ForumsFinancing Tips

Welcome to the community. You're practically in the shadow of Mt St Helens, aren't you? The "small home kitchen" is probably the first obstacle you'll have to resolve, not just from a production perspective, but from a legal one, too. I think the State of Washington requires food prepared for consumer sale to be prepared in a facility that is licensed and permitted by the county. There are temporary permits (for people who prepare/sell food at fairs, shows, etc.), mobile permits (for people who prepare/sell food from trailers, carts, lunch wagons, etc.), and permanent permits which are issued to "food establishments." So you'll need a kitchen that meets your state and county code for a food establishment, and that provides the functionality you require. That's really the starting point to getting your head above the frosting, I think -- determine if there's a facility available for sale, lease, or even part-time use (some place like churches and wedding venues have licensed commercial kitchens on premises) -- and then determine if you can still make a profit with that additional overhead figured in. Best wishes.

Glad I could help. Another thing to consider and possibly start looking into is whether or not FDA labeling and packaging is required for anything you plan to sell. Here's a link that may be useful:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/label.html