The best platform to sell baked goods in Michigan is Homegrown, which gives you an online storefront for $10 per month with local pickup scheduling, inventory management, and built-in card processing — no website, no marketplace fees, and no percentage taken from your sales. Michigan cottage food vendors can sell baked goods directly to consumers under the Michigan Cottage Food Law (Michigan Food Law of 2000, as amended by PA 208 of 2010 and PA 208 of 2017), and Homegrown is built for exactly this type of local, pickup-based food business.
The short version: Michigan allows cottage food producers to sell certain homemade foods directly to consumers without a commercial kitchen license or food establishment license. There is no annual sales cap in Michigan — one of only a few states with no revenue limit for cottage food. You can sell at farmers markets, from your home, and through online orders with local pickup. The best platform for managing these orders is Homegrown ($10 per month annual, $12.50 monthly), which handles ordering, payments (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), pickup scheduling, and inventory — all through one shareable link. Other options include Square Online (free with Square branding), Shopify ($39+ per month), and Etsy (6.5% per transaction plus listing fees).
Michigan's cottage food law permits the sale of non-potentially-hazardous foods produced in your home kitchen. The law covers:
Michigan stands out for having no annual sales cap. You can sell as much cottage food as you want without upgrading to a commercial kitchen. This makes Michigan one of the most cottage-food-friendly states in the country. You must label products with your name, address, ingredients, allergens, the date the product was made, and the statement "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development."
Michigan's cottage food community is robust, especially in the Detroit metro area, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Traverse City, and Lansing. With no sales cap, Michigan cottage food vendors can build substantial businesses from their home kitchens. But the same lack of limits that makes Michigan attractive also means operations can scale faster than your order management system.
Common problems Michigan bakers face without a platform:
A selling platform consolidates all of this into one link where customers browse, order, pay, and schedule pickup.
Homegrown is built for local food vendors who sell through pickup and farmers markets. There is no website to build, no marketplace to compete in, and no design decisions to make. You list your products, set your pickup locations and times, and share one link.
Here is what Homegrown includes:
With no sales cap in Michigan, Homegrown's flat $10 per month fee is especially valuable — your platform cost stays the same whether you sell $500 or $10,000 in a given month.
Pros:
Cons:
Best for: Michigan cottage food vendors who sell baked goods through farmers markets, home pickup, and social media.
Start your free 7-day trial with Homegrown.
Etsy gives you marketplace visibility but charges a $0.20 listing fee, 6.5% transaction fee, and 3% + $0.25 payment processing. On a $25 box of cookies, total fees are approximately $2.83 — roughly 11.3% of the sale.
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Cons:
Best for: Michigan bakers who want marketplace visibility beyond their local customer base.
Square Online offers a free tier with Square branding. If you already use Square at Michigan farmers markets, it syncs in-person and online payments.
Pros:
Cons:
Best for: Michigan bakers who already use Square at farmers markets.
Shopify provides robust store management at $39 per month. For a cottage food vendor selling locally, Shopify provides more infrastructure than needed — the shipping-focused workflow, theme customization, and app marketplace are designed for businesses selling nationally.
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Best for: Michigan food businesses with commercial kitchen licenses selling statewide or nationally.
| Feature | Homegrown | Etsy | Square Online (Free) | Shopify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $10 (annual) | $0 (listing fees apply) | $0 | $39+ |
| Transaction fee | 0% | 6.5% | 0% | 0% |
| Card processing | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3% + $0.25 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Total fees on $25 order | ~$1.03 | ~$2.83 | ~$1.03 | ~$1.03 |
| Local pickup | Yes (built-in) | Workaround | Basic | With apps |
| Multiple pickup locations | Yes | No | Limited | With apps |
| Inventory management | Yes (batch) | Basic | Basic | Yes |
| Food-specific features | Yes | No | No | No |
| Setup time | ~15 min | 30-60 min | 30-60 min | 4-8 hours |
On $2,000 per month in sales, Etsy fees total approximately $220 while Homegrown costs $10 plus approximately $72 in card processing — a $138 per month difference that adds up to over $1,600 per year.
Michigan's no-cap cottage food law means you can grow your home baking business as large as you want without upgrading to a commercial kitchen. A flat-fee platform like Homegrown ensures that your operating costs stay predictable as revenue scales — your platform cost at $10,000 per month is the same as at $500 per month. Food science and agriculture resources are available from Michigan State University's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and food science education is available from the Exploratorium's Science of Cooking.
Start your free 7-day trial with Homegrown.
No. Michigan is one of the few states with no annual sales cap for cottage food operations. You can sell as much as you want without upgrading to a commercial kitchen or food establishment license. This makes Michigan one of the most cottage-food-friendly states in the country and allows vendors to build substantial businesses from their home kitchens.
No license is required for cottage food in Michigan. You do not need a food handler's license, your kitchen does not need inspection, and you do not need to register with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). You must follow labeling requirements and limit sales to non-potentially-hazardous foods sold directly to consumers.
Yes. Michigan cottage food law allows online ordering and electronic payment. The delivery must be direct to the consumer — either through local pickup or personal delivery. You cannot ship cottage food products through common carriers. An online ordering platform with local pickup scheduling is ideal for Michigan cottage food compliance.
Michigan cottage food vendors commonly report strong demand for decorated sugar cookies, cherry-based baked goods (Michigan is a leading cherry producer), cinnamon rolls, banana bread, blueberry muffins, apple pies and cider doughnuts (especially in fall), custom birthday cakes, and pasties (a traditional Upper Peninsula meat pie). Seasonal items tied to Michigan's fruit seasons — cherry, blueberry, apple — consistently drive strong demand.
Michigan cottage food law does not require liability insurance. However, a general liability policy for a cottage food business typically costs $200 to $500 per year. Some Michigan farmers markets require proof of insurance as a vendor participation condition. Insurance protects your personal assets if a customer has a food-related issue.
Michigan requires cottage food products to be labeled with your name and address, a complete ingredient list including allergens, the date the product was made, the net weight or volume, and the statement "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development." The date-made requirement is unique to Michigan and must appear on every product.
Yes. Michigan cottage food vendors can sell at farmers markets under the cottage food exemption. Individual markets have their own vendor requirements including applications, booth fees, insurance, and display standards. Many markets in the Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor areas have dedicated cottage food vendor categories. Contact each market directly for application requirements and seasonal vendor deadlines.
No. Michigan cottage food law requires all sales to be direct to the end consumer. You cannot sell cottage food products wholesale to restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, or any other business for resale. If you want to sell wholesale, you need to operate under a food establishment license with an inspected commercial kitchen.
Calculate your ingredient cost per item and multiply by 3 to 4 for retail pricing. This covers ingredients, packaging, labor, overhead (utilities, equipment wear), and profit margin. For example, if a dozen cookies costs $3 in ingredients, price them at $9 to $12. Factor in platform costs: Homegrown adds $10 per month flat, while Etsy takes approximately 11% per sale. At $1,000 per month in sales, Homegrown costs $10 while Etsy costs approximately $110 — a $100 per month difference that directly affects your margin.
Michigan cottage food vendors can sell from their home (porch pickup or scheduled windows), at farmers markets, at roadside stands, at fairs and festivals, and through online ordering with local pickup or personal delivery. You can also sell at community events, craft shows, and pop-up markets. All sales must be direct to the end consumer. Many successful Michigan cottage food vendors use a combination of Saturday farmers market presence and weekly online ordering through a platform like Homegrown for home pickup throughout the week.
A Michigan cottage food operation sells non-potentially-hazardous foods directly to consumers from a home kitchen with no inspection, no license, and no sales cap. A food establishment operates under a Michigan food establishment license, requires commercial kitchen facilities that pass regular inspections by MDARD, requires food handler certifications, and allows potentially hazardous foods, wholesale distribution, and shipping. Most Michigan bakers start under cottage food and transition to a food establishment license when they want to sell wholesale, produce cream-filled items, or sell through retail stores.
Your products deserve a storefront where the listed price is what your customer pays — no marketplace fees, no checkout surcharges, no percentage taken from every sale. Homegrown gives food vendors a shareable ordering link, built-in payments, and local pickup scheduling for $10 per month flat. Start your free 7-day trial.
