David Crabill
@david
active 7 hours, 38 minutes agoForum Replies Created
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You would need to use a commercial kitchen and go through a much different, and much more complicated, process of getting a license. Instead of searching for how to sell tea, simply search for how to start a food business in Texas. The rules are similar for all food businesses. You should also talk to your health dept about what you need.
Ed, as far as I know, you would need to use a commercial kitchen to do this. I know it seems impractical but it is the same process that other companies that produce fermented foods use.
Christian, if you are a Class B CFO, then you can sell to commercial businesses, and it is my understanding that they can sell your product by the same means that they sell their own. So assuming that the farmers market vendor is a commercial food business (and not simply a farmer that sells produce), then I would think that they could resell your product without repackaging.
Michelle, I’m not surprised that they wouldn’t allow canal water. Usually private water allowances are in regards to underground wells that are not in proximity to animals, waste, etc. Private wells are allowed after they have been tested. Perhaps you could offer to have your water tested, though they might still not allow it because there are too many variables at play. Just because the canal water is good today doesn’t mean it won’t be significantly different six months from now. I assume (though I don’t know for sure) that the tests on well water are done before any filtration has taken place.
You can sell some types of unopened, prepackaged food like soda pop without using the cottage food law. However, you would probably still need a license to do so, and you may not be able to sell it from your apartment, depending on zoning regulations. I’d recommend that you contact your health dept for more info about your area.
Juan, I still haven’t heard about any changes in Miami Dade’s policy, but you should contact their health dept to ask if they allow CFOs now. It would be the same with the other counties you mentioned, but I will say that you must use the laws of whichever county your primary residence is in. You can’t just use any county’s law, unless you move there.
I do not know for sure if peanut butter would be allowed, but I assume that it would.
The process for getting setup can be pretty complicated, and is largely dependent on your town or county. The fastest way to get info about how to start this kind of business is to talk to the health inspector in your area. When I tried to setup a business in Medfield, I learned that the process would take a minimum of 3 months, but that’s only applicable to Medfield.
First of all, I just want to clarify that the Home Kitchen Operation law is only in a select few counties. If your county is one of the ones that allows homemade baked goods to be sold under that law, then I’d assume that you would still have to package and label the product. The reasons for packaging and labeling are based on health and safety concerns… it doesn’t really matter if there’s a price tag or not. If you cannot sell homemade food under that law, then it’s probable that you also wouldn’t be able to give it away for free.
However, there is probably an exemption for offering baked goods at fundraisers, and the packaging and labeling rules probably wouldn’t apply there. You should talk to the health dept about trying to use that exemption to get around packaging and labeling. http://forrager.com/faq/#nonprofit
I don’t think any savory pies would be allowed. You cannot use meat or cheese in your items. If you make a savory pie that does not require refrigeration, it may be allowed. Otherwise, you need to prepare your pies in a commercial kitchen. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial
Yes, you can start any kind of food business if you use a commercial kitchen, but you’ll also need to get the necessary licenses to run your business, which can be complicated.
