Selling and marketing
Selling Baked Goods From Home in Minnesota: 2 Tiers (2026)
What Minnesota's cottage food law asks of you, and how to pick your tier before you take an order.
On this page
- What Minnesota’s cottage food law allows
- Which tier do you register under?
- Where you can sell
- What to confirm before you take an order
- How to test a batch before bulk supplies
- How to keep records that show a market day paid you
- What it costs to start
- Mistakes that cost you money
- Set up your shop and take orders
What to remember
- You register as a Cottage Food Producer; you do not just start selling.
- The law covers certain non-potentially hazardous foods, not every bake.
- You can sell from home, a farmers market, or a community event.
- Tier 1 and Tier 2 have different training requirements.
The first decision is not your menu, but which tier you register under, because that sets your training and where you can sell. This guide walks through selling baked goods from home in Minnesota without guessing at the forms, and the requirements for selling baked goods from home page gives you the full checklist.
What Minnesota’s cottage food law allows
Minnesota’s Cottage Food Law lets you make and sell certain non-potentially hazardous food from a home or commercial kitchen without a license, according to University of Minnesota Extension. That is the permission that makes a home bakery possible. It is not a free pass for every product.
The state guidance says you can sell approved cottage foods from home, a farmers market, or a community event. The structure can change. The law still has to be met.
Which tier do you register under?
Minnesota’s cottage food registration separates producers into Tier 1 and Tier 2 and includes training requirements, according to SellFood. The tier is not a badge. It changes what you must do before you sell.
Do not pick a tier from a blog comment. Read the current state guidance, then choose. If your product or sales plan changes, check whether your tier still fits.
Where you can sell
You can sell from your home, a farmers market, or a community event. The state guidance says any type of structure is acceptable as long as the law is still met. That gives you room to start small.
A home pickup table can work. So can a market stall. The same rules follow you. Keep your registration and labels in order wherever you set up.
What to confirm before you take an order
Before you accept a deposit, confirm four things in order. Check that your bake fits the cottage food law and choose your tier. Verify the current state fee, then set your labels and pickup details.
Your registration and labels should be ready before the first sale. Keep the state guidance open when you confirm your product and tier. A quick check now saves a canceled order later.
How to test a batch before bulk supplies
A small test batch at one market tells you more than a full pantry. Confirm your product fits the law and your tier before you buy supplies in bulk. Then cost ingredients, packaging, and labor for that batch.
Record what you spent, what you charged, and what you sold. That record shows whether the market day paid you after all three costs. If the batch breaks even, change price, hours, or packaging before you scale.
How to keep records that show a market day paid you
Keep one simple record for each batch you sell. Write down ingredients, packaging, labor hours, and the price you charged. Add the shop cost and the state fee when you review the month.
That record answers the question a market day really asks. Did the sales cover ingredients, labor, and overhead after all three? If not, the next batch needs a change before you buy more supplies.
What it costs to start
The sources here do not list the current Minnesota registration fee, so check the state page before you budget. Do not build a price from a number you saw in a comment. Brevl is one flat $20 a month with no cut of your sales, and the 14 day trial is free.
Your first costs are registration, ingredients, packaging, and a sales tool. The state fee is the one to confirm. The rest you control.
Here is the shape of the math with placeholder numbers, not a market price. A batch sells for $72. Ingredients cost $18. Your labor at $15 an hour for two hours is $30. Overhead is $20 for Brevl plus $4 for packaging, so $24.
Add the three cost lines: $18 plus $30 plus $24 equals $72. Margin is $72 minus $72, which is $0. That batch breaks even after ingredients, labor, and overhead. If you count only ingredients, you would see $54 and call it profit, but that number ignores your hours and the shop cost.
Mistakes that cost you money
The first mistake is treating cottage food as no rules. You still register, and you still follow the law. The second is assuming every bake qualifies. The law covers certain non-potentially hazardous foods, so check your product against the state guidance.
The third mistake is pricing from ingredients alone. Labor and overhead are real costs. Use how to price baked goods from home to build the full number. A shop tool that takes a cut of every order also eats your margin. Brevl charges $20 a month and takes 0% of your sales.
Set up your shop and take orders
Brevl gives you a shop with your photos, your colors, and your own web address. You take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. It works on a phone and on a computer. We set it up with you and move your old shop over.
Your phone will be part of taking orders. Make sure your shop loads fast and your pickup details are clear. If you want to see the margin before you buy supplies, read is selling baked goods from home profitable.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from home in Minnesota?
The Cottage Food Law lets you make and sell certain non-potentially hazardous food from a home kitchen without a license, according to University of Minnesota Extension. You still typically register as a Cottage Food Producer with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture before you sell.
What is the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2?
Minnesota's cottage food registration separates producers into Tier 1 and Tier 2 and includes training requirements, according to SellFood. The exact training and rules depend on your tier. Confirm the current details on the state guidance before you register.
Can I sell at a farmers market?
Yes. The state guidance says approved cottage foods can be sold from home, a farmers market, or a community event. The structure can change as long as you still meet the cottage food law. Keep your registration and labels in order at every spot.
How much does the Minnesota registration cost?
The sources here do not list the current fee. Check the state cottage food guidance for the fee before you budget. Do not rely on a number from a comment or an old post. The fee can change, and your tier may affect what you pay.
What foods can I sell under the cottage food law?
The law covers certain non-potentially hazardous foods made in a home or commercial kitchen, according to the same guide. It does not cover every bake. Check your product against the state guidance before you print labels or take an order.
What should I check before I buy supplies?
Confirm your product fits the cottage food law, choose your tier, and check the current registration fee. Then cost your ingredients, packaging, and labor before you buy supplies in bulk. A small test batch at one market tells you more than a full pantry.
Sources
General information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your product, tier, and current fee with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.