Starting a Home-based Food Business

On March 26, twenty-five local entrepreneurs attended at workshop on Direct Marketing and Cottage Foods Development. Eric Barrett, agriculture and natural resources educator in Mahoning County, made the trip down to Coshocton to teach about the importance of branding and pricing when directly selling agricultural products to the consumer. You can learn more from Eric on his blog: Mahoning Valley & Mid-Ohio Valley: Veg & Fruit. And here is some of the useful branding information that Eric shared with participants the night of our program: Developing and growing a brand for your farm



Eric Barrett teaching branding and pricing strategy for direct marketing agricultural products.

I taught the remainder of the workshop on Cottage Foods Development. Cottage Foods are foods that can be made in your home and sold without a required inspection from Ohio Department of Agriculture. There is a specific list of foods that can be made. These foods are non-hazardous, meaning that the risk is low for causing foodborne illness. Some of these foods include baked products (like cookies, cakes, and pies that do not require refrigeration), jams and jellies, granola, popcorn, dry baking mixes. For a complete list please visit: ODA - Cottage Foods.

The food packages must contain specific information on the labels including Statement of Identity, Ingredient List, Statement of Responsibility (business name and contact information), Net Quantity of Contents, and the Cottage Food Declaration - "This product is home produced."

It is possible to bake cream pies or cheesecakes in your home for sale, but you are required to obtain a Home Bakery license through ODA which requires an inspection of your home and a $10 fee. For more information on the Home Bakery license please visit: ODA - Home Bakery.

Stay posted for more information about making foods that don't fit the Cottage Foods category (like salsa or salad dressing) and possible ways to manufacture these products at approved facilities for sale.