How to Sell Beef Jerky From Home

Once your jerky is made in an inspected kitchen, you can set up a Homegrown storefront so local customers can order ahead, and try it free for 7 days.

Beef jerky is a food many home cooks want to sell. It is shelf-stable, light and easy to carry to a market. But selling beef jerky from home is a lot harder than selling cookies, jam or bread. Meat faces stricter rules than almost any other food you can make.

This guide covers the legal rules, the pathways that actually work for small producers, the food safety rules you cannot skip, equipment, real costs and pricing, packaging and labels, and where to sell your jerky once you are legal. If you only want the legal question answered in depth, our guide to whether you can sell homemade beef jerky goes deeper on the federal law and each exemption. This page is the how-to: what to do, in what order, and what it costs.

Can You Legally Sell Beef Jerky From Home?

For most people the answer is no, at least not jerky made in your own home kitchen. Beef comes from cattle, and federal law requires meat from cattle to be made under inspection before it is sold, with a short list of exemptions. Cottage food laws, the state laws that let you sell low-risk food from home, do not change that federal rule, and 5 of the 8 we read name meat as excluded, with 2 more leaving it off their approved lists. The federal rule does not say outright whether a home kitchen can ever qualify for the retail exemption in 9 CFR 303.1(d), so if you want to try, put that question to FSIS through askFSIS, or to your state, in writing.

"From home" can still describe your business. Plenty of jerky vendors run the whole business from their kitchen table: the recipe, the brand, the orders and the market booth. The difference is where the meat gets cooked and dried. That happens in a plant or store that is allowed to make meat products for sale.

Why Cottage Food Laws Usually Exclude Jerky

Cottage food laws were written for foods that stay safe on a shelf without special handling, like baked goods, jams and dry mixes. Meat is the food regulators worry about most, because raw beef can carry E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and a drying mistake can make people seriously sick. So state programs either name meat as excluded, or leave it off the list of foods they approve.

We read the home-food rules of 8 states on October 6, 2026. Five name meat as excluded, two leave meat jerky off their approved lists, and one lists jerky on a registration form while federal meat law still covers beef. Here is what each one says.

Scroll sideways to see all 8 states and every column.

We read each state's page, packet or statute on October 6, 2026. Colorado appears twice because its current rule and its 2027 rule differ. Count by state: Texas, Colorado (current rule), Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota exclude meat by name; California and Ohio leave meat jerky off their approved lists; Pennsylvania lists it on a form. We did not read the other 42 states for this guide, so check yours in our cottage food laws by state guide and then with your state agency.

Legal Pathways That Work

Even though your home kitchen is likely off-limits for jerky production, four legal pathways exist for small producers, and one common idea that is not a pathway at all.

• USDA-inspected co-packer. A federally inspected plant makes your recipe under its own inspection, and your brand goes on the bag. This is a common path for small jerky brands, and federal plants can sell into every state.
• Your own USDA-inspected plant. You build or lease a facility and apply to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for a grant of inspection. You write a food safety plan and sanitation procedures, and an inspector checks your work.
• State meat inspection. Thirty states run their own meat inspection programs, according to the USDA's list of states with and without inspection programs, updated December 17, 2025. State-inspected jerky can be sold only inside that state, unless your state runs the federal Cooperative Interstate Shipment program and the plant is accepted into it. FSIS listed 10 participating states on a page last updated August 19, 2026 (Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin), and a plant must employ 25 or fewer people, so ask your state program.
• Retail exemption. A licensed retail store, like a butcher shop, can make jerky from inspected beef and sell it to its own customers without a federal inspector, under 9 CFR 303.1(d). It must sell "to consumers only," and jerky made this way can go to household customers only, not to restaurants or other stores. Ask your regulator before you take retail-exempt jerky to a farmers market booth.
• Custom exempt processing is not a way to sell. A custom processor slaughters and processes an animal for its owner, and federal rules require that meat to be marked "Not for Sale." Jerky made from custom-exempt beef can only go to the owner's household.

Beef jerky is not a product you can start making and selling tomorrow. The legal work comes first, and the vendors who do it upfront can sell in places home-kitchen jerky cannot.

The first step is always to contact your state department of agriculture and ask specifically about selling dried meat products as a small producer. Every state handles this differently, and the rules change. Before that call, it helps to know two federal numbers: 30 states operate a state meat inspection program, and the federal retail exemption lets a store sell up to $109,600 a year in 2026 to restaurants, hotels and similar buyers. That restaurant allowance covers only cutting, grinding, breaking bulk and wrapping or rewrapping. So a store can rewrap jerky made in an inspected plant and sell it to a restaurant, but jerky the store cures, cooks or smokes itself can go to household customers only.

What Changes for Jerky in Colorado in 2027?

Colorado's health department says that starting January 1, 2027, home cooks registered under its new cottage food law can sell beef jerky made from USDA-inspected meat, as long as it is not vacuum packed. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says its new Cottage Food Act, the "Tamale Act" (HB26-1033), starts January 1, 2027 and "now allows meat and meat products." Its 2027 food eligibility page lists "Jerky (Beef, Turkey, Pork)" among approved foods. Until that date, the current page still lists jerky as ineligible.

What that means if you live in Colorado:

• Do not sell yet. The new rules start January 1, 2027. Today, jerky is still on the ineligible list.
• Buy inspected beef. The department says grocery stores and butchers carry USDA-inspected meat, which counts as an approved source.
• Plan for zipper pouches, not vacuum bags. Vacuum-packed beef jerky is named as not allowed.
• Skip curing salts as your preservation method. Dry the jerky properly instead.
• Use smoke flavor in the marinade, not a smoker, for shelf-stable jerky. The 2027 rules allow smoking for flavor only if the food is kept refrigerated.
• Budget for the new label items. Labels must show your registration number, the county where the food was made, your phone or email, the production date and a department website address.

Colorado's page does not explain how the new law fits with the federal meat rules, so email the program (cdphe_cf@state.co.us) and get a written answer before you plan a 2027 launch. Our guide to the Colorado cottage food law covers the rest of the state's rules.

Which Federal Rules Decide Where Your Jerky Can Go?

Where your jerky is made decides who you can sell it to. A USDA plant opens every door, a state plant keeps you inside your state, and a retail-exempt store keeps you selling to household customers. Pick the path that fits where you want to sell, not the other way around.

Scroll the table sideways to compare the four production paths.

Sources read October 6, 2026: 9 CFR 303.1 on eCFR, the FSIS State Cooperative Inspection Programs page (last updated June 24, 2026), the FSIS list of states with and without inspection programs (last updated December 17, 2025) and the FSIS Cooperative Interstate Shipment program page (last updated August 19, 2026). That newer CIS page says 29 states have a program while the list says 30, so ask your state whether its program is active.

The federal rule behind the retail exemption is 9 CFR 303.1. It lists "Curing, cooking, smoking" among the normal operations of a retail store, which is why a butcher shop can make jerky. It also says sales must be made "to consumers only," that at least 75 percent of sales by dollar value go to household consumers, and that only "federally or State inspected and passed product" goes into what the store makes.

The 30 state programs, per the USDA list: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Arkansas, Georgia, Oregon and South Dakota inspect meat only, not poultry. In the other 20 states, including California, Colorado, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania, inspected jerky means a USDA plant.

How Do You Start a Beef Jerky Business, Step by Step?

Starting a beef jerky business takes 7 steps, in this order: the legal path first, then the recipe, then the sales channel. It is easy to do it backward: perfect a recipe in a home dehydrator, sell a few bags to friends, and only then find out your kitchen does not count. This order saves you that detour.

• Decide where you want to sell. Farmers markets in your own state, online to other states, or stores and gas stations. Your answer picks your production path from the table above.
• Call your state department of agriculture. Ask how a small producer can legally sell dried beef, whether your state runs a meat inspection program, and what your label must show. Ask for the answer in writing.
• Choose your production path. For most new vendors that is a USDA-inspected co-packer or a state-inspected plant, which is an option in 30 states. A butcher shop or other licensed retail store is the retail-exemption route.
• Lock your recipe and run a test batch with the plant. FSIS publishes a jerky compliance guideline for small and very small plants, built around a heating step that kills bacteria and a drying step checked by water activity.
• Price from real costs. Weigh your raw beef and finished jerky on the first batches, then set bag prices from the cost per ounce. The pricing section below walks through it.
• Get your label approved. Inspected jerky carries the inspection legend and the plant's establishment number, which only the plant can add.
• Set up how customers order. A market booth, a pre-order page, or both. Taking orders before production day tells the plant or kitchen exactly how much to make.

Can You Start a Beef Jerky Brand With a Co-Packer?

Yes, and for most people starting a beef jerky brand, a co-packer is usually the quickest legal route to start, because you spend $0 on equipment and the plant's inspection covers every bag. A co-packer is a plant that makes food for other brands. A USDA-inspected co-packer makes your recipe under its own inspection, packs it in your bags, and you sell it under your brand name.

Federal labeling rules allow this. Under 9 CFR 317.2, a meat label shows "The name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor for whom the product is prepared," so the label can carry your business as the company the jerky was made for, next to the plant's inspection mark and establishment number.

Questions to ask a co-packer before you sign anything:

• What is your minimum run? Plants set a minimum batch size, and it decides how much cash you tie up in your first order.
• How do you charge? Per pound of raw beef, per finished pound, or per bag, and whether packaging is included.
• Will you use my exact recipe and spice blend? Some plants only run their own base recipe.
• Who owns the recipe? Get it in writing that your recipe stays yours.
• Which flavors can share a run? Every flavor change can mean a cleanup and a separate charge.
• How long is the lead time? Plan your market season around it.

We did not find published co-packer rates to quote, because plants price each job by quote. Ask at least three plants for a quote on the same recipe and the same bag size so you can compare like for like.

What Food Safety Rules Apply to Homemade Jerky?

Every batch of jerky you sell needs a heating step that kills bacteria and a drying step, and the meat has to be handled like raw meat until both are done. In a home kitchen, including a registered Colorado cottage kitchen from 2027, the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline recommends heating beef to 160°F inside before drying. An inspected plant uses the validated time and temperature its food safety plan names: the FSIS jerky guideline gives 160°F as one option and points to the time and temperature tables in its Appendix A. When jerky will sit in open air, that guideline says a water activity of 0.85 or lower should control bacteria and mold. The stakes are higher than with baked goods, because jerky that is not heated and dried properly can cause serious illness. Mistakes cost money too: a pound of raw beef dries down to about 4 ounces of jerky, according to the USDA, so a ruined tray is a lot of beef thrown away.

Temperature Requirements

The USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline recommends heating beef to 160°F and poultry to 165°F before you dehydrate it. Its jerky food safety page explains why: a dehydrator running at 130 to 140°F may never get the meat hot enough to kill bacteria, and bacteria become more heat resistant as the meat dries. After the heating step, the USDA says to dry at a steady 130 to 140°F. North Dakota State University Extension's jerky making guide gives the same 160°F target and dries at 140 to 150°F.

There are two ways to reach that temperature.

• Pre-cook method. Heat the meat strips in hot marinade to 160°F before they go in the dehydrator. Arkansas Extension's guide says to bring strips and marinade to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, then drain and dry. Strips heated first also dry faster.
• Post-dry method. Dry the jerky first, then heat it in an oven preheated to 275°F for 10 minutes, for strips cut a quarter inch thick or less. Thicker strips need longer to reach 160°F, so check with a thermometer.

Preparation Safety

Handle jerky meat like the raw meat it is until it has been heated to 160°F: thin slices, cold storage, clean hands. The University of Arkansas Extension's guide on making safe jerky lists the handling steps that matter most.

• Slice meat no thicker than one-quarter inch
• Trim and discard all fat, because it goes rancid quickly
• Keep raw meat refrigerated at 40°F or below at all times
• Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the counter
• Marinate only in the refrigerator, never at room temperature
• Never save or reuse marinade that has touched raw meat
• Wash hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat

Two more from the same guide: pork and wild game need a freezing step against the trichinella parasite before slicing, and ground meat is harder to make safe than whole strips. If you are new, start with whole-muscle beef.

Water Activity and Shelf Stability

Water activity is the lab measure of how much water in a food is free for bacteria to use, on a scale from 0 to 1. The FSIS compliance guideline for jerky made by small plants says a water activity of 0.85 or lower should control the growth of the bacteria of concern, and mold, for jerky stored in open air. For jerky vacuum packed in oxygen-proof packaging the limit can be 0.91 or lower, but then the bag needs a statement like "Refrigerate After Opening."

A plant measures this with a water activity meter, and for jerky you sell, that reading is the test that counts. That missing meter is the reason home jerky gets about a 2-week shelf window while plant jerky is rated for 12 months, and our guide to how long homemade jerky lasts lines up all four official storage times side by side. The extension guides give a simpler check for home batches and test runs: Arkansas Extension dries "until a test piece cracks but does not break when it is bent," and North Dakota State says properly dried jerky "should crack when bent in half but should not break into two pieces." If it bends without cracking, it is not dry enough.

How long jerky keeps depends on who made it.

• Commercially packaged jerky: 12 months, according to the USDA's jerky food safety page.
• Home-dried jerky: 1 to 2 months, according to the same page. North Dakota State says to use home-dried jerky within two months.
• In a sealed container at room temperature: two weeks, according to the University of Arkansas Extension, which recommends refrigerating or freezing it for longer storage.

What Equipment Do You Need to Make Jerky for Sale?

A basic kit for making jerky costs $563.61 to $1,148.61 at prices we loaded on October 6, 2026, and what you buy depends on your path. If a co-packer makes your jerky, you need almost none of this, because the plant uses its own equipment. If you run a retail-exempt store, will register under Colorado's 2027 law, or are building toward your own plant, here is the basic kit, priced on WebstaurantStore and ClearBags on October 6, 2026. Colorado cottage producers skip the vacuum sealer, because the 2027 rules do not allow vacuum-packed beef jerky, which brings the starter kit to $508.62.

Essential Equipment

You need five core tools to make jerky for sale: a dehydrator, a meat slicer, a sealer or pouches, a probe thermometer and labels.

The bigger equipment pick sits one column over, so scroll sideways.

Prices are the listed WebstaurantStore and ClearBags prices we loaded on October 6, 2026, before tax and shipping. They change often, so reload them before you buy. We picked the Avantco CFD10, rated 4.5 out of 5 stars on its listing, over a cheaper $149.99 Backyard Pro 10-tray unit rated 1.1 out of 5.

Facility Costs

If you rent kitchen time, rent is usually the biggest cost in every bag after the beef: $3.00 on a 3-ounce bag in the planning case, against $5.68 for beef and marinade. This guide uses $25 an hour as an example rate for an 8-hour production day. That is a planning number, not a quote we loaded, so call the kitchens near you. Before you book, