Baking bread for an income...any ideas?

[707allie]

Hello All,

I am new to this, so please bare with me.

These hard time have found me desperate to make what little money I can out of anything. I don't have much, but I do have an ample supply of white flour, whole wheat flour, and corn meal that I need to do something with.

I am looking for advice as to how one would go about starting or conducting a "home business" making breads, what breads may be popular or easy to sell, and information on the practicality of this idea (ie. start-up cost, legalities, distribution (door to door or internet sales)).

Thank you for your time and effort, any information would be useful!

Allie

[duonyte]

I don't know if anyone who regularly participates here has experience in this, but I do know that you would likely need to meet state health requirements. There are some states that have some exceptions for home-made goods that are sold at fund raisers and the like, but for a real business, you would need a business license, a kitchen that passes state inspections, and meet other requirements.

The Fresh Loaf website has posts/threads that touch upon these subjects, this is just one of them, http://www.thefreshloaf.com/keyword/homebased-business . This is about cottage industry exceptions. You might try google for your home state and cottage law or home-based business to see what kind of information comes up.

Type "home based business" into the search bar at that site to find more information.

You could also consult with the local office of the Small Business Administration for advice.

[707allie]

Thanks for the info! It was quite helpful!

[Chocolatl]

You need to consult a lawyer. Most either don't charge for a consultation, or will charge a small amount.

You will not only need to have your kitchen inspected, there are permits you will have to buy, and you may have to have special insurance.

[bakingfool]

Regulations vary from state to state, but most home kitchens don't meet the requirements for commercial food preparation.

For example, in my state, special vent hoods and drains are required, refrigeration units must be constantly monitored so they don't fall below a certain temperature level, dishwashing equipment must be able to reach and maintain a certain temperature to ensure sterilization, etc. There are extensive regulations regarding which chemicals and cleansers can and cannot be used to clean the kitchen, and they tend to be very expensive because they must be strong enough to kill a wide range of germs but still be food safe. That means no vinegar solutions or even things like Lysol cleaners. Food for home use and food for commercial use must be strictly separated, and food for commercial use must be kept in regulation containers and dated. And, perhaps most impractical for people wishing to prepare food for sale out of their own home kitchens, absolutely no pets are allowed in the food prep area - EVER. There is some question as to whether that means no pets in the kitchen or no pets anywhere in the house.

The regulations are enforced by unannounced, unscheduled inspections. If you don't happen to be there during normal business hours when an inspector shows up, you fail the inspection and are not allowed to sell food until you pass the next inspection.

And the list of rules and requirements goes on and on and on . . .

I don't want to discourage you, but you need to be very careful. If your state is strict about health code violations like mine is, the penalties and fines for even first-time violations can be severe and very, very expensive.

[Red Apple Guy]

Here in Georgia and my county, farmers markets allow selling of homemade breads with very few restrictions. Bread sells are common in farmer's markets and similar businesses (health food stores?). Check out local rules.

Red

[duonyte]

Yes some states have enacted cottage laws to allow for home preparation of certain foods for sale. The Small Business Administration will keep track of that for a specific state, they are a great resource.