how do i sell homemade food and goods to the public and start to get known for it.?

Answer 1

Associations may be a good avenue to explore as well. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty by Stephen Hall
* New Product Launch: 10 Proven Strategies by Joan Schneider, Jeanne Yocum
* Winning at New Products: Accelerating the Process from Idea to Launch by Robert G. Cooper
* Launch It!: How to Turn Good Ideas Into Great Products That Sell by Molly Miller-Davidson

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 2

As previously said, do your research. First off, make sure you have the proper licenses and permits in place. Some counties allow for home-based businesses and "cottage industry", and others don't. Where I live, a new law has passed to now allow for home food creation. At the very least, be sure that you have a food handler's permit and business license.

Becoming known for your product is a matter of how you handle your business. Make sure that you deliver on-time and handle your customers in a professional manner. Also, when you are just starting, NEVER turn down business no matter how small the order or how long you'll be up through the night to get your product to them. No matter what you do, unless you have a big budget for marketing, the going will be slow. But once people recognize your product and appreciate how wonderful it is, more will follow. I started selling my products SUPER cheap on eBay to get my name out there and get people interested. Now I sell them for a bit more and these same people keep coming back.

I emailed local bakers that didn't seem to have a street address to see how they went about doing their business. Just be patient and talk to others who are in your same position.

Answer 3

Both of the above answerers have terrific information and resources. The thing I would add is to start going to your local specialty food stores and seeing if you can put some food on their shelves as a trial and also take your items to local farmers markets on a weekly basis.