Shows
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesTanya & Mike Clowers with South Street Cookies
Tanya & Mike Clowers live in Williamsburg, IA and sell custom-decorated cookies and other baked goods with their cottage food business, South Street Cookies.
Tanya & Mike’s cottage food story has truly humble beginnings. Just a few years ago, Mike became very ill and lost his job, leading them to rely on a local food bank to get by while Tanya worked 4 different part-time jobs.
But as their cottage bakery became more successful, she was able to quit her other jobs and focus on this business full-time.
Tanya has now grown not only a st...
2025-12-0900 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesSoralla Gonzalez with Delicious Healthy Bakes
Soralla Gonzalez lives in Tampa Bay, FL and sells sourdough and other healthy baked goods with her cottage food business, Delicious Healthy Bakes.
Soralla started selling baked goods at the beginning of 2023 and initially thought that she’d focus on keto products, but struggled to find enough demand for them in her area. But one day she brought some sourdough bread to a market, and it sold out immediately.
She’s now switched over to selling mostly sourdough baked goods, but still has had many ups and downs in trying to find the right customers for...
2025-08-1259 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesDavid Bock with Buzzed Honeys
David Bock lives in Altadena, California, and sells honey with his cottage food business, Buzzed Honeys.
David was one of the very first people to sell honey under California’s cottage food law. He’s been running his business for over a decade now and he now does beekeeping full-time.
David has a multifaceted business. He specializes in rescuing honeybees and now manages 60 hives, and he helps others start their own hives as well.
In this episode, you’ll hear how his previous career as a TV show writer inspired his jump into beekeep...
2024-02-1358 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesRising From The Ashes with Scot & Christine Steenson
Scot & Christine Steenson have one of the craziest startup stories that you’ll ever hear.
They used to live in Paradise, CA, and as you may know, their entire town was destroyed back in 2018’s Camp Fire, which was California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire in history.
Scot & Christine now live in Forest Ranch, CA and sell roasted coffee with their cottage food business, Road Roaster Coffee Company.
After losing their home and nearly all of their physical possessions, they had to start over. And that’s exactly what they did!
Christ...
2022-03-1559 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesWhen Demand Exceeds Supply with Jen Holmer El-Azzi & Danny El-Azzi
Jen Holmer El-Azzi & Danny El-Azzi live in Austin, TX and sell sourdough crackers with their business, The Sourdough Project.
Most food entrepreneurs have to pound the pavement to get stores interested in selling their products. But not Jen & Danny!
Almost from day one, they had wholesalers knocking at their door. Their situation is quite unique, as is their product.
Although they started selling from home under Texas’ cottage food law, they quickly started renting a commercial kitchen to take on wholesale accounts.
Now they have 50+ wholesale accounts, plus sales at farmers ma...
2022-03-0159 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFacing Adversity, Embracing Success with Jennie Gibson
Jennie Gibson lives in Jacksonville, FL and sells custom-decorated cake pops with her cottage food business, The Cake Pop Shop.
Jennie already shared some advice on Episode 50, but in this episode, she shares her own incredible cottage food journey.
Simply put, Jennie has one of the most successful home-based cake pop businesses in the entire country!
But her journey started with humble (and unlikely) beginnings, including a bad car accident that left her permanently disabled, and a special needs son that gave her the dose of inspiration that she needed.
However...
2022-02-1500 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesCreating A Smash Hit with Jill Baethge – Part 2
Jill’s cottage food business journey is nothing short of remarkable!
Jill Baethge lives in Plano, TX and sells unique chocolate piñata cakes with her cottage food business, Kaboom Chocolaka.
Ever since starting it in 2018, her business has exploded, and she has now created an entire product line for Michaels stores across the nation!
Yes, you read that right. Now anyone can buy her molds from the store and make her chocolate piñatas themselves!
Jill’s success is what so many entrepreneurs dream of. In fact, she can hardly believ...
2022-02-0840 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesCreating A Smash Hit with Jill Baethge – Part 1
Jill’s cottage food business journey is nothing short of remarkable!
Jill Baethge lives in Plano, TX and sells unique chocolate piñata cakes with her cottage food business, Kaboom Chocolaka.
Ever since starting it in 2018, her business has exploded, and she has now created an entire product line for Michaels stores across the nation!
Yes, you read that right. Now anyone can buy her molds from the store and make her chocolate piñatas themselves!
Jill’s success is what so many entrepreneurs dream of. In fact, she can hardly believ...
2022-02-0152 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesThe Dynamic Donut Duo with Amie Anderson & Jamie Krake
Amie Anderson & Jamie Krake live in Ypsilanti, MI and sell donuts (and other fun creations) with their cottage food business, It’s A Good Day Donuts.
Amie & Jamie planned to run a campground cafe in the summer of 2020, but the pandemic threw a huge wrench into their plans. “It was a disaster”, says Amie.
But during that effort they started making donuts, and people loved them! They sold them from home using Michigan’s cottage food law, and they haven’t looked back since.
Although they’ve sold thousands of donuts with their business so...
2022-01-1853 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesWhat I Learned From 50 Podcast Episodes
In this episode, I take you behind-the-scenes of my podcast and share some of what I’ve learned over the course of producing the first 50 episodes.
The cottage food entrepreneurs on the show have really impressed me, and I share the top 8 traits that they have in common.
I also describe what it takes to actually produce the show, including my process for finding guests.
And towards the end, I reveal my #1 favorite episode from the first 50, and more importantly, why it was my favorite. There’s a good lesson in there!
Fi...
2022-01-0437 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesTop Business Tips For Cottage Food Entrepreneurs
In this special 50th episode of The Forrager Podcast, we hear from the experts!
All of the guests on this episode run Facebook groups that support cottage food entrepreneurs. In total, the owners of these Facebook groups represent over 125,000 members!
On this episode, each guest shares a quick tip that they have for someone starting or growing a cottage food business.
Facebook groups are the glue that holds the cottage food industry together. They are fantastic resources for entrepreneurs to find support and connect with each other.
Those who run these...
2021-12-2157 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesA Little Bit of Joy with Tracy Mancuso
Tracy Mancuso lives in Central Point, OR and sells customized wedding & birthday cakes with her cottage food business, Sugar Rush.
Initially, Tracy’s passion for cake making started as a hobby in 2010, but quickly grew into a business as more and more people requested her creations.
In 2013, Tracy joined forces with another home baker, and that’s when their business really took off.
Initially they used Oregon’s law for domestic kitchens to sell their home baked goods legally. With two young children, one of whom is autistic, working from her home was especi...
2021-12-0749 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Sell French Macarons Online with Anthony Rosemond
Anthony Rosemond, along with his wife Yami, live in Phelan, CA and sell French macarons online with their bakery, Pastreez.
