Don’t Be Afraid Of Failure with Jana LaViolette
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
2021 Cottage Food Bills
2021 is a fresh start in so many ways, but as always, a new year means a new round of cottage food bills!
And what a big round it is! At least one-third of states are actively working on improving their cottage food law this year.
I actually can’t remember a year when there were this many cottage food amendments on the table. It reminds me of nearly a decade ago, when states were busy creating their initial cottage food laws.
In all likelihood, the pandemic, and the resulting surge of interest in cottage foods, is part of the push to improve the laws in many states.
2021 Recap: A Record Year for the Cottage Food Industry
WOW… what a year it has been for our growing cottage food industry!
As I wrote about last year, the pandemic really highlighted the need for people to be able to sell their homemade food.
And in 2021, states responded in a BIG way! This year, more states improved their laws for selling homemade food than in any other year in history.
New Mexico
For many years, New Mexico had the most complex cottage food law of any state. However, in 2021 they passed the Homemade Food Act (HB 177), which greatly improved their law. Now producers can sell most non-perishable foods directly anywhere in the state, and there is no sales limit. Indirect sales (retail stores, restaurants, etc)… [read more]
New Mexico HB 177
The Homemade Food Act, which greatly improved New Mexico’s cottage food law. It allows direct sales within the state of most non-perishable foods, with no sales limit. This law also prevents cities (like Albuquerque) from restricting these businesses.
New Mexico 7.6.2.16 NMAC
This was New Mexico’s initial law for “Homebased Food Processors”. For many years, it was the strictest of all cottage food laws, which resulted in very few people using it. And some areas — most notably Albuquerque — didn’t even allow homebased food processors at all. The steps to to get a permit were very… [read more]