What you bake
How to start a sourdough bread business from home
A plain order of work for turning a sourdough habit into a home business that pays you.
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What to remember
- Cottage food rules are set by your state, not by one national rule.
- Price each loaf so the bake day pays you, not just covers flour.
- Take orders in one place so you are not chasing texts all week.
- Plan the bake day before you sell, not after the orders come in.
Guides to selling sourdough from home keep coming back to the same four things: your cottage food rules, pricing a loaf so it is actually profitable, taking customer orders, and planning a bake day. This guide walks them in that order. If you are still working out what you are allowed to sell, start with cottage food laws: what you can sell from home.
Know what your state allows before you bake
Cottage food guidance is set at the state level and covers licensing, food safety regulations, labeling requirements, and which homemade foods are permissible to sell. That means the answer to can I sell this loaf changes when you cross a state line, even if the bread does not. Some states go further than others. In Virginia, for example, food establishments, including private homes, that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for sale are subject to the Virginia Food and Drink Law and related regulations.
Read your own state’s rules before you take a single order. Home bakery licenses: what you need before you sell walks through the paperwork side, and for the wider picture you can read federal cottage food laws.
Price a loaf so the bake day pays you
A loaf that sells for roughly the price of its flour is a hobby with extra washing up. Guides to selling sourdough from home put pricing a loaf so it is actually profitable right at the top of the list, next to the rules themselves. Work out what a whole bake really costs you, then set a price that leaves something behind for the hours you spent.
Check your state rules
Confirm which homemade foods your state allows you to sell, what labeling it requires, and what license or permit applies. Do this before anything else.
Cost one loaf properly
Add up everything that goes into a bake, not just the flour. Then divide by the number of loaves so you know your true cost for each one.
Set a price that pays you
A price that only covers ingredients pays you nothing for the hours. Set the price from your real cost and the time the bake takes.
Plan your bake day
Decide how many loaves one day can handle, and keep it to a number you can repeat every week without burning out.
Take orders in one place
Pick one way for customers to order so you are not rebuilding your list from texts and messages every week.
Sort out payment first
Decide how you will accept money before your first order, so a customer can pay you the same day they order.
Set up one place to take orders and get paid
Most home bakers start out taking orders through texts, and it works right up until it does not. One place where customers can see what you have, order it, and pay you saves a weekly pile of messages and a notebook full of half finished orders. Brevl moves your old shop over for you, products, photos, reviews and dates included, and a real person answers, usually within minutes.
Work out what one loaf really costs you
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Plan the bake day you can repeat
A bake day that leaves you flattened is not a business you can keep. Planning the bake day sits alongside the rules and the pricing in every good guide to selling sourdough from home, because the number of loaves you can honestly handle is the real limit on your income. Choose that number, set your order cut off a day ahead, and write the plan down so the next bake is easier than the last.
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell sourdough from home?
It depends on your state. Cottage food guidance is set at the state level and covers licensing, food safety regulations, labeling requirements, and which homemade foods are permissible to sell, so check your own state's rules before you take orders.
Can I sell sourdough out of my own kitchen?
That depends on which homemade foods your state permits and how it treats a home kitchen. Some states are strict about it: in Virginia, food establishments, including private homes, that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for sale are subject to the Virginia Food and Drink Law and related regulations.
How do I price a loaf of sourdough?
Work out what the whole bake actually costs, divide it by the number of loaves, and set a price that leaves something for your time and not just your ingredients. Pricing a loaf so it is actually profitable is one of the first things any guide to selling sourdough from home covers.
Where should I take orders?
One place, so you are not rebuilding a list from texts every week. A shop of your own lets a customer see your bread, order it and pay in the same visit.
How many loaves should I bake in a week?
Only as many as you can repeat every week without it taking over your kitchen and your family. Plan the bake day before you sell, then grow the number slowly.
Sources
General information, not legal or tax advice. Cottage food rules are set by your state, so confirm the details with your own state agency before you sell.