The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

Jenn Bowersock of Sidney, OH runs an authentic German bakery from her home, and shares how she went from struggling as an entrepreneur to experiencing rapid success by finding product/market fit

Alexis Kron of Bullhead City, AZ shares how she built a successful cottage food bakery selling luxury custom cakes, despite overcoming personal challenges and facing resistance from her community

Tyler Worthey of Neoga, IL shares how he built a very successful cottage food business during high school, and how he and his mom Angie now work together as a mother/son team to take it to new heights

Ka’Terra Dettbarn of Ocean City, MD endured lots of trial and error when starting a cottage bakery with her sister, but by persisting and listening for guidance, they transformed it into a success

Valerie Allensworth of Sitka, AK shares how she built a very successful cottage food business by focusing on consistency, despite living on a remote island in Alaska and facing many unique challenges

Marci Larson of Sioux Falls, SD shares how she turned her longtime dream of selling baked goods into a reality and built a successful cottage food business by selling wholesale and at many events

Jenifer & Tristan Hoke of Tecumseh, OK share how they used sheer persistence to overcome early sales struggles, and found a business model that works so well that they now can’t keep up with demand

Rob Sanz of Rockville, MD shares how he’s added a cottage food bakery to a busy family life and career, and why he has intentionally kept his microbakery small, even though he could easily grow it

Elisa Marie Lords of Placentia, CA shares how she overcame early struggles with her sales and built a thriving cottage food bakery by focusing on community, consistency, and customer service

Tiffany Hill shares how she built on her success as a cottage food baker by creating a thriving online community/course and a packaging business, both of which have experienced unprecedented growth

Tiffany Hill of Apple Valley, CA shares how she switched careers and built a full-time income from her cottage food bakery, after initially struggling to make sales and nearly shutting it down

Mark Elvidge shares how he and his wife started Vermont Nut Free Chocolates from home in 1998 and built it into an international brand with over 1,000 wholesale locations and constant growth each year

Monique Germaine of Nashville, TN shares how she built and rebuilt her cottage food bakery in 3 different states, plus a crazy commercial food business journey that got her products into big retailers

Michelle Dukes of Penfield, NY shares why she shifted her business model after 10 years of running a cottage food bakery, while keeping focus on the most important aspect of her business: having fun

Shupan Abraham of Lawrenceville, GA shares how her cottage food bakery transformed once she hired a coach, and what she’s learned about putting herself out there and marketing her business effectively

David Bock of Altadena, CA runs a multifaceted honey business that specializes in rescuing honey bees, and he shares local marketing tips that helped him build an email list of 3,500+ subscribers

Jessi Deily of Helena, MT sells macarons and custom-decorated meringue cookies with her cottage food business and shares her journey from struggling artist to successful baker and TikTok influencer

Eric & Denise Steilberger of Ocala, FL sell their homemade fudge all year long and share how the lessons they learned from running a cafe in Alaska helped them build a successful cottage food business

Kristyn Suemnick of Murrieta, CA shares how her discovery of sourdough bread led to building a thriving home bakery that allows her to stay at home with her kids and better connect with her community

Megan Shonka of Papillion, NE shares the highs and lows of her home-based bakery journey, the importance of being involved in her community, and her plans to expand into a brick-and-mortar storefront

Angela Awunor of Glenn Dale, MD shares how she moved her thriving custom cake business from a commercial kitchen into her home, and how she maintains work-life balance with two full-time careers

Denae Spiering of Bridgeville, DE shares how she realized her long-time dream of building a brick-and-mortar bakery despite life getting in the way and pausing her cottage food business for many years

Deanna Martinez-Bey of Wake Forest, NC is a multi-faceted food entrepreneur and shares her experience in building a cottage food bakery, writing books, managing social media, and running pop-up events

In this very special 100th episode, previous guests come back on to share an update of what’s changed since they were last on the show, what’s surprised them, and what they’ve learned along the way

Nancy Chang of Oakland, CA sells healthy soups with her home-based micro-restaurant and shares how her mother’s battle with cancer inspired her to provide nourishing food to those facing health issues

Stephanie Wiley of Whitefish, MT shares how the tragic loss of her son inspired her to start a cookie business, which she has quickly grown by seeking help from others and investing in the business

Tamara Ketchian of Orange, CT sells gluten-free vegan granola and shares how she’s gone from stay-at-home mom to starting a cottage food bakery to now scaling her business with a commercial kitchen

Jana LaViolette of Clovis, NM shares her incredible journey from cottage food to food truck to storefront, and how she overcame many obstacles by constantly trying new things and never giving up

Robert & Paula Grosz of Murray, KY share how they built a thriving jam & jelly business that allowed them to quit their jobs by focusing on quality, listening to customers, and scaling their business

Susan Ting of Needham, MA shares how quitting her corporate job and facing burnout led her to start a cottage food bakery where she sells very unique and high-end gluten-free mochi desserts

Janna Newcomb Walworth of Choctaw, OK has rapidly grown her cottage food business selling freeze dried candy, fruits, veggies, etc, and shares why she doesn’t think this trend will end anytime soon

Alisa Woods of Des Moines, IA shares how she promotes her home bakery by networking with others, getting TV spots, building Instagram followers, competing in state fairs, and living in the moment

Lora Friemel of Scranton, AR shares how she sells homemade jams, jellies, and other canned goods as a way to support her lifelong dream of running a sustainable homestead for her family

Leah Livingston of Kenosha, WI shares how two personal tragedies led her to build a successful custom decorated cookie business that allowed her to quit her job and eventually expand into a storefront

Barbara Williford of DeBerry, TX shares how she built a cottage food bakery with her daughter and grew it into a full-time business by networking with others and giving back to her community

Chelsa Smith of Des Moines, IA sells sourdough bread from her wildly successful home microbakery and shares many of the ups and downs of building her business while finding work-life balance

Mike Skyring of South Lyon, MI shares how he started a gourmet cookie bakery totally by accident, and how he quickly grew it into a very successful business by leveraging many marketing techniques

Emily Vanlandingham of New Orleans, LA runs a home bakery that focuses on school celebrations, and shares the triumphs, lessons, and challenges that have come from creating her very unique business

Jen Morris shares so many lessons from her crazy journey building a popular cupcake business in Collingdale, PA, including promoting yourself, scaling up, getting published, and validating products

Christina Marquez of Antioch, IL shares how she built a cottage food bakery amidst many life challenges by following her passion, caring deeply about her customers, and focusing on serving others

Brette Hawks is one of Utah’s top wedding cake artists and shares how she grew two successful businesses as a stay-at-home mom by niching down, pricing correctly, and working smarter, not harder

Lee Thomas runs a legal home BBQ business in San Leandro, CA and shares how he leveraged his political connections to help legalize MEHKOs (micro-enterprise home kitchen operations) in his county

Lisa Kivirist of Browntown, WI shares an update on the past, present, and future of the cottage food and food freedom movements, and how she’s helping support them with many different resources

Amanda Schonberg of Baton Rouge, LA shares tons of business tips for generating more sales, building a following, managing mindset, improving time, growing an email list, and scaling up a bakery

Fawzeya Owda of Norwood, OH shares her unique journey from home bakery to commercial kitchen when her Palestinian-inspired cheesecake allowed her to build her own American Dream to support her family

Carla Jones-Harris of Pennsauken, NJ shares her 30-year journey of starting a successful gluten-free and vegan bakery after facing many painful setbacks that tried to get in her way

Juno Rosales shares the incredible story of how she built an international brand by selling her frozen desserts from home in the Philippines before adding a second location in Los Angeles, CA

Heather & Corrie Miracle of Fairfax, VA share their top advice for cottage food entrepreneurs based on what they’ve learned from creating their very successful paid membership filled with raving fans

Twins Heather & Corrie Miracle of Fairfax, VA share the backstory that led them to create their extremely popular Facebook group about marketing for sugar cookiers and other cottage food entrepreneurs

Jenny Berg of Bend, OR started baking sourdough bread during the pandemic and shares how she turned her new hobby into a home business that has finally given her a sense of fulfillment in her work.

Tiliwannia Ealey of Lithia Springs, GA sells popcorn and other homemade treats, and shares her struggles with finding the time to run her business, as well as achieving consistent sales.

Gary Knight of Gardnerville, NV sells beautiful hand-decorated chocolates that he learned to make while overcoming his alcohol addiction and recovering from a traumatic brain injury.

Annette Conrad of Mequon, WI shares how she massively scaled her home-based custom decorated cookie business by building a team, optimizing systems, and selling to event planners and corporate clients.

Sahar Shomali of Los Angeles, CA shares how she went from being a pastry chef at top-end restaurants to running her own home bakery by rediscovering the bread from her childhood in Iran.

Jewel Burgess of Rancho Cordova, CA shares how she started a cottage food business selling realistic cake sculptures and what she’s learned from participating in four Food Network competitions.

Connie & Rick Martin of Charleston, WV share how they built a successful business by discovering a very unique product, accruing 15 wholesale accounts, and constantly networking and asking for help.

Amanda Luecke of Maple Grove, MN shares how she built a thriving custom decorated cookie business with over 26k Instagram followers by focusing on her customers, community, & family.

Jenni Reher of Mead, CO shares the rise and fall of her vegan donut bakery, how she grew it to 20 wholesale accounts, and why she decided to sell her business when it was doing better than ever.

Amy Wong & Lawrance Combs of Cupertino, CA sell massive cookies and share how they went from launching their business on Instagram to raising over $150k to expand their wildly popular cookie bakery.

Cassie Menchhofer of Celina, OH shares how she took her business to the next level by building an FDA-approved manufacturing facility to sell her dried soup, baking, and spice mixes across the country.

Sarah Thongnopneua lives in San Anselmo, CA and shares how she grew her “bouCAKES” (floral cupcake bouquets) business from her home kitchen into a commercial kitchen & won a Food Network competition.

Diana Blaylock of Twin Falls, ID sells home-baked goods and shares how she went from a crowdfunding failure to raising over $50k to help grow her home bakery into a brick-and-mortar location.

Janna Paterno of Charleston, WV shares why she wasn’t making money in her custom-decorated cookie business, despite having phenomenal decorating skills and more customers than she could ask for.

Sari Kimbell of Fort Collins, CO shares tons of advice about growing a food business, including pricing, choosing products, branding, selling wholesale, scaling up, find a commissary kitchen, and more.

Sari Kimbell of Fort Collins, CO shares the importance of having a strong “why”, what type of mindset you need to be successful, and what you should focus on when starting or growing a food business.

Beatrice Lattimore from Deland, FL shares how her family moved from the city into the country to start a farm and live off the land, and how she used the cottage food law to sell value-added products.

Scot & Christine Steenson share how they used a unique marketing strategy to build a successful home-based coffee roasting company after their Paradise, CA home burnt down in 2018’s Camp Fire.

Jen & Danny from Austin, TX sell sourdough crackers and share how they grew their business to 50+ wholesale accounts by leveraging farmers markets, a unique product, and a strong brand.

Jennie Gibson of Jacksonville, FL shares how she built one of the most successful home-based custom-decorated cake pop businesses in the United States despite facing many challenges along the way.

Jill Baethge from Plano, TX shares how she grew her unique chocolate candy piñata business into a national brand by creating products for Michaels stores across the nation.

Jill Baethge from Plano, TX shares how she grew her unique chocolate candy piñata business into a national brand by creating products for Michaels stores across the nation.

Amie Anderson & Jamie Krake live in Ypsilanti, MI and share how their cafe failure spawned a successful home-based donut delivery business that’s spread joy to their community and uplifted their lives.

David Crabill takes you behind-the-scenes and shares what he learned from producing the first 50 podcast episodes, including the top 8 traits of successful cottage food entrepreneurs.

In this special 50th episode of The Forrager Podcast, hear from 16 Facebook group owners who share some of their best tips about starting and growing a cottage food business.

Tracy Mancuso near Medford, OR shares how she built her successful custom cake business from home while raising young kids by leveraging social media and embracing her local community.

Anthony Rosemond lives in Phelan, CA and shares how he and his wife Yami moved from France to start a French bakery that went from selling macarons at farmers markets to now selling them nationwide.

Whitney Singletary of Berkeley, CA shares many of the obstacles she faced to build a successful nut-flavored cookie business from her driveway and eventually grow into a brick-and-mortar storefront.

Daniela Zographos of Anderson, SC shares how she niched down to only selling custom-decorated cake pops, which made her home bakery even more successful and gave her more time to spend with her kids.

Shelley Erickson of Big Lake, MN shares how she became the leader of the cottage food movement in her state, by improving her state’s cottage food law and starting a cottage food association.

Payshee Felt & Steve Bivans of St. Paul, MN share how they went from selling homemade, prepackaged popcorn at their local farmers market to selling $5k of popcorn in a weekend at large events.

Kourtney Rojas of Anaheim, CA shares her long, organic journey into creating a successful home pie business that helps support her family and gave her the freedom to quit her job.

Cake decorator and sugar artist April Spencer from Harrod, OH shares how she sells custom cakes and lollipops from home and on Etsy while being a nearly full-time stay-at-home mom of 3 young children.

Eric Sorensen from Pullman, WA shares how he runs a profitable small side business in retirement by selling sourdough bread, bagels, pretzels, cookies, and more from his driveway and farmers markets.

Justina Rucinski from Burlington, IA shares how she resurrected her custom cookie business after being sexually assaulted by a supposed client, and how her experience impacted the cottage food industry.

Sari Stevenson of Costa Mesa, CA shares how she started a keto bakery and sold over $50,000 of homemade baked goods within the first year, leading her to move into a commercial kitchen to keep growing.

Anne Reist of Holladay, UT sells eyepopping hand-painted couverture chocolates and shares how she organically grew her business to the point of building a commercial kitchen into her home.

Jim & Crystal Whitmarsh of Kasson, MN share how they grew their small-batch roasted coffee business from home to a commercial storefront by leveraging creative collaborations with other businesses.

Beverly Clutter of Fairmont, WV shares how she organically built her successful side business by showcasing her custom decorated cookies on social media and focusing on serving others in her community.

Nathan & Nicole Parchman of O’Fallon, IL share how they produce and sell over 200 jars of salsa and pickles each week, and have grown from farmers market to wholesale to brick-and-mortar storefront.

Jennifer Jacobs of Pinellas Park, FL shares how to organically grow your cottage food business from part-time hobby to full-time brick-and-mortar without spending a dime on advertising.

Safeera Inayath of Prior Lake, MN sells elegant custom cakes & macarons from her home kitchen, and shares how she grew to 10k Instagram followers by improving her photos and cultivating partnerships.

Liz Marek of Beaverton, OR talks about running a cake decorating business, winning cake competitions, teaching around the world, and creating The Sugar Geek Show, which has over 300,000 followers.

Liz Marek of Beaverton, OR talks about running a cake decorating business, winning cake competitions, teaching around the world, and creating The Sugar Geek Show, which has over 300,000 followers.

Debbie George of Gilbert, AZ shares how she sold over 10,000 homemade custom cookies in her first year of business by going all-in, networking with other businesses, and focusing on B2B sales.

Kathy Sing from Visalia, CA shares how she sold almost $50k of homemade caramel corn, toffee, and other treats in a single year by wholesaling through retail stores.

Jeremy Davis from Charlotte, MI runs a lucrative custom-decorated cake business from home while working a full-time job, taking care of his kids, and occasionally appearing on national television.

Jennifer Knox from Nevada, IA makes unique spice blends in her at-home commercial kitchen and shares how she built a fanbase of loyal customers through fearless branding and quality ingredients.

Lisa Petrizzi-Geller from Berkley, MA shares what she’s learned from selling thousands of homemade & custom-decorated cake pops, chocolate-covered Oreos, and other treats at tons of events.

Barry Sherman and his life partner Scott, from Tampa Bay, FL, run an eco-friendly, socially-conscious, high-end cookie business by using compostable packaging and giving a portion of sales to charity.

