Selling Gluten Free Muffins

[Renaye]

I am a teacher and wanted to obtain some extra money in the summer and was thinking of selling gluten-free muffins in my surrounding area.  What do you think?  I have one great recipe and will need to play around with some basic banana and blueberry recipes.  I was going to only offer 3 kinds.  I am dairy, egg and peanut free so they will not include those ingredients which make it more difficult to find that great muffin.  Do you think this is a good idea?  What am I missing?  Suggestions on pricing? I know Udi's is somewhere around $6 for 4 muffins. 

 

 

[kareng]

Where would you be selling them? You might have to check what health codes would apply. And any labelling laws or requirements of the store selling them?

[Renaye]

I was going to put some flyers out at the local grocery stores with my phone number on it and sell them personally.

[mamaw]

You may need a permit even if you sell out of your home... Each city/town has different laws so check in your community....another thing to consider selling to an unknown party is if they would have a complaint or feel they got ill from your muffin...

Many times support groups will buy from a member they trust & has a totally gluten-free kitchen...

[StephanieL]

Is your home 100% gluten free?  Do you check for x-con with all the ingredients you will use?  

 

You can check out cottage industry laws in your area. You usually need to keep all products you use separate from your own home baking/cooking supplies.  There are other things you need to do to but for many storage is an issue.  Also, I wouldn't be surprised if local grocery stores said no to you hanging a flier to sell food which is the business they are in.

 

Maybe consider summer markets?

[blueshades]

ooo yes markets sound like a good idea!

But as people said i know there are laws and such with selling food for health and safety reasons of course. Business insurance etc.

But i think at the markets it is ok.

 

I wish people like us made food and packaged them and sold them. I am too lazy to cook myself and know everyone has such amazing recipes. I have yet to find a egg free gluten free muffin! I am not sure if i should be off egg but think i might feel better off it so i try to avoid.

I would be a little reluctant to buy from someone's home based on a flyer but i guess that depends on the area you live in and how close the people are.

You can set up a facebook page like a website and show your kitchen and utensils to make it seem a bit more professional and customers will be more assured

A girl i work with, her sister started selling frozen homemade dumplings and started doing really well and they set up a small facebook page with customers leaving feedback

Go for it! Worse case... you have to eat all the muffins yourself

[murphy203]

Farmers Markets are huge in my state -- you could try that route.

[gilligan]

There are usually fees involved at markets.  In my area, a permit to sell at the local Farmer's Market is $400/season which runs from May thru mid Oct.

[ravenwoodglass]

I was going to put some flyers out at the local grocery stores with my phone number on it and sell them personally.

You will still need to make sure you are compliant with all local regs along with health dept regs and don't forget the state and IRS. In addition to contacting offices about regulations you should also consult a tax person to make sure you are keeping the records you will need to keep. You will also need to file with the IRS quarterly to prevent a big bill and penalties as business has different filing regs than just plain folks. 

A separate kitchen is helpful and you may be able to find a local restaurant that will let you use their ovens and space when they are closed. That would help you get around some of the red tape for cooking at home. When I was cooking professionally we use to let a woman come in and use our restaurant and that worked well for her. 

I thought about doing the same thing myself but there was just too much to worry about the least of the worries being someone having a stomach bug and blaming my food.