Alicia

As a CFO, you are allowed one employee. It is possible to consider a delivery driver to be your one employee.

The intent of the direct sales limitation is to provide accountability by having the producer and consumer meet in-person. Online sales and shipping bypasses that personal interaction, and I think that’s why it isn’t allowed. However,…[Read more]

No, it does not fall under the cottage food law. You need to use a commercial kitchen to produce it. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Sorry, I’m only familiar with the cottage food laws, which pertain to items which are intended for consumption. Have you tried contacting the market organizer?

Cut or processed fruits aren’t on the list, but unprocessed fruits are okay to sell. I don’t think there’s any way to operate a home business that sells chocolate-covered fresh fruit. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Try calling the ag dept in your county.

1. You will likely need your DBA first, and the food handler training can come after applying, though it’s easy to do beforehand.

2. You must get approval from the property owner as the very first step. If they do not allow you to use your home for this business, you can’t use the cottage food law unless you move.

3) You need to pay yearly…[Read more]

It depends on what your county allows. Some counties will allow a variety of sweet fruit syrups, while others will only allow what is on the approved list.

Unless there is some special permit for repackaging commercially-produced foods, I think you would at least need to become a limited food establishment — I think those foods would be allowed, but I’m not completely sure. It’s best to contact the ag dept directly and ask them about your specific situation.

Certain non-perishable foods, like some cakes and baked goods, can be produced and sold from your home. You don’t need a license from the ag dept, but there may be other requirements: http://forrager.com/faq/#starting

To sell hot meals or frozen packaged foods, you need to use a commercial kitchen, and you should contact the health dept.…[Read more]

Anything with meat, including seafood, is not allowed under the Florida cottage food law. You need to use a commercial kitchen, and you should contact your health dept. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

You need a commercial kitchen to do this, and it wouldn’t fall under the cottage food law. It’s only possible to do at home if you build a commercial kitchen on your property. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

No — you will need to use a commercial kitchen to start your business. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

First of all, keep in mind that Kentucky currently only allows farmers to sell items they make at home. If you are a farmer, I’m not sure if apple cider vinegar would be allowed, but you should call your ag dept to check.

If you’re not a farmer, you will need to use a commercial kitchen to produce your vinegar. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial

Over the past few years, I’ve seen many entrepreneurs try to establish an online marketplace for local foods — virtually all of them with limited or no success, myself included. So just by that fact alone, it’s clear that there are some serious barriers to entry in this space. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what those barriers are.

I…[Read more]

If you add the butter and then thoroughly bake the croutons, that would definitely be allowed. If you are adding the butter after baking, it would still likely be allowed, but you should check with the ag dept.

CO has said that anything that’s not in the list is not allowed. Therefore, I assume that you would need to use a commercial kitchen to produce popcorn. http://forrager.com/faq/#commercial