Jess

Yes, you need to get a license and find a commercial kitchen to use. Most importantly, you need to talk to your health dept about all the steps required in starting the business. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

It would not be legal. Aside from the fact that your box sale likely wouldn’t sell well without the cookies (the box is not really what you’re selling), typically food laws place the same requirements on publicly-available foods, regardless of whether there is a charge for them or not.

Yes, you would need a permit. I believe it would be the same permit that you’d need if you were actually making the cookies and bread.

Your best bet is to call the dept that manages zoning, and they will tell you exactly what you need. It’s common for areas to require special use permits like this, and yes, they can be complicated and expensive. I don’t think there’s any legal way to avoid it, if you need it.

Yes, that is considered a cottage food, and no, you can’t sell it on Etsy unless you are using a commercial kitchen. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

As long as all of the proceeds go to the nonprofit, usually there is an exemption that you can use: http://forrager.com/faq/#nonprofit

No — that would be considered an indirect sale.

1) I don’t think customers can pick it up from your home. Probably the best thing would be to deliver the items.

2) It would depend on your local zoning laws, since that might increase foot and car traffic in a residential area. Since I just focus on the cottage food laws, I haven’t really tracked resources for commercial food businesses, but the…[Read more]

Some farmers markets are produce-only, but I’ve seen many CFOs successfully sell baked goods at the markets that allow them. I’ve seen two distinct approaches: the niche approach and the bakery approach. The former focuses on a few select products, and the latter offers an array of baked goods. The former can command higher prices but the latter…[Read more]

Yes, you should be able to sell from your home, assuming you have your landlord’s permission.

I don’t think that spice blends are allowed, but I’m not completely sure, since the law recently changed. If you could sell them, it would only be at farmers markets. You can contact the health dept to check.

You need to use a commercial kitchen to produce salads, and I’m not sure if they’re taxable. You will need to contact the health dept. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial