Common questions about producing under a shared brand, what cottage food law allows, and what it takes to join the network.
A food company built on a different production model. Instead of manufacturing everything in one large facility and shipping it nationwide, we develop the brands, recipes, packaging, standards, and technology — and independent local makers produce those products in the communities where they're sold.
The short version: national infrastructure, local production.
A conventional national brand solves growing demand by building bigger factories. We solve it by adding more makers. As the network grows, production capacity expands where the demand already is, instead of concentrating in one place and shipping outward.
That means shorter distances to shelf, simpler distribution, and products that reach customers closer to when they were made.
Yes. A maker runs their own business and serves their own community. What the network provides is the part that's hard to do alone — branding and packaging, ingredient sourcing and purchasing power, production standards and quality assurance, order management technology, marketing support, retail introductions, and operational guidance.
No. We're not selling a franchise or a territory. Makers produce products under a shared brand and shared standards while remaining their own business.
Shared recipes, shared specifications, shared sourcing, and shared quality standards. Consistency isn't a property of the building — it's a property of the system. Every maker works to the same specification with the same ingredients, whichever kitchen they're in.
People who care about quality and take pride in every batch. That includes makers already running a cottage food business, people working out of a shared commercial kitchen, and people who haven't started yet but are serious about it.
Experience helps. Care about the craft matters more.
No. Some makers in the network will be established cottage food operators; others will be starting from scratch. If you're in the second group, How to Start a Cottage Food Business walks through what's involved.
Not necessarily. In many states a cottage kitchen operating under a cottage food exemption is sufficient for shelf-stable products. Whether that's true for you depends on your state and on what you'd be producing — see the wholesale guide for how the rules differ.
No. There's no franchise fee, licence fee, training fee, or upfront investment — and nothing you're required to buy from us. No kit, no minimum purchase. We supply the ingredients, packaging, and labels for what you make for the network; you supply your kitchen and your craft.
You stay independent. Makers work as independent contractors, not employees — you run your own business, set your own hours, use your own kitchen and equipment, and handle your own taxes (we report payments on a 1099-NEC). We specify the product and the standard; how you run your kitchen is up to you.
Yes. A background screening is part of qualification, handled through a separate consent form you sign — and you're free to decline. Our name goes on your product and your name goes on the label, so that trust runs both ways.
Applications are opening soon. Register your interest and we'll be in touch as the network opens in your state.
No. Each production order — a "Run Ticket" — is yours to accept or decline, for any reason, with no penalty. There are no minimums and no exclusivity. You make what you say yes to.
Each Run Ticket carries a set production fee, agreed before you start. You're paid within about two weeks of an accepted batch, plus reimbursement for any ingredients you're asked to source yourself. There are no fines or surprise deductions.
Yes. You're free to keep making and selling your own recipes and serving your own customers. The limits are narrow: you can't use our recipes or specifications outside the network, and for twelve months after leaving you agree not to poach the specific accounts you were introduced to through us.
You are. For labelling and regulatory purposes you're the producer of record: you hold the permits, and your business name and any required cottage-law information appear on the label. You're responsible for keeping your licence or registration current and for confirming an order fits what your permit allows.
An exemption that lets you produce certain low-risk foods in a cottage kitchen and sell them, without the licensing and facility requirements that normally apply to food manufacturing. Nearly every state has one, and they differ substantially.
Shelf-stable products that don't require refrigeration for safety — described in regulation as "non-TCS" or "non-PHF." Baked goods without cream or meat fillings, jams and preserves, dry mixes, confections, roasted nuts, dry snacks, herbs and spices.
Anything needing refrigeration, plus meat, dairy, and low-acid canned goods, generally falls outside these programmes.
The requirements that catch people out are usually about the household rather than the food:
Check these before anything else. They're the most common reason a plan stops.
It depends entirely on the state. Several require no inspection at all. Others require a pre-operational visit before you can begin. Maker requirements lists which is which.
Varies by state. Some require nothing. Others require free registration, a paid annual licence, an accredited food-handler course, or in a few cases recipe and label approval.
Not everywhere. Roughly nine states let you use a state-issued ID or registration number instead. Others require the physical address with no substitute. If this matters to you — and for many makers it does — check your state before packaging is designed.
In some states. The default position in American cottage food law is direct-to-consumer only; roughly two dozen jurisdictions also permit "indirect" sales to a retailer or restaurant that resells.
Several that allow it split the channel — permitting grocery but not restaurants, or the reverse. Where wholesale is allowed covers each one.
Generally no. Federal FDA jurisdiction overrides state cottage food exemptions the moment a product crosses a state line, regardless of what state law permits. Assume your production serves your own state.
That depends on the rules where you live and on where the network is opening. States with an open wholesale channel and low cost of entry are the most straightforward — the overview and state tiers page groups all 50 states plus DC by how workable each is.
Product liability insurance is rarely a legal requirement and is strongly advisable regardless. Many farmers markets ask for proof of coverage, and retail buyers generally require it.
Where a cap exists, exceeding it means you're operating outside the exemption. Caps range from roughly $50,000 to $250,000, and several states have none.
Plan the transition before you reach it — moving to a licensed commercial kitchen or co-packer takes longer than the time usually left once the cap is in sight.
No — the opposite. Every new maker is another independent business and another community where production stays local. The model only works if independent makers do.