Free Complete Guide

How to Legally Sell Food
from Home in Florida

Everything you need to know to start your cottage food business the right way—including how to find your first customers.

Quick Facts About Florida Cottage Food Law

  • ✅ No license or inspection required for cottage foods
  • ✅ Sell up to $250,000 per year from home
  • ✅ Direct sales only (farmers markets, your home, local events)
  • ❌ No online sales or shipping allowed
  • ❌ No restaurants, grocery stores, or food service
1

Check if Your Product is Allowed

Florida's cottage food law allows only non-potentially hazardous foods that don't require refrigeration.

Allowed Foods

  • ✓ Baked goods (cookies, cakes, bread)
  • ✓ Candies and confections
  • ✓ Dry mixes and spices
  • ✓ Jams, jellies, preserves
  • ✓ Granola and popcorn
  • ✓ Dried pasta

NOT Allowed

  • ✗ Anything with cream/custard filling
  • ✗ Fresh or cooked meat
  • ✗ Canned goods (low-acid)
  • ✗ Dairy products
  • ✗ Pet treats
  • ✗ Items requiring refrigeration
2

Label Your Products Correctly

Every product must have a label with specific information. This is required by law.

Required Label Information:

  • Product name and common name (e.g., "Chocolate Chip Cookies")
  • Ingredient list (in descending order by weight)
  • Net quantity (weight or count)
  • Your name and address
  • "Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations."
3

Understand Where You Can Sell

Florida law restricts cottage food sales to direct-to-consumer only.

✓ Allowed Venues

  • • Your home
  • • Farmers markets
  • • Roadside stands
  • • Craft fairs and events
  • • Direct delivery to customers

✗ NOT Allowed

  • • Grocery stores
  • • Restaurants or cafes
  • • Online sales/shipping
  • • Wholesale to retailers
  • • Food service operations

The Hardest Part? Finding Customers.

You can follow all the legal requirements perfectly, but without customers, you don't have a business. Most home bakers spend months struggling on social media with little to show for it.

What if there was a better way to get discovered by local customers actively searching for home-baked goods?

Get Discovered by Local Customers
4

Set Up Your Kitchen

While you don't need a commercial kitchen, you should follow basic food safety practices:

  • Keep it clean: Regular sanitation of surfaces, equipment, and hands
  • Separate production: Don't prepare cottage foods at the same time as family meals
  • Store properly: Keep ingredients and finished products in clean, pest-free areas
  • No pets in production areas: Keep animals out of the kitchen during production
5

Get Your First Customers

This is where most home bakers struggle. Here are proven strategies:

1. Start with your network

Tell friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers. Ask for referrals.

2. Local farmers markets

Apply for a booth at your local market. Bring samples!

3. Social media presence

Post on Facebook, Instagram. Join local community groups.

4. Get listed in a directory (Fastest way!)

When people search "home baked goods near me" or "cottage food Florida," they find bakers in online directories. This is how you get discovered by customers who are already looking to buy.

Join Florida Cottage Foods directory →

Additional Resources

Official Florida Cottage Food Law

Read the complete statute (Florida Statute 500.80)

View statute →

Setting Up Google Business Profile

Get found in local Google searches (FREE guide)

Read guide →

Browse Successful Florida Bakers

See how other cottage food makers are presenting their business

Browse directory →

Ready to Start Your Cottage Food Business?

Get discovered by local customers searching for home-baked goods in Florida.

Create Your Profile

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