Back in 2017, Anthony and Yami wanted to move from France to California, and they applied for an investor visa to do it. However, they only had three months to prove that they had a successful business on their hands!
As graduates of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris, and they started by selling French pastries at farmers markets in Southern California, and quickly learned that they should focus on macarons.
From there...
2021-11-2359 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesDo Whatever It Takes with Whitney Singletary
Most people would have given up by now. But Whitney Singletary will do whatever it takes to turn her vision into a reality, no matter what stands in her way!
Whitney lives in Berkeley, CA and sells nut-flavored cookies with her cottage food business, Nuttin’ Butter Cookies.
While other bakeries avoid nuts due to allergen concerns, Whitney has done the opposite by focusing on customers who love nuts! Her cookies are very unique and feature 14 different types of nuts.
Whitney started by selling at events in her area, but she really grew her bu...
2021-11-0952 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesMom By Day, Baker By Night with Daniela Zographos
Daniela Zographos lives in Anderson, SC and sells custom-decorated and custom-sculpted cake pops with her cottage food business, Yumsies Cake Pops.
But Daniela hasn’t always made cake pops. In fact, when she started her business in 2013, she had never made a cake pop in her life!
Daniela used to run a typical home bakery, selling custom cakes, custom cookies, etc etc. But now, Daniela ONLY sells cake pops. That’s it.
She simplified her business model to make it easier to be a stay-at-home mom, but niching down to just cake pops had...
2021-10-2649 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesIf You Don’t Like The Law, Change It with Shelley Erickson
It all started with a dream of opening a brick-and-mortar bakery… someday. But that dream turned into something much bigger than a single bakery!
Shelley Erickson lives in Big Lake, MN, and although she does have a very small cottage food business of her own, most of her time is spent supporting the cottage food movement in her state.
Shelley spent 5 long years campaigning to get Minnesota’s first cottage food law passed back in 2015, and then she started an association for cottage food producers in her state, which for many years was the only cott...
2021-10-1248 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesNo Stopping, Keep Popping with Payshee Felt & Steve Bivans
You know those kettle corn vendors you see at fairs that pump out mass quantities of popcorn, and make it live on-site?
That’s what Payshee Felt and Steve Bivans now do (except in a not-so-generic way) in St. Paul, MN with their popcorn business, Payshee’s Popcorn.
But they didn’t start that way. They actually used their cottage food law to prepackage dozens of bags of homemade popcorn for their local farmers market each week.
And they did that from home for two years before they were ready to make the leap t...
2021-09-2859 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFamily, Freedom, & Pie with Kourtney Rojas
In 2011, Kourtney had romantic ideas about starting a pie business and selling at the local farmers market. But life (jobs, family, kids, etc) got in the way and it wasn’t until 2019 that her dream became reality.
Kourtney Rojas lives in Anaheim, CA and sells fruit pies, chess pies, and other pastries with her cottage food business, With Love, From Scratch.
After 8 years of selling pies sporadically to family and friends, she finally decided to turn her pie hobby into a real business. She entered a pie contest, started posting high-quality photos on Instagram, and sh...
2021-09-1458 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesThe Self-Taught Supermom with April Spencer
Running a successful custom cake business is a lot of work. Running a popular Etsy shop is also a lot of work. And taking care of young kids full-time is definitely a lot of work.
Meet April Spencer, who has managed to do all three AT THE SAME TIME!
April is a cake decorator and sugar artist who lives in Harrod, OH and sells impressive custom cakes and lollipops with her cottage food business, Spencer’s Sugar Shop.
In addition to running a very successful custom cake business from home, April also rented a...
2021-08-3158 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesSmall Is Beautiful with Eric Sorensen
Eric Sorensen’s home bakery business may be small, but that doesn’t mean it’s insignificant!
Eric lives in Pullman, WA and sells homemade bread, bagels, and pretzels with his cottage food business, Clumsy Crow Baking.
Unlike most bakers, Eric doesn’t sell throughout the year, or even throughout the summer. Instead, he takes frequent sailing trips for a month at a time, and only boots up the baking business when he’s back home. And when he returns, his customers are ready!
He started selling his bread back in 2017, and grew his custom...
2021-08-1757 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesThe Resilient Baker with Justina RucinskiIn 2019, Justina Rucinski was sexually assaulted in her home in Burlington, IA when a supposed client came to pay for a cookie order. That traumatic event not only forever changed her life, but has also changed cottage food laws around the country. Justina now lives in San Antonio, TX and continues to sell custom decorated cookies and cakes with her cottage food business, SweetEms. After her horrific experience, she came very close to shutting down her business. But with massive support from bakers around the world, she has both resurrected it and become one of...
2021-08-0354 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesThe Resilient Baker with Justina Rucinski
In 2019, Justina Rucinski was sexually assaulted in her home in Burlington, IA when a supposed client came to pay for a cookie order. That traumatic event not only forever changed her life, but has also changed cottage food laws around the country.
Justina now lives in San Antonio, TX and continues to sell custom decorated cookies and cakes with her cottage food business, SweetEms.
After her horrific experience, she came very close to shutting down her business. But with massive support from bakers around the world, she has both resurrected it and become one of...
2021-08-0354 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesLaunching A Keto Bakery From Home with Sari StevensonMost food businesses go to a lot of effort marketing their products to customers, but not Sari! Ever since Sari Stevenson opened The Keto Bakery Box in 2018, the demand for her products has been relentless. In that first year, she often had lines of customers waiting at her home to pick up their orders! She started her business under California’s cottage food law, but she hit the $50,000 sales limit in less than a year, at which point she transitioned from her home kitchen to a commercial kitchen. She now bakes her products in...
2021-07-2048 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesLaunching A Keto Bakery From Home with Sari Stevenson
Most food businesses go to a lot of effort marketing their products to customers, but not Sari!
Ever since Sari Stevenson opened The Keto Bakery Box in 2018, the demand for her products has been relentless. In that first year, she often had lines of customers waiting at her home to pick up their orders!
She started her business under California’s cottage food law, but she hit the $50,000 sales limit in less than a year, at which point she transitioned from her home kitchen to a commercial kitchen.
She now bakes her products in...
2021-07-2048 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesChocolates That Almost Sell Themselves with Anne ReistAnne’s chocolates certainly make an impression! It’s easy to see why her truffles instantly captivate potential customers. Anne Reist lives in Holladay, UT and sells hand-painted chocolates with her confection business, The Chocolate Palette. Anne built her business from her home kitchen using Utah’s cottage food law (not their food freedom law), and recently expanded by building a commercial kitchen into her home. Through mostly word-of-mouth marketing and a very strong brand, she has grown a following of loyal customers fairly quickly! What You’ll Learn What types of...
2021-07-0659 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesChocolates That Almost Sell Themselves with Anne Reist
Anne’s chocolates certainly make an impression! It’s easy to see why her truffles instantly captivate potential customers.
Anne Reist lives in Holladay, UT and sells hand-painted chocolates with her confection business, The Chocolate Palette.
Anne built her business from her home kitchen using Utah’s cottage food law (not their food freedom law), and recently expanded by building a commercial kitchen into her home.
Through mostly word-of-mouth marketing and a very strong brand, she has grown a following of loyal customers fairly quickly!
What You’ll Learn
What types of...
2021-07-0659 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBlending Coffee & Business with Jim & Crystal WhitmarshA few months before Jim & Crystal Whitmarsh were expecting their first child, they started roasting coffee beans at home with a $20 popcorn popper. At that time, little did they know what their new hobby would grow into! Jim & Crystal live in Kasson, MN and sell small-batch roasted specialty coffee with their business, Trail Creek Coffee Roasters. They initially leveraged Minnesota’s cottage food law to start and grow their business from home, and after a couple of years, they moved into a brick-and-mortar storefront to expand their business. Although their loyal customers rave ab...
2021-06-2257 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBlending Coffee & Business with Jim & Crystal Whitmarsh
A few months before Jim & Crystal Whitmarsh were expecting their first child, they started roasting coffee beans at home with a $20 popcorn popper. At that time, little did they know what their new hobby would grow into!
Jim & Crystal live in Kasson, MN and sell small-batch roasted specialty coffee with their business, Trail Creek Coffee Roasters.
They initially leveraged Minnesota’s cottage food law to start and grow their business from home, and after a couple of years, they moved into a brick-and-mortar storefront to expand their business.
Although their loyal customers rave ab...
2021-06-2257 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesPutting Yourself Out There with Beverly ClutterIt all started with a Facebook page. Back in 2018, Beverly Clutter decided to start showcasing her decorated cookies on social media, but she had no idea that it would soon turn into a business! Beverly lives in Fairmont, WV and sells custom decorated sugar cookies, cakes, and other baked goods with her cottage food business, WV Cookie Jar. At the recent national cottage food conference, Beverly earned the top spot on the leaderboard as the most active attendee (out of 900+ attendees), and her submissions into the photo contest were equally impressive. Whether it...
2021-06-0850 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesPutting Yourself Out There with Beverly Clutter
It all started with a Facebook page. Back in 2018, Beverly Clutter decided to start showcasing her decorated cookies on social media, but she had no idea that it would soon turn into a business!
Beverly lives in Fairmont, WV and sells custom decorated sugar cookies, cakes, and other baked goods with her cottage food business, WV Cookie Jar.
At the recent national cottage food conference, Beverly earned the top spot on the leaderboard as the most active attendee (out of 900+ attendees), and her submissions into the photo contest were equally impressive.
Whether it...
2021-06-0850 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesTurning Up The Heat with Nathan & Nicole ParchmanThe Parchmans weren’t trying to start a cottage food business. Back in 2012, little did they know that their small garden of tomatoes and peppers had the seeds for so much potential! Nathan & Nicole Parchman live in O’Fallon, IL and sell salsa, pickles, and sauces with their business, Nitro Family Foods. After strong demand from family, friends, and (sometimes) complete strangers, they started selling “Nitro Salsa” at their local farmers market in 2019. And they haven’t looked back since! Despite working fulltime jobs plus significant side jobs, as well as raising a family, th...
2021-05-2557 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesTurning Up The Heat with Nathan & Nicole Parchman
The Parchmans weren’t trying to start a cottage food business. Back in 2012, little did they know that their small garden of tomatoes and peppers had the seeds for so much potential!
Nathan & Nicole Parchman live in O’Fallon, IL and sell salsa, pickles, and sauces with their business, Nitro Family Foods.
After strong demand from family, friends, and (sometimes) complete strangers, they started selling “Nitro Salsa” at their local farmers market in 2019. And they haven’t looked back since!
Despite working fulltime jobs plus significant side jobs, as well as raising a family, th...
2021-05-2557 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Part-time Hobby to Full-time Bakery with Jennifer JacobsAs a successful TV producer, Jennifer Jacobs never thought she’d run her own business someday. But as coworkers discovered her delicious desserts, her baking hobby started turning into a little business back in 2013. And now that little home business is booming, with customers sometimes lining up down the street to get her baked goods. Jennifer sells custom cakes, cookie sandwiches, and other baked desserts through her brick-and-mortar bakery, the Wandering Whisk Bakeshop, in Pinellas Park, FL. Jennifer didn’t start out with a business or culinary school degree, but she did understand how to mark...
2021-05-1159 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Part-time Hobby to Full-time Bakery with Jennifer Jacobs
As a successful TV producer, Jennifer Jacobs never thought she’d run her own business someday. But as coworkers discovered her delicious desserts, her baking hobby started turning into a little business back in 2013.
And now that little home business is booming, with customers sometimes lining up down the street to get her baked goods. Jennifer sells custom cakes, cookie sandwiches, and other baked desserts through her brick-and-mortar bakery, the Wandering Whisk Bakeshop, in Pinellas Park, FL.
Jennifer didn’t start out with a business or culinary school degree, but she did understand how to mark...
2021-05-1159 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Build An Instagram-worthy Food Business with Safeera InayathWhen Safeera Inayath immigrated to the United States from India back in 2010, she had never baked a cake in her life. Now cakes ARE her life, and she has over 10,000 Instagram followers! Safeera lives in Prior Lake MN, and sells custom cakes, macarons, and other baked goods with her cottage food business, Sugardust & Sprinkles. Aside from creating amazingly elegant and high-end baked goods, Safeera’s food photos really stand out. Her photography looks truly professional, even though she takes all of her photos with a smartphone. By investing in photography skills and focusing on...
2021-04-2753 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Build An Instagram-worthy Food Business with Safeera Inayath
When Safeera Inayath immigrated to the United States from India back in 2010, she had never baked a cake in her life. Now cakes ARE her life, and she has over 10,000 Instagram followers!
Safeera lives in Prior Lake MN, and sells custom cakes, macarons, and other baked goods with her cottage food business, Sugardust & Sprinkles.
Aside from creating amazingly elegant and high-end baked goods, Safeera’s food photos really stand out. Her photography looks truly professional, even though she takes all of her photos with a smartphone.
By investing in photography skills and focusing on...
2021-04-2752 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Sugar Geek to Online Influencer with Liz Marek – Part 2
With over 300,000 followers, Liz Marek has become very well-known in the cake decorating community! She lives in Beaverton, OR and teaches beginner and advanced bakers how to craft amazing custom-decorated cakes through her online business, The Sugar Geek Show.
Liz began her cake decorating business as a side job just 13 years ago. After running that business from her licensed home kitchen for many years, she started winning cake competitions and making more of a name for herself.
Liz has written books, appeared on television and the Food Network many times, and traveled around the world...
2021-04-1353 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Sugar Geek to Online Influencer with Liz Marek – Part 2With over 300,000 followers, Liz Marek has become very well-known in the cake decorating community! She lives in Beaverton, OR and teaches beginner and advanced bakers how to craft amazing custom-decorated cakes through her online business, The Sugar Geek Show. Liz began her cake decorating business as a side job just 13 years ago. After running that business from her licensed home kitchen for many years, she started winning cake competitions and making more of a name for herself. Liz has written books, appeared on television and the Food Network many times, and traveled around the world...
2021-04-1353 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Sugar Geek to Online Influencer with Liz Marek – Part 1
With over 300,000 followers, Liz Marek has become very well-known in the cake decorating community! She lives in Beaverton, OR and teaches beginner and advanced bakers how to craft amazing custom-decorated cakes through her online business, The Sugar Geek Show.
Liz began her cake decorating business as a side job just 13 years ago. After running that business from her licensed home kitchen for many years, she started winning cake competitions and making more of a name for herself.
Liz has written books, appeared on television and the Food Network many times, and traveled around the world...
2021-03-3049 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Sugar Geek to Online Influencer with Liz Marek – Part 1With over 300,000 followers, Liz Marek has become very well-known in the cake decorating community! She lives in Beaverton, OR and teaches beginner and advanced bakers how to craft amazing custom-decorated cakes through her online business, The Sugar Geek Show. Liz began her cake decorating business as a side job just 13 years ago. After running that business from her licensed home kitchen for many years, she started winning cake competitions and making more of a name for herself. Liz has written books, appeared on television and the Food Network many times, and traveled around the world...
2021-03-3049 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesGo Big AND Go Home with Debbie George
We often hear the same entrepreneurial advice: Start simple. Start small. Start a side hustle. Don’t throw all your eggs in one basket.
But when Debbie George started her custom decorated cookie business, she threw caution to the wind and took the opposite approach: go big or go home!
Except that Debbie pulled off the rare feat of going big AND going home! At the beginning of 2020, she started her cottage food business, Cookie Mill, from her home kitchen in Gilbert, AZ.
For starters, she bought seemingly every kitchen gadget or appliance av...
2021-03-1655 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesGo Big AND Go Home with Debbie GeorgeWe often hear the same entrepreneurial advice: Start simple. Start small. Start a side hustle. Don’t throw all your eggs in one basket. But when Debbie George started her custom decorated cookie business, she threw caution to the wind and took the opposite approach: go big or go home! Except that Debbie pulled off the rare feat of going big AND going home! At the beginning of 2020, she started her cottage food business, Cookie Mill, from her home kitchen in Gilbert, AZ. For starters, she bought seemingly every kitchen gadget or appliance av...
2021-03-1655 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesCrushing It With Caramel Corn with Kathy SingKathy Sing started her caramel corn business 7 years ago, thinking it would just be a fun hobby for about a year or so. Well, here we are 7 years later, and Kathy’s Kernels in Visalia, CA is definitely not a hobby. Kathy is busier than ever, and she did almost $50k of sales last year! Kathy’s treats would sell very well at farmers markets and local events, but unlike most cottage food entrepreneurs, she skipped over those and went straight into selling through retail stores. After just one year, she was already sell...
2021-03-0253 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesCrushing It With Caramel Corn with Kathy Sing
Kathy Sing started her caramel corn business 7 years ago, thinking it would just be a fun hobby for about a year or so.
Well, here we are 7 years later, and Kathy’s Kernels in Visalia, CA is definitely not a hobby. Kathy is busier than ever, and she did almost $50k of sales last year!
Kathy’s treats would sell very well at farmers markets and local events, but unlike most cottage food entrepreneurs, she skipped over those and went straight into selling through retail stores.
After just one year, she was already sell...
2021-03-0253 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesDads Can Cake Too with Jeremy DavisJeremy Davis is no ordinary dad! On top of working a full-time job and helping his kids with their homework, activities, etc, he runs his lucrative custom cake business, Designed By Daddy Custom Cakery, from his home in Charlotte, MI. But that’s not all. Last year, Jeremy went from being a longtime fan of Food Network competitions to actually participating in one, and then winning it! Then he appeared on Good Morning America, and now he will be back on the Food Network in a couple weeks (March 1st, 2021) for another baking contest. Unlike mo...
2021-02-1659 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesDads Can Cake Too with Jeremy Davis
Jeremy Davis is no ordinary dad! On top of working a full-time job and helping his kids with their homework, activities, etc, he runs his lucrative custom cake business, Designed By Daddy Custom Cakery, from his home in Charlotte, MI.
But that’s not all. Last year, Jeremy went from being a longtime fan of Food Network competitions to actually participating in one, and then winning it! Then he appeared on Good Morning America, and now he will be back on the Food Network in a couple weeks (March 1st, 2021) for another baking contest.
Unlike mo...
2021-02-1659 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBold Branding & Even Bolder Spice Blends with Jennifer KnoxAs a creative writer and published poet, Jennifer Knox was never in it for the money. But when she made $6,000 in one weekend from selling her salt blends, she knew she was on to something! Jennifer sells unique, preservative-free spice blends with her business, Saltlickers, which she runs from a commercial kitchen in her home in Nevada, IA. Jennifer’s branding is fearless and unforgettable. Each of her salt or sugar blends have a creative product name like Das Bigfoot, Queen of Tarts, or Herky Perky. Although her marketing skills spark people’s inte...
2021-02-0257 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBold Branding & Even Bolder Spice Blends with Jennifer Knox
As a creative writer and published poet, Jennifer Knox was never in it for the money. But when she made $6,000 in one weekend from selling her salt blends, she knew she was on to something!
Jennifer sells unique, preservative-free spice blends with her business, Saltlickers, which she runs from a commercial kitchen in her home in Nevada, IA.
Jennifer’s branding is fearless and unforgettable. Each of her salt or sugar blends have a creative product name like Das Bigfoot, Queen of Tarts, or Herky Perky.
Although her marketing skills spark people’s inte...
2021-02-0257 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Breast Cancer Battle to Busy Baking Biz with Lisa Petrizzi-Geller
In 2013, after many months of breast cancer treatments, Lisa Petrizzi-Geller began experimenting in her home kitchen. She started with cake pops, but quickly expanded to chocolate-covered Oreos and other types of treats. “It was kinda like therapy for me”, Lisa says.
Apparently the therapy worked! Fast forward 8 years later, and now Lisa runs POP Culture, a successful food business in Berkley, MA that is based out of her residential kitchen.
Over the years, Lisa has sold her treats at all kinds of events, from small popups to large corporate events to huge festivals. How huge? One...
2021-01-1952 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Breast Cancer Battle to Busy Baking Biz with Lisa Petrizzi-GellerIn 2013, after many months of breast cancer treatments, Lisa Petrizzi-Geller began experimenting in her home kitchen. She started with cake pops, but quickly expanded to chocolate-covered Oreos and other types of treats. “It was kinda like therapy for me”, Lisa says. Apparently the therapy worked! Fast forward 8 years later, and now Lisa runs POP Culture, a successful food business in Berkley, MA that is based out of her residential kitchen. Over the years, Lisa has sold her treats at all kinds of events, from small popups to large corporate events to huge festivals. How huge? One...
2021-01-1952 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Start An Eco-Friendly & Socially Responsible Cookie Business with Barry Sherman
For Barry Sherman and his life partner, Scott, their cookie business is about a lot more than the cookies!
Since 2018, Barry and Scott have run their eco-friendly and socially-conscious cookie business, Urban Bakers, in Tampa Bay, FL.
Initially they started from home due to Scott being diagnosed with early onset of Parkinson’s Disease, but they quickly expanded to a commercial kitchen.
Their dense quarter-pound cookies are very unique. They come individually-wrapped in compostable bags with compostable labels, and the quality of the ingredients is top-notch. They also come in a variety of fl...
2021-01-0551 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Start An Eco-Friendly & Socially Responsible Cookie Business with Barry ShermanFor Barry Sherman and his life partner, Scott, their cookie business is about a lot more than the cookies! Since 2018, Barry and Scott have run their eco-friendly and socially-conscious cookie business, Urban Bakers, in Tampa Bay, FL. Initially they started from home due to Scott being diagnosed with early onset of Parkinson’s Disease, but they quickly expanded to a commercial kitchen. Their dense quarter-pound cookies are very unique. They come individually-wrapped in compostable bags with compostable labels, and the quality of the ingredients is top-notch. They also come in a variety of fl...
2021-01-0551 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBringing Artisan European Bread To America with Yuliya ChildersWhen Yuliya Childers moved from Ukraine to the United States, she lost one of the most fundamental staples from her homeland: good bread. Yuliya is a classically-trained pianist, but when she started making the sourdough bread from her childhood, she found that others wanted a slice as well. She now lives in Prattville, AL and has fully shifted from a musical career to running her home artisan bread business, Wild Yeast Kitchen. Yuliya’s story is one of passion, dedication, and plain hard work. Every single Friday, she works for 24+ hours straight to pr...
2020-12-2256 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBringing Artisan European Bread To America with Yuliya Childers
When Yuliya Childers moved from Ukraine to the United States, she lost one of the most fundamental staples from her homeland: good bread.
Yuliya is a classically-trained pianist, but when she started making the sourdough bread from her childhood, she found that others wanted a slice as well.
She now lives in Prattville, AL and has fully shifted from a musical career to running her home artisan bread business, Wild Yeast Kitchen.
Yuliya’s story is one of passion, dedication, and plain hard work. Every single Friday, she works for 24+ hours straight to pr...
2020-12-2256 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses13 Years Old and Already In Business with Lauren InazuLauren Inazu isn’t your average 13-year-old girl. When she was 8, she recruited friends to sell and market her lemonade stand, Lauren’s Sweet Treats. In 5th grade, she started a school newspaper. And now, she recently launched a cottage food business. Lauren lives in St. Louis, MO and sells all sorts of baked goods with her new business, Count It All Joy. Between school, homework, piano lessons, sports, youth group, clubs, and Bible study, Lauren is somehow finding time to fulfill baking orders. Sometimes she likes to surprise her classmates with that fact: “I think...
2020-12-0839 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses13 Years Old and Already In Business with Lauren Inazu
Lauren Inazu isn’t your average 13-year-old girl. When she was 8, she recruited friends to sell and market her lemonade stand, Lauren’s Sweet Treats. In 5th grade, she started a school newspaper. And now, she recently launched a cottage food business.
Lauren lives in St. Louis, MO and sells all sorts of baked goods with her new business, Count It All Joy.
Between school, homework, piano lessons, sports, youth group, clubs, and Bible study, Lauren is somehow finding time to fulfill baking orders. Sometimes she likes to surprise her classmates with that fact: “I think...
2020-12-0839 min
Food Business Success® - Start Your Food Business DreamEp #14 Starting in Your Home Kitchen with David CrabillSend us a textMany states have a law called the Cottage Food Act that allows certain products to be made in a home kitchen and sold directly to a consumer. My guest today, David Crabill, is who I turn to as the expert on all things Cottage Food with his website Forrager.com.David shares his own cottage food journey, whether you need insurance or an LLC and his top five tips for success that have come out of his own podcast interviewing founders. We are seeing many more Cottage Food producers...
2020-12-0155 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesTurning A Kitchen Mistake Into A Thriving Business with Nicole PomijeIt all started with the wrong baking pan. Back in 2014, Nicole Pomije couldn’t find a cookie sheet in her home kitchen, so she made her chocolate chip cookies in a mini muffin tin instead. And with that, the idea for The Cookie Cups was born: cookies that look like mini cupcakes. Nicole started her business out of her home kitchen in 2015, and she has now expanded into two brick-and-mortar storefronts near Minneapolis, MN. Although it might seem like Nicole’s unique idea set her up for success, it’s more likely that her many years...
2020-11-2442 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesTurning A Kitchen Mistake Into A Thriving Business with Nicole Pomije
It all started with the wrong baking pan. Back in 2014, Nicole Pomije couldn’t find a cookie sheet in her home kitchen, so she made her chocolate chip cookies in a mini muffin tin instead.
And with that, the idea for The Cookie Cups was born: cookies that look like mini cupcakes. Nicole started her business out of her home kitchen in 2015, and she has now expanded into two brick-and-mortar storefronts near Minneapolis, MN.
Although it might seem like Nicole’s unique idea set her up for success, it’s more likely that her many years...
2020-11-2442 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Failed Kickstarter to Successful Storefront with Melvin RobersonThese days, Dough Boy Donuts is a popular gourmet donut shop that is bustling with customers and employees, but it all started from very humble beginnings. In 2014, Melvin Roberson used Texas’ cottage food law to start his donut business from his home kitchen. A year later, he expanded to a food truck, and eventually, to a brick-and-mortar location in Fort Worth, TX (now relocated to Burleson, TX). Melvin has faced plenty of obstacles along the way, including negative customers, family feuds, and a failed Kickstarter campaign. But through perseverance, sacrifice, and plenty of ha...
2020-11-1051 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Failed Kickstarter to Successful Storefront with Melvin Roberson
These days, Dough Boy Donuts is a popular gourmet donut shop that is bustling with customers and employees, but it all started from very humble beginnings.
In 2014, Melvin Roberson used Texas’ cottage food law to start his donut business from his home kitchen. A year later, he expanded to a food truck, and eventually, to a brick-and-mortar location in Fort Worth, TX (now relocated to Burleson, TX).
Melvin has faced plenty of obstacles along the way, including negative customers, family feuds, and a failed Kickstarter campaign.
But through perseverance, sacrifice, and plenty of ha...
2020-11-1051 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Start A Vegan & Gluten-Free Bakery From Scratch with Noel MartinezCuban-inspired, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, organic, low-carb, allergy-friendly, diet-specific, healthy… Noel’s baked goods are certainly unique! Noel Martinez runs his highly specialized bakery, Mami’s Bakes, from his home kitchen in Pittsburg, PA. Noel started baking gluten-free for himself when he was diagnosed with celiac disease 20 years ago. Then he started baking sugar-free and low-carb for his “Mami” (mom), who had diabetes. After Mami passed away in 2019, Noel finally decided to start selling the baked goods that his family and friends had raved about for years. He started selling to coworkers, and soon e...
2020-10-2752 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Start A Vegan & Gluten-Free Bakery From Scratch with Noel Martinez
Cuban-inspired, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, organic, low-carb, allergy-friendly, diet-specific, healthy… Noel’s baked goods are certainly unique!
Noel Martinez runs his highly specialized bakery, Mami’s Bakes, from his home kitchen in Pittsburg, PA.
Noel started baking gluten-free for himself when he was diagnosed with celiac disease 20 years ago. Then he started baking sugar-free and low-carb for his “Mami” (mom), who had diabetes.
After Mami passed away in 2019, Noel finally decided to start selling the baked goods that his family and friends had raved about for years.
He started selling to coworkers, and soon e...
2020-10-2752 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Art Teacher to Cake Pop Artist with Becca AronowitzBecca Aronowitz from Richmond Hill, GA makes some of the best cake pops you have ever seen. After Becca quit her job as an art teacher in 2012, she started Sweet Whimsy Shop to sell her cake pops and help support her family. 8 years and 40,000+ cake pops later, Becca has become a true master at the cake pop art form. But unlike many entrepreneurs that start with big dreams for the future, Becca never envisioned becoming well-known for her cake pops. As she puts it: “I had not thought about that at al...
2020-10-1355 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Art Teacher to Cake Pop Artist with Becca Aronowitz
Becca Aronowitz from Richmond Hill, GA makes some of the best cake pops you have ever seen.
After Becca quit her job as an art teacher in 2012, she started Sweet Whimsy Shop to sell her cake pops and help support her family.
8 years and 40,000+ cake pops later, Becca has become a true master at the cake pop art form.
But unlike many entrepreneurs that start with big dreams for the future, Becca never envisioned becoming well-known for her cake pops.
As she puts it: “I had not thought about that at al...
2020-10-1355 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesCreative Ways to Market Cookies with Mallory DiesFor Mallory, it all started with a chocolate chip cookie. But that was just the beginning! Mallory Dies, owner of The Crassy Cookie in Stafford, VA, tried selling many variations and flavors of her drop cookies, and ultimately found the most success with her innovative gourmet cookie sandwiches. These cookie sandwiches are certainly unique. They range from “safe” flavors like rainbow chip, strawberry shortcake, or choco fudge brownie, all the way to more “oddball” flavors like blueberry lemon-lavandula, fruity pebbles, and matcha munchie. Mallory shares how she slowly built a customer base (twice) and had...
2020-09-2949 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesCreative Ways to Market Cookies with Mallory Dies
For Mallory, it all started with a chocolate chip cookie. But that was just the beginning!
Mallory Dies, owner of The Crassy Cookie in Stafford, VA, tried selling many variations and flavors of her drop cookies, and ultimately found the most success with her innovative gourmet cookie sandwiches.
These cookie sandwiches are certainly unique. They range from “safe” flavors like rainbow chip, strawberry shortcake, or choco fudge brownie, all the way to more “oddball” flavors like blueberry lemon-lavandula, fruity pebbles, and matcha munchie.
Mallory shares how she slowly built a customer base (twice) and had...
2020-09-2949 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesSelling Custom Macarons From Home with Nicole BarryNicole Barry is a classically-trained French pastry chef and an expert macaron maker. But after working long hours in 5-star hotels and restaurants, Nicole and her husband started a family, and she wanted to stay at home with the kids. In 2016, Nicole started Bake Toujours, a cottage food business in Pasadena, CA which allowed her to take her skills to the farmers market. She built a customer base and generated a decent side income, even though she could only work 3 hours per day while her kids were in school. Nicole’s macarons really stand out. He...
2020-09-1555 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesSelling Custom Macarons From Home with Nicole Barry
Nicole Barry is a classically-trained French pastry chef and an expert macaron maker. But after working long hours in 5-star hotels and restaurants, Nicole and her husband started a family, and she wanted to stay at home with the kids.
In 2016, Nicole started Bake Toujours, a cottage food business in Pasadena, CA which allowed her to take her skills to the farmers market. She built a customer base and generated a decent side income, even though she could only work 3 hours per day while her kids were in school.
Nicole’s macarons really stand out. He...
2020-09-1555 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesMarketing Cake Art with Jennifer Lopez & Emily Blattel – Part 2Over the past decade, Jennifer Lopez and Emily Blattel have sold dozens of custom cakes that run the gamut from elegant buttercream cakes to realistic cake sculptures. The results are always exceptional, and sometimes they are nearly unbelievable! This dynamic duo runs The Cake Mom & Co. from their homes in Paducah, KY and Scott City, MO. Because they are both amazing cake decorators, I thought this interview would be focused solely on cake artistry. But they ended up touching on so many facets of running a cake business that I had to split...
2020-09-0148 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesMarketing Cake Art with Jennifer Lopez & Emily Blattel – Part 2
Over the past decade, Jennifer Lopez and Emily Blattel have sold dozens of custom cakes that run the gamut from elegant buttercream cakes to realistic cake sculptures. The results are always exceptional, and sometimes they are nearly unbelievable!
This dynamic duo runs The Cake Mom & Co. from their homes in Paducah, KY and Scott City, MO.
Because they are both amazing cake decorators, I thought this interview would be focused solely on cake artistry.
But they ended up touching on so many facets of running a cake business that I had to split...
2020-09-0148 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesMarketing Cake Art with Jennifer Lopez & Emily Blattel – Part 1Over the past decade, Jennifer Lopez and Emily Blattel have sold dozens of custom cakes that run the gamut from elegant buttercream cakes to realistic cake sculptures. The results are always exceptional, and sometimes they are nearly unbelievable! This dynamic duo runs The Cake Mom & Co. from their homes in Paducah, KY and Scott City, MO. Because they are both amazing cake decorators, I thought this interview would be focused solely on cake artistry. But they ended up touching on so many facets of running a cake business that I had to split...
2020-08-1847 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesMarketing Cake Art with Jennifer Lopez & Emily Blattel – Part 1
Over the past decade, Jennifer Lopez and Emily Blattel have sold dozens of custom cakes that run the gamut from elegant buttercream cakes to realistic cake sculptures. The results are always exceptional, and sometimes they are nearly unbelievable!
This dynamic duo runs The Cake Mom & Co. from their homes in Paducah, KY and Scott City, MO.
Because they are both amazing cake decorators, I thought this interview would be focused solely on cake artistry.
But they ended up touching on so many facets of running a cake business that I had to split...
2020-08-1847 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesEngineering A Successful Home Cakery & Food Truck with Patricia Bedford
Patricia Bedford lives in Pflugerville, TX and mainly sells cupcakes and cakes with her cottage food business, Suga’s Cakery.
Patricia actually has an engineering degree and worked as an engineer for 10 years before she completely changed course and started her home bakery.
She has gained quite the following over the past 5 years, and she is now in the process of building a food truck to expand her business to meet customer demand.
Patricia shares her online marketing strategies for becoming a top ranked bakery in her area, how she created a Kickstarter ca...
2020-08-0444 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesEngineering A Successful Home Cakery & Food Truck with Patricia BedfordPatricia Bedford lives in Pflugerville, TX and mainly sells cupcakes and cakes with her cottage food business, Suga’s Cakery. Patricia actually has an engineering degree and worked as an engineer for 10 years before she completely changed course and started her home bakery. She has gained quite the following over the past 5 years, and she is now in the process of building a food truck to expand her business to meet customer demand. Patricia shares her online marketing strategies for becoming a top ranked bakery in her area, how she created a Kickstarter ca...
2020-08-0444 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBaking A Difference with Kathy Cherie
Whether it’s putting a smile on an ill child’s face, delivering a stunning floral wedding cake, or contacting state legislators to change the law, Kathy Cherie is always baking a difference in her community.
Kathy lives in Elk Grove Village, IL and has operated her cottage food business, Cake Du Jour, for nearly 40 years. Her business is somewhat under-the-table, except that her health department has known about it for decades.
Kathy would love to help the next generation of bakers in Illinois do what she could not: run a home bakery legally. Her coun...
2020-07-2144 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBaking A Difference with Kathy CherieWhether it’s putting a smile on an ill child’s face, delivering a stunning floral wedding cake, or contacting state legislators to change the law, Kathy Cherie is always baking a difference in her community. Kathy lives in Elk Grove Village, IL and has operated her cottage food business, Cake Du Jour, for nearly 40 years. Her business is somewhat under-the-table, except that her health department has known about it for decades. Kathy would love to help the next generation of bakers in Illinois do what she could not: run a home bakery legally. Her coun...
2020-07-2144 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBeing Productive in Retirement with Joanne LittauMost people run a business to make a profit, but Joanne is not too worried about that aspect of it. Rather, she cares much more about supporting her community and having fun in retirement! Joanne Littau lives in Denver, CO and has been selling jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters since 2014 with her cottage food business, The Jelly Jar. Some of her creations have won prizes at county fairs in Colorado. I have known Joanne for many years and visited her market a few years ago. I even had an unopened jar of her marmalade...
2020-07-0748 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesBeing Productive in Retirement with Joanne Littau
Most people run a business to make a profit, but Joanne is not too worried about that aspect of it. Rather, she cares much more about supporting her community and having fun in retirement!
Joanne Littau lives in Denver, CO and has been selling jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters since 2014 with her cottage food business, The Jelly Jar. Some of her creations have won prizes at county fairs in Colorado.
I have known Joanne for many years and visited her market a few years ago. I even had an unopened jar of her marmalade...
2020-07-0748 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesSelling Honey & Supporting A Cause with Dr. Christine Bertz
When Dr. Christine Bertz started beekeeping, she didn’t care if she made any money from it. In fact, her main motivation was to support pollinator conservation efforts. But now, only three years in, her honey business is blossoming and she is having trouble keeping up with customer demand!
Christine lives in Memphis, TN and sells honey and jams with her cottage food business, B & Bees Provisions. In addition to selling, she gives her products away to benefit charities through her participation in triathlons and marathons.
Christine talks about the importance of beekeeping, how to st...
2020-06-2348 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesSelling Honey & Supporting A Cause with Dr. Christine BertzWhen Dr. Christine Bertz started beekeeping, she didn’t care if she made any money from it. In fact, her main motivation was to support pollinator conservation efforts. But now, only three years in, her honey business is blossoming and she is having trouble keeping up with customer demand! Christine lives in Memphis, TN and sells honey and jams with her cottage food business, B & Bees Provisions. In addition to selling, she gives her products away to benefit charities through her participation in triathlons and marathons. Christine talks about the importance of beekeeping, how to st...
2020-06-2348 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesThe Cookie Cutter Queen with Tina KarnathWhen it comes to creating custom decorated cookies, Tina is very prepared. She owns a plethora of cookie cutters (including over 500 just for Christmas), and amazingly, she is always looking to buy more! Tina lives in Saginaw, MI and has run her popular cookie business, the Chunky Chicken Cookie Company, for the past three years. Whether she is designing cookies or naming chickens, her creativity shines through. Tina talks about how she manages to decorate hundreds of cookies each week, as well as pricing, resources, and what she’s learned over the years. She also sh...
2020-06-0947 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesThe Cookie Cutter Queen with Tina Karnath
When it comes to creating custom decorated cookies, Tina is very prepared. She owns a plethora of cookie cutters (including over 500 just for Christmas), and amazingly, she is always looking to buy more!
Tina lives in Saginaw, MI and has run her popular cookie business, the Chunky Chicken Cookie Company, for the past three years. Whether she is designing cookies or naming chickens, her creativity shines through.
Tina talks about how she manages to decorate hundreds of cookies each week, as well as pricing, resources, and what she’s learned over the years. She also sh...
2020-06-0947 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesSelling Spicy Peanuts in Breweries with Kevin Martino
Kevin Martino started his cottage food business, Chef Kev’s Specialty Foods, when California created its cottage food law in 2013. He wholesales flavored peanuts to a number of breweries and hardware stores in Concord, CA, and also sells online.
Kevin was actually one of the first cottage food business owners that I ever met, and it’s cool to see how far he has come with his business over the years.
Kevin talks about what he’s learned through producing and wholesaling spicy peanuts, how he’s grown his business so far, and what he’s planning...
2020-05-2628 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesSelling Spicy Peanuts in Breweries with Kevin MartinoKevin Martino started his cottage food business, Chef Kev’s Specialty Foods, when California created its cottage food law in 2013. He wholesales flavored peanuts to a number of breweries and hardware stores in Concord, CA, and also sells online. Kevin was actually one of the first cottage food business owners that I ever met, and it’s cool to see how far he has come with his business over the years. Kevin talks about what he’s learned through producing and wholesaling spicy peanuts, how he’s grown his business so far, and what he’s planning...
2020-05-2628 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Bread Factory to Artisan Home Bakery with David Kaminer
For David Kaminer, sourdough bread is a way of life. After graduating from culinary school and spending 15 years working in commercial bakeries and restaurants, he built a pizza oven into his kitchen and opened Raleigh Street Bakery in Denver, CO in 2015.
He now has dozens of customers who show up each week to pick up their near-perfect sourdough baguettes, boules, and batards from his in-home bakery.
After working in a factory that produced 40,000 loaves of bread per day, David appreciates the slower pace of his cottage food business, plus the opportunities it brings to connect...
2020-05-1248 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Bread Factory to Artisan Home Bakery with David KaminerFor David Kaminer, sourdough bread is a way of life. After graduating from culinary school and spending 15 years working in commercial bakeries and restaurants, he built a pizza oven into his kitchen and opened Raleigh Street Bakery in Denver, CO in 2015. He now has dozens of customers who show up each week to pick up their near-perfect sourdough baguettes, boules, and batards from his in-home bakery. After working in a factory that produced 40,000 loaves of bread per day, David appreciates the slower pace of his cottage food business, plus the opportunities it brings to connect...
2020-05-1248 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesWholesale Strategies That Work with Sonia Chang
Sonia Chang never planned to start a food business, but now she has two of them!
Sonia lives in Pasadena, CA and runs a granola cottage food business called Cali Granola (formerly named Chef Sonia’s Granola By The Handful). After successfully selling her granola for a couple years, she purchased and operated My Sweet Cupcake, a popular cupcakery.
She has sold her granola in over two dozen stores and has used a variety of marketing strategies to build her businesses, such as her “leap frog” and “flavor profile” techniques.
Her journey is filled wit...
2020-04-2847 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesWholesale Strategies That Work with Sonia ChangSonia Chang never planned to start a food business, but now she has two of them! Sonia lives in Pasadena, CA and runs a granola cottage food business called Cali Granola (formerly named Chef Sonia’s Granola By The Handful). After successfully selling her granola for a couple years, she purchased and operated My Sweet Cupcake, a popular cupcakery. She has sold her granola in over two dozen stores and has used a variety of marketing strategies to build her businesses, such as her “leap frog” and “flavor profile” techniques. Her journey is filled wit...
2020-04-2847 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow to Improve Your Cottage Food Law with Erica Smith
Erica Smith, who works for the Institute for Justice, is a major advocate for the cottage food industry. She and her team have worked with dozens of cottage food businesses to spearhead many of the recent cottage food and food freedom law improvements across the country.
I wanted Erica to shed some light on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting cottage food businesses and what steps people can potentially take to improve their situation.
Many states’ restrictions are preventing cottage food producers from adapting their businesses in a safe way right now, and Erica came to...
2020-04-1437 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow to Improve Your Cottage Food Law with Erica SmithErica Smith, who works for the Institute for Justice, is a major advocate for the cottage food industry. She and her team have worked with dozens of cottage food businesses to spearhead many of the recent cottage food and food freedom law improvements across the country. I wanted Erica to shed some light on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting cottage food businesses and what steps people can potentially take to improve their situation. Many states’ restrictions are preventing cottage food producers from adapting their businesses in a safe way right now, and Erica came to...
2020-04-1437 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Live On What You Make with Lisa KiviristFarmer, baker, author, law advocate, speaker, mother, podcaster, entrepreneur… Lisa Kivirist wears many hats! She and her husband, John Ivanko, run a B&B ecofarm in Wisconsin, and co-authored the most popular book for the cottage food industry: Homemade for Sale. Lisa is a national speaker, runs a podcast, and was one of three plaintiffs in the lawsuit that gave Wisconsin bakers their freedom to sell. Most recently, she spearheaded a new project to help farmers make the most of their produce by selling it as cottage foods. Lisa talks about living off th...
2020-03-3150 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesHow To Live On What You Make with Lisa Kivirist
Farmer, baker, author, law advocate, speaker, mother, podcaster, entrepreneur… Lisa Kivirist wears many hats!
She and her husband, John Ivanko, run a B&B ecofarm in Wisconsin, and co-authored the most popular book for the cottage food industry: Homemade for Sale.
Lisa is a national speaker, runs a podcast, and was one of three plaintiffs in the lawsuit that gave Wisconsin bakers their freedom to sell. Most recently, she spearheaded a new project to help farmers make the most of their produce by selling it as cottage foods.
Lisa talks about living off th...
2020-03-3150 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Home Kitchen to Pie Shop in Under 2 Years with Diana ShockleyHave you ever dreamed of opening a brick and mortar bakery someday? So did Diana, the owner of I Love Pie in Carmichael, CA. But she never thought her dream would come true so soon! After selling at the farmers market for a year and a half, her pie business grew so much that she expanded into her own commercial kitchen and storefront. And now, just 6 months later, she is planning to open a second location! On paper, it looked like a recipe for failure: selling a common food item (regular fruit pies...
2020-03-1752 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Home Kitchen to Pie Shop in Under 2 Years with Diana Shockley
Have you ever dreamed of opening a brick and mortar bakery someday?
So did Diana, the owner of I Love Pie in Carmichael, CA. But she never thought her dream would come true so soon!
After selling at the farmers market for a year and a half, her pie business grew so much that she expanded into her own commercial kitchen and storefront. And now, just 6 months later, she is planning to open a second location!
On paper, it looked like a recipe for failure: selling a common food item (regular fruit pies...
2020-03-1752 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Lawyer To Boozy Baker with Dawn BelisleDawn runs a home bakery near Atlanta, Georgia called Delights By Dawn, where she specializes in alcohol-infused desserts. In 2014, Dawn left her lucrative career as a trial attorney to pursue baking full-time, and quickly became known for her cupcakes with an extra kick. Dawn talks about the importance of research, what it takes to scale, how to make yourself memorable, and whether you should quit your day job. What You’ll Learn The importance of specialization How to research when starting a business What it’s like to sell in a professional foot...
2020-03-1045 min
The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food BusinessesFrom Lawyer To Boozy Baker with Dawn Belisle
Dawn runs a home bakery near Atlanta, Georgia called Delights By Dawn, where she specializes in alcohol-infused desserts.
In 2014, Dawn left her lucrative career as a trial attorney to pursue baking full-time, and quickly became known for her cupcakes with an extra kick.
Dawn talks about the importance of research, what it takes to scale, how to make yourself memorable, and whether you should quit your day job.
What You’ll Learn
The importance of specializationHow to research when starting a businessWhat it’s like to sell in a professional football stadiumWhether you...
2020-03-1045 min