Jessi Deily with Colby Jack Rabbit
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
Angela Awunor with Angyono Cakes
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 with The Sugar Shack
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
Episode 100: Where Are They Now?
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
It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint with Robert & Paula Grosz
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
The Freeze Dried Trend with Janna Newcomb Walworth
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
Baking Saved My Life with Christina Marquez
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
Growing A Movement with Lisa Kivirist
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
Find Work That Fulfills You with Jenny Berg
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.
Mixing It Up with Cassie Menchhofer
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.
How To Build A Food Business (And Life) That You Love with Sari Kimbell – Part 2
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.
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.
Top Business Tips For 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.
If You Don’t Like The Law, Change It with Shelley Erickson
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.
Behind The Scenes Of A Cottage Food Bill
Last week, on September 16th, 2021, California’s governor signed AB 1144, a cottage food bill that will improve California’s cottage food law.
It is the last of 17 cottage food initiatives that have passed in 2021 (the most of any year, by far).
This amendment was long overdue, as California had not amended their law since 2013!
But did I ever think I would be the one spearheading CA’s next cottage food law improvement? Definitely not!
The Resilient Baker with Justina Rucinski
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.
New Jersey Finally Passes A Cottage Food Law!
After a 12 year battle, New Jersey finally has a cottage food law! They are the last state to create one, and they will be the last state to get the “pending” status on Forrager’s map.
Although the new cottage food rules passed on July 12th, they will not take effect until the rules get published by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL).
In other words, this law isn’t usable just yet. And once the law gets published (likely by mid-September), it’s not entirely clear how long it will take for the health department to start approving permits.
With over half of the states working on improving their cottage food law, 2021 already has been the biggest year ever for cottage food developments. New Jersey’s law is a big fat cherry on top of all of that!
From Breast Cancer Battle to Busy Baking Biz with Lisa Petrizzi-Geller
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.
2020 Cottage Food Industry Recap
2020 was not just a year full of changes for the nation and world.
It was also a year which changed the cottage food industry… sometimes for the worse, but mostly for the better.
There were a number of important storylines this year, and surprisingly, many of them were not pandemic-related.
In this year-end recap, I’ll give my take on the major events of 2020 that related to the cottage food industry.
Marketing Cake Art with Jennifer Lopez & Emily Blattel – Part 2
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.
Baking A Difference with Kathy Cherie
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.
Wyoming Sets A New Standard For Food Freedom
It’s July 1st, 2020, and for the first time in over 7 years, I’ve added a new rank to Forrager’s map. I named it “freedom”, and Wyoming has the honor of being the first state to reach this status!
As of today, Wyoming’s new amendment (HB 84) to their food freedom law takes effect, and it’s a big one. Because although their 2015 law has always been the best food freedom law in the country, truthfully, it still lagged behind some of the best cottage food laws in some ways.
How to Improve Your Cottage Food Law with Erica Smith
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.
How To Start A Cottage Food Business From Your Home Kitchen
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.
North Dakota Loses Food Freedom
North Dakota’s food freedom law regresses into a good cottage food law, after the state health department created new rules and limits.
Researching Your State’s Cottage Food Law
If you want to learn more about your state’s cottage food law, or better understand how this site was made, this post will give you ideas for how to research and update a law on Forrager.
California’s New Homemade Food Law Comes With A Nasty Surprise
California’s new law (AB 626) has some lofty goals, but some of the bill language will keep it from making much of an impact. Cottage food bills have made some mistakes over and over again, preventing them from achieving their full potential.
Starting A Cottage Food Business – Limitations
If you want to start a home food business, there are a number of potential limitations that you should be aware of. Learn about the different limitations that states may include in their cottage food laws.
Starting A Cottage Food Operation – Sales Limit
Many states limit the amount of homemade food that you can sell. Learn about why sales limits exist, how they’re enforced, and why they shouldn’t stop your food business from taking off.
Starting A Cottage Food Operation – Allowed Foods
In most states, you can only sell certain types of homemade food. Most cottage food laws only allow nonperishable food items, but some states allow almost all types of food, while other states are very restrictive. Learn about what types of homemade food products you can sell under your cottage food law.
Starting A Cottage Food Operation – Labeling
Nearly all states require a label on cottage food products, and there are many things to consider when creating labels for your home food business.
Starting A Cottage Food Operation – Food Safety Training
When starting a home food business, it’s usually a good idea to take some form of food safety training, and it’s often required. Learn about the three most common types of food safety training.
Starting A Cottage Food Operation – Health / Ag Departments
When starting a home food business, you will likely need to deal with the health or ag department. Learn about what you should be aware of when contacting these departments.
Why Cottage Food Laws Matter
I had a simple goal: sell my homemade chocolate fudge at the farmers market this summer. How complicated could it be? Turns out that if the government has anything to say about it, the answer is “very complicated”. My experience is just one simple example of why cottage food laws can make a huge difference in a community.
The New Cottage Food Rules
Wyoming has tested the waters of food freedom for a year. Are people using their food freedom law, and if so, is it negatively impacting the public health? Is this the future of the cottage food movement?
Democracy and Selling Homemade Food Products
Democracy is essential to the freedom to earn a livelihood by selling homemade food products.
Get Out Of Your Kitchen!
Do you wonder if your homemade food item would sell well? Are your sales lower than you would like? Learn about one of the common food startup mistakes that can prevent your business from taking off.
Stop Worrying About Your Sales Limit
People often wonder if the cottage food laws are too limiting. Should they use it to start their homemade food business? Is it worth their time?
Lobbying for or Amending a Cottage Food Law
Live in a state with no cottage food law? Get one passed. If your state law is limited, you’ll need to amend an existing cottage food law. Here’s how.