas. I also want to make salves with herbs/flowers, beeswax, cocoa/mango/shea butter. Please advise & thank you in advance.
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Hi May — I’m going to ask that you create a topic in the California forum (at the bottom) so that others can see the answer and/or respond. http://forrager.com/groups/california/forum/
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Brandie posted an update 10 years, 8 months ago
Thank you so much for your help, I have found much needed answers from you. I am a chef and I’m trying to get into private catering, so getting my name out there while following the laws have been a concern to me. But I think I’m finding all my answers with you so far, thanks. @david
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You’re welcome! Let me know if you have any questions.
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It would not fall under the cottage food law, just the domestic kitchen and farm direct laws. Crossing fingers that Oregon’s bill passes this year!