The best platform to sell baked goods in Pennsylvania is Homegrown, which gives you an online storefront for $10 per month with local pickup and delivery scheduling, inventory management, and built-in card processing — no website, no marketplace fees, and no percentage taken from your sales. Pennsylvania cottage food vendors can sell baked goods directly to consumers under the Pennsylvania Home Food Processor Exemption Act (Act 106 of 2021), and Homegrown is built for exactly this type of local, pickup-based food business.
The short version: Pennsylvania allows home food processors to sell baked goods and other non-potentially-hazardous foods directly to consumers without a commercial kitchen license. Annual sales are capped at $50,000 under the exemption. 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).
Pennsylvania's Act 106 of 2021 significantly expanded what home food processors can sell. The exemption covers:
The annual sales cap is $50,000. You must register with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, complete an approved food safety course, and label products with your name, address, ingredients, allergens, net weight, and the statement "This product was made in a home kitchen and is not inspected by the Department of Agriculture or a local health department." Pennsylvania's Act 106 replaced the older, more restrictive cottage food provisions and opened up the market for home bakers across the state.
Pennsylvania's food scene spans from Philadelphia's dense urban markets to Pittsburgh's neighborhood food culture to rural Lancaster County farmstands. Each context creates different selling dynamics, but the core challenge is the same — manual order management does not scale.
Common problems Pennsylvania 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 or local delivery and farmers markets. You list your products, set your pickup locations and times, and share one link.
Here is what Homegrown includes:
Pros:
Cons:
Best for: Pennsylvania home food processors 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.
Pros:
Cons:
Best for: Pennsylvania bakers who want marketplace visibility beyond their local area.
Square Online offers a free tier with Square branding. If you already use Square at Pennsylvania farmers markets, it syncs in-person and online payments.
Pros:
Cons:
Best for: Pennsylvania bakers who already use Square at farmers markets.
Shopify provides robust store management at $39 per month. For a home food processor selling locally under Pennsylvania law, Shopify provides more infrastructure than needed.
Pros:
Cons:
Best for: Pennsylvania 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 |
| Local delivery | Yes (built-in) | No | 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 $1,500 per month in sales, Etsy fees total approximately $165 while Homegrown costs $10 plus approximately $55 in card processing — a $100 per month difference.
Pennsylvania's $50,000 annual cap under Act 106 provides significant room for a part-time or growing home baking business. A flat-fee platform keeps your costs predictable as you scale toward that cap. Food science and nutrition education resources are available from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Nutrition, and food production research is available from Oregon State University's Department of Horticulture.
Start your free 7-day trial with Homegrown.
Ready to start selling locally? The easiest way to take local orders and get paid is an online storefront — see the best platform to sell food from home, or set up a Homegrown storefront in about 15 minutes ($10/mo, 0% commission).
Pennsylvania allows home food processors to sell up to $50,000 per year under Act 106 of 2021. This cap applies to gross revenue from all home-processed food sales combined. At $50,000 per year, you are averaging over $4,000 per month — a level that provides a meaningful part-time income for many home bakers.
Yes. Pennsylvania requires home food processors to register with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and complete an approved food safety course before selling. Registration is not a license — your kitchen does not need to be inspected — but it is a legal requirement under Act 106. The food safety course covers safe food handling, allergen management, and labeling requirements.
Yes. Pennsylvania's home food processor exemption allows online ordering and electronic payment. The delivery must be direct to the consumer — either through local pickup or personal delivery. You cannot ship home-processed foods through common carriers. An ordering platform with local pickup and delivery scheduling is ideal for Pennsylvania home food processor compliance.
Pennsylvania bakers commonly report strong demand for whoopie pies, shoofly pie, soft pretzels, decorated sugar cookies, banana bread, cinnamon rolls, apple dumplings, Italian cookies (especially in the Philadelphia area), custom birthday cakes, and holiday cookie trays. Regional specialties vary — Lancaster County customers gravitate toward traditional Pennsylvania Dutch baked goods, while Philadelphia-area customers often prefer Italian and Eastern European pastry traditions.
Pennsylvania does not require liability insurance for home food processors. However, a general liability policy typically costs $200 to $500 per year and is a reasonable investment. Some Pennsylvania farmers markets and community events require proof of insurance as a vendor participation condition.
Pennsylvania requires home-processed foods to be labeled with your name and physical address, a complete ingredient list including common allergens, the net weight or volume, the date the product was made, and the statement "This product was made in a home kitchen and is not inspected by the Department of Agriculture or a local health department."
Yes. Home food processors registered under Act 106 can sell at farmers markets throughout Pennsylvania. Individual markets have their own vendor requirements — applications, booth fees, insurance, and display standards. Popular markets like the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia and the Lancaster Central Market have specific vendor application processes. Contact each market directly for requirements and seasonal deadlines.
A home food processor sells non-potentially-hazardous foods directly to consumers from a home kitchen under Act 106 — registration required, food safety course required, $50,000 annual cap, no kitchen inspection. A food establishment operates under a Department of Agriculture food establishment license, requires commercial kitchen facilities that pass regular inspections, has no revenue cap, and allows potentially hazardous foods, wholesale distribution, and shipping. Most Pennsylvania bakers start as home food processors and transition to a food establishment license when they want to sell wholesale, exceed the $50,000 cap, or expand into potentially hazardous products like cream-filled pastries.
Calculate ingredient cost per item and multiply by 3 to 4 for retail pricing. This covers ingredients, packaging, labor, overhead, and profit. Factor in platform costs: Homegrown adds $10 per month flat regardless of revenue, 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 compounds to $1,200 per year in savings.
Pennsylvania home food processors can sell from their home (porch pickup or scheduled windows), at farmers markets, at roadside stands, at community events and festivals, and through online ordering with local pickup or personal delivery. All sales must be direct to the end consumer — you cannot sell wholesale to restaurants, grocery stores, or other businesses. Many successful Pennsylvania home food processors use a combination of weekly farmers market presence at established markets and online ordering through a platform like Homegrown for home pickup throughout the week.
Pennsylvania requires all home food processors to complete an approved food safety course before selling under Act 106. The course covers safe food handling practices, temperature control principles, allergen awareness, proper labeling, and sanitation. Several approved courses are available online and can typically be completed in a few hours. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture maintains a list of approved food safety education providers. This is a one-time requirement — you do not need to retake the course annually.
No. Pennsylvania's home food processor exemption under Act 106 only allows direct-to-consumer sales. You cannot sell to restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, school cafeterias, or any other business for resale. If you want to sell wholesale or to retail establishments, you need to upgrade to a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture food establishment license, which requires a commercial kitchen that passes regular health inspections and food handler certifications for all staff.
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 and delivery scheduling for $10 per month flat. Start your free 7-day trial.
