I live on Long Island and have been cooking and selling food by word of mouth for years. I'm looking to put my name out more and fill more bellies! Unfortunately I'm not sure of the rules and regulations to start an at home food business.
I've considered this very thing, Pumpkin. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of red tape and hoops through which one must jump: health inspection / certification, business licensing, insurance (to name the more onerous). To the best of my understanding, regulations vary a fair bit from one location to the next. Why not call City Hall and ask?
Selling your homemade food items can be aided by an eye catching name for your business. Trying to decide on just the right one to entice customers can be difficult. This is a page about name ideas for a homemade food business.
If your home kitchen passes a Health Department inspection, then you can sell your homemade food products to the public. This is a page about selling homemade food products in stores.
This is a page about starting a home food delivery service. There is a lot to be done if you want to cook for at home and sell it. From calculating profitable prices to meeting food safety standards.
If your home kitchen passes an inspection by the Health Department, you can become eligible to sell your homemade food products to the public. This is a page about selling homemade food on eBay.
Selling homemade food, like condiments or snacks, can be a great start-up business. However, your home kitchen will need to pass health inspection first.
This is a page about selling home baked goods. Turn your love for baking into a small business concern.
This is a page about selling baked goods at flea markets. One way to expand the market for your small baked goods business is to sell your product at the local flea market.
How do I start a homemade food business?
By Nikita
I do love entrepreneurs, Nikita. Life would be boring indeed if innovative souls such as yourself didn't shake up the marketplace with new ideas and products.
You'll likely want to start with just a whole bunch of research at city hall. Do you need a business license? Are you preparing foodstuffs at your home to sell to retailers or are you going to sell the products yourself. Either way, chances are you'll need someone to inspect your facilities and approve your preparation area. Health inspectors will have a number of questions and forms for you.
While not wanting to put a damper on your idea, you'll want to start writing a business plan. Google can help with that if you look into templates and / or guides. Think about such things as the clients you want to attract and how you're going to do that. Do you have a company name? Will you build a website? If you're going to market your product online, you'll want a domain name which - ideally - will be the same as your company name.
Do you have a good line of supply? Have you talked to suppliers about discounting for volume purchases? Have you given any thought to unique and appealing packaging?
Check your local library for how-to books on starting a business. The more information you have, the better.
Last not least, if you live in a city or town with a university or college where marketing classes are taught, get in touch with a professor or two and ask if they might like to get their class involved with a real-life marketing project. You'll get bright minds working with you for no cost.
Wishing you every success,
Rose Anne
What's the best way to choose a brand name for my homemade food and drink products?
Hmmm....think about what makes YOUR products unique and worth buying over someone else.
Words that connote homemade, fresh, organic...
Decide if you want your name to be lighthearted and young or professional and serious, homemade more important or healthy.. Who is your target market? That helps determine the name.
look at your competition for impressions you get from names...
Good Luck!
I have a florist shop and I would like to start selling home made cakes as well, but I don't know the pros and cons of what to do. Can anyone tell me if I need a license to do this or can I just sell them? Thanks.
By Karen from Barnsley
You should check with your city and state to see what the requirements are.
I make awesome cashews. I want to try selling them on eBay, Amazon, or Flipcart. Have you done anything like this? The only thing I know so far is these sites. Please help me.
By Manimaran s from Kanchipuram
Some of these sites will allow sellers to list "homemade" edible foods but they have very strict rules that you have to follow. Etsy is another site to research.
I believe you need to research your own county/state for licenses etc. before going any further as every state seems to be different and you may have to find out which states will not allow foods like this.
You can Google your questions and you will find lots of information - but - be careful as some "answers/remarks" may be several years old. Ask questions in several different ways to receive the most info.
