Jeanetta

For a business this unique, you really need to speak with the health dept directly. Although there’s no substitute for that, I will clarify that the cottage food law in CA only allows dry coffee beans, not prepared coffee as you’re suggesting. The cottage food law also only allows your products to be made in your home kitchen, and nowhere else.…[Read more]

The regular cottage food law, which only allows sales at farmers markets, probably is allowed in Cook County. The law for home kitchen operations, which allows sales from home, probably isn’t. I don’t know for sure, and you will need to call their health dept.

The $5,000 limit only pertains to those operating under the cottage food law (only making at home and selling at events/farmers markets). If you’re not using that law, then you need to get a commercial license and use a commercial kitchen, and you will need to go through the setup process with the health dept before you do any sales.…[Read more]

You will need to use a commercial kitchen to start your business. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Sales tax and yearly income tax are entirely separate. Sales tax greatly depends on where you live and what the requirements are for your city, county, and the state of Florida. Everyone has to pay income tax, regardless of how much it is. If you make enough, you’ll need to pay estimated taxes throughout the year, similar to a self-employed…[Read more]

I’m pretty sure the statement has to be on the primary label. Only certain items, like ingredients, can go on the secondary label based on federal regulations. You should call your health dept and see what they’ll allow you to do.

By definition, a business intends to make a profit. That’s why the IRS will classify you as a hobby if you take a loss for too many years in a row. It is for that reason that I don’t think your gifts or donations could be deducted as a “loss” for your business. If you take the sales you’ve made and deduct the variable expenses for…[Read more]

Yes, that’s doable but usually quite expensive and complicated. It’s likely that the commercial kitchen would have to be separate from your primary kitchen. Unless NJ has very lenient standards, you can expect to pay thousands or tens of thousands of dollars for that remodel. I would personally recommend renting at first and proving your business…[Read more]

Setting aside the sales tax question temporarily, I just want to make sure that you’ve gone through the steps to make sure you’re running your business legally. Are you sure that your county doesn’t require you to get a business license for your chocolate business? More general info: http://forrager.com/faq/#starting

From what I understand, a…[Read more]

All of the prep needs to happen in the commercial kitchen… you can’t use your home for production. Once you go through the process of becoming a commercial food processor, you can sell anywhere (assuming you have the appropriate permits to sell there).

You can do dry spices under the cottage food law and you can’t ship them. If you want to ship, you need to use a commercial kitchen. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Either the tea sellers are producing their tea in a commercial kitchen, or they are operating illegally. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

I know it seems weird, but actually those kind of prohibitions happen all the time across the country. The cottage food law doesn’t omit Charleston… the city does. It’s their choice to allow the law and if they choose not to, there’s not much you can do about it aside from moving. The most knowledgeable person about this is Sheryl, the admin at…[Read more]

Reselling of your products is not allowed in any way. I’m not sure if they can offer your pretzels without reselling them… you should contact the health dept to ask about that.

You wouldn’t be able to make the cupcakes in your home kitchen to sell in this way. Instead, you need to use a commercial kitchen. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

You can’t sell it under the cottage food law… you need to use a commercial kitchen. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

You can’t sell it under the cottage food law… you need to use a commercial kitchen. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

No, NY isn’t really setup for a custom food business, since they only allow sales at events and stores. The law is intended for a home cook who makes items and then brings them to an event and sells them there, or sells them to a store for resale. You should contact your health dept: http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial