Business8 min read·Vol. 0

Selling cottage food in Minnesota (2026 guide)

A plain-English walkthrough of Minnesota's cottage food rules — who needs to register, what you can sell, the labeling requirements, and how the sales cap actually works. Includes the official statute, the state department links, and a county-level companion guide.

If you bake out of your home in Minnesota, the rules you live by are set by the state's cottage food law — currently Minnesota Statutes §28A.152 - Cottage Foods Exemption. It's a Great-tier law on the Crosodo scale: permissive — a high or no sales cap, broad product list, and multiple sales channels. This post is the plain-English version. The full breakdown — every county-specific zoning rule, the registration link, the latest verified statute citation — lives on the Crosodo Minnesota state guide and the downloadable Minnesota PDF report.

Not legal advice. We're a small apparel brand that cares about home bakers. For anything serious, read the law directly and call the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

The quick facts

Cottage food tier: Great
Annual sales cap: $78,000 per year
Registration required: Yes
Kitchen inspection: No
Food handler certification: Yes
Indirect sales (retail/online): No — direct-to-consumer only.
Statute: Minn. Stat. §28A.152

What you can sell

Non-potentially hazardous foods (those not requiring refrigeration) including baked goods, candies, condiments (honey, pickles, mustards, nut butters, salsas, sauces), dry goods (coffee, cereals, dried fruit/vegetables, herbs, pasta, spices, tea), pastries, preserves (jams, jellies, fruit butters, applesauce), snacks (granola, popcorn, chocolate-covered items), fermented foods, and juices. Home-processed and home-canned products with pH 4.6 or lower or water activity 0.85 or less (the original 'Pickle Bill' category) are also permitted.

What's specifically excluded

Potentially hazardous foods requiring refrigeration, low-acid canned foods, chocolate-covered fruit, confections with alcohol, meat jerkies, and perishable baked goods. All canned goods and drinks must be non-potentially hazardous. Products in the home-canned category may not be sold outside of Minnesota.

Where you can sell

Direct-to-consumer is always covered: farmers markets, home pickup, delivery, roadside stands, events. The interesting question is indirect sales — through a coffee shop, a grocery, a third-party retailer, or online with shipping. On indirect sales here: Sales are limited to direct-to-consumer channels: community events, farmers markets, from the producer's home, online (in-state delivery by the producer personally or by mail/commercial delivery), and fundraising donations. Restaurants, retail stores, roadside stands, mail order wholesale, and catering are prohibited. All deliveries must be made by the producer personally unless shipped by mail or commercial delivery upon a prior online sale. Home-canned products in the pH/water-activity exemption category (Subd. 1(a)(2)) may not be sold outside of Minnesota.

Labeling requirements

Labels must accurately reflect: the name and registration number or address of the producer; the date on which the food was prepared; ingredients and any possible allergens; and the statement 'These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.' At farmers markets and community events, a visible placard with the same statement must be displayed. Online sellers must display the statement on their website. Registration number may substitute for home address.

Texas has the most detailed plain-English label walkthrough we've published — the structure translates well to most other states. See how to label cottage food in Texas for a copy-paste template you can adapt for Minnesota.

Common questions

Do I need to register before I start?

Yes. Registration goes through the official portal.

Do I need a food handler certification?

Yes. Minnesota requires a food handler or food safety certification for cottage food producers. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture maintains a list of accepted courses — most cost $10-$15 and take about 90 minutes online. Get this done before your first sale.

Is my home kitchen inspected?

No — Minnesota does not require routine home kitchen inspections for cottage food. That's the whole point of the law: your kitchen isn't a regulated facility.

What's the sales cap?

$78,000 per year. Caps are gross sales, not profit. When you start approaching the cap, that's the signal to read cottage food vs commercial kitchen — it walks through the move-up math.

If you're just starting out

Read your statute. Minn. Stat. §28A.152 It's shorter than you think.
Check your county. State law is the floor; your county can add zoning rules on top. The Crosodo Minnesota state guide lists the top counties with their specific requirements.
Pick what you'll bake. The top selling sourdough loaves and beyond bread (cookies, buns, scones) posts cover what tends to actually sell at farmers markets.
Price it right. The cottage baker pricing post walks through unit economics — most new bakers underprice by 30%.
Label it correctly. Adapt the Texas label template to Minnesota's required disclaimer language.
Set up your back office. The cottage baker software stack post covers what we use day-to-day.

Official sources

If your county is missing from our Minnesota directory, tell us and we'll add it next. And if you want one of our sourdough varsity shirts while you proof your starter, the shop is here.

Crosodo Blog entries are recipe and craft notes from working cottage bakers. Recipes assume working with an active starter and basic equipment. Cottage food sales are governed by your state's law — see our state directory for legal details.