08/02/2026
WHAT IS A COTTAGE FOOD BUSINESS?
There have been several instances over the past 15 months since I’ve started my cottage food home microbakery about selling my goods in various different situations: markets, pop ups, in other shops and stores, coffee shops, etc., whether inquiring about having my goods for sale in such places, sharing ideas to help me think about ways to grow: “you should think about…”, or just asking to learn more about what exactly I’m doing in general.
So I thought I’d make a little educational post to share a little more about what it means to be a cottage food business. I’ve had to learn A LOT and think it’s important consumers understand a little more too.
👩🏼🍳First, you might be the best [insert your homemade food item here] cook/baker/etc, BUT there are state and county (and sometimes local municipality) laws in place that don’t allow you to just sell your delicious goods whenever, wherever, and however you want - these are in place to keep both the cook/baker and the consumer safe and aware.
🔖B2B is a licensed cottage food bakery through the Winnebago County Health Dept. This required me to jump through some hoops, including passing a food safety manager course/exam through an approved certification program/course and of course paying certain fees to obtain my license.
All of my recipes have to be approved by the health department before I can make and sell them, and they have to be shelf-stable. My sourdough starter being technically a fermented food, has to be tested annually through a food lab to obtain proof that it maintains an appropriate and safe pH level. 🧁🧀Frosting and cheese can also be tricky when it comes to recipe approval and often require additional food lab testing or are just outright denied approval sometimes depending on the recipe. This is why I have avoided any breads with cheese or items such as cinnamon rolls with like a cream cheese frosting (cream cheese frosting or any kind of cheesecakes are a no go for cottage food in IL). The state of IL doesn’t make it simple to have those approved, or flat out doesn’t allow them.
I mentioned in my videos about my recent pop up that I also have to follow rules for selling my goods. I am required to be at the point of sale (or have an approved employee who is also food safety manager certified, there). To make food, say weekly, to leave for sale in someone else's shop/store would require a commercial license, an approved, health dept inspected commercial kitchen for food preparation, and a food resale license. That's just another level I can't do with this currently being a "side hustle" of sorts (aka, not my full-time or only job).
There are also certain labeling and point-of-sale notice requirements. A sample of my labels has to be approved annually by the health dept. The signs you see up in these photos are required to be there. #1 in both photos is my cottage food license issued by the health dept. #2 in the photos is a sign (at minimum required size) with a statement that also can be found at the bottom of my labels: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department."
💁🏼♀️Now as an ELA teacher I'd prefer the sign to say "These products" as it would be more grammatically correct, but I just follow the health dept requirement and, as far as I know, that doesn't allow me to change the wording.
👍🏼Anyway - give this post a like if you followed along with all that; hopefully you feel more informed! Comment any other questions you might have about cottage food businesses!