Ukrainian-born Yuliya Childers now lives in Prattville, AL and uses only one regular home oven to make and sell hundreds of European-style sourdough loaves and pastries every single week.

Lauren Inazu of St. Louis, MO shares what she’s learned about legally starting her cottage food business as a 13-year-old, in hopes of inspiring other young entrepreneurs to try it out as well.

Nicole Pomije of Minneapolis, MN shares how she infused her marketing skills into a unique cookie concept to grow a home food business into two brick-and-mortar storefronts in just a few years.

Melvin Roberson of Fort Worth, TX runs a popular gourmet donut shop, and he shares the ups and downs of his journey from cottage food business to food truck to brick-and-mortar storefront.

Noel Martinez of Pittsburgh, PA sells Cuban-inspired, diet-specific, homemade baked goods. He shares some of the successes and struggles of growing his new business while working two part-time jobs.

Becca Aronowitz from Richmond Hill, GA shares everything cake pops (making, pricing, sculpting, decorating, etc), her journey from art teacher to business owner, and some crazy stories along the way.

Mallory Dies, from Stafford, VA, shares many creative marketing ideas that she learned from selling homemade gourmet cookie sandwiches, and how she developed a significant following on social media.

Nicole Barry from Portland, OR shares many tips on making and selling custom macarons, as well as her transition from prestigious restaurants to farmers markets to her very popular YouTube channel.

Jennifer Lopez (Paducah, KY) & Emily Blattel (Scott City, MO) are amazing cake artists and discuss many facets of running a custom cake business, including marketing, partnerships, and startup advice.

Jennifer Lopez (Paducah, KY) & Emily Blattel (Scott City, MO) are amazing cake artists and discuss many facets of running a custom cake business, including marketing, photography, pricing, & delivery.

Patricia Bedford lives in Pflugerville, TX and shares how she’s become a top-ranked bakery in her area, raised $17,000 from a Kickstarter campaign, and is expanding her business to a food truck.

Whether it’s putting a smile on an ill child’s face, or contacting state legislators to change the law, Kathy Cherie from Elk Grove Village, IL is always baking a difference in her community.

Joanne Littau from Denver, CO talks about why it’s difficult to make money from selling preserves, what practical tips to follow when canning goods, and why the cottage food community is so special.

Dr. Christine Bertz of Memphis, TN talks about the importance of beekeeping, how to start a beehive in your backyard, and how her fear of bees has transformed into an obsessive fascination of them.

Tina Karnath from Saginaw, MI owns a plethora of cookie cutters and decorates hundreds of custom-designed cookies each week. She talks about pricing, resources, and what she’s learned over the years.

Kevin Martino, owner of Chef Kev’s Specialty Foods in Concord, CA, talks about wholesaling homemade flavored peanuts to breweries, how he’s grown his business, and his plans for the future.

David Kaminer of Denver, CO talks about running a lucrative home bakery, how 15 years of experience in food service influenced his business, and why he only sells one type of product: sourdough bread.

Sonia Chang from Pasadena, CA, who has sold her healthy granola in over two dozen stores and has also operated a popular cupcakery, shares marketing strategies that she’s used to grow her businesses.

Erica Smith from the Institute for Justice sheds light on how the coronavirus pandemic affects cottage food businesses, which laws they’ve worked on recently, and how people can improve their laws.

Lisa Kivirist talks about living off the land, moving away from the corporate life-style, creatively packaging products, diversifying income streams, advocating for laws, and everything in between.

Diana Shockley owns I Love Pie in Carmichael, CA. After selling fruit pies at the farmers market for 1.5 years, she expanded into her own storefront. How did she do it and why was she so successful?

Dawn sells alcohol-infused cupcakes from her home bakery near Atlanta, Georgia, called Delights By Dawn. Dawn talks about scaling, making yourself memorable, and if you should quit your day job.

Lauren Cortesi talks about the realities of running a home bakery for 17 years, how to price products correctly, and the benefits of hiring a business coach. She owns Bella’s Desserts in Pennsylvania.

David Crabill talks about how to start a cottage food business from your home kitchen by using your state’s cottage food law, and how to validate your product idea with paying customers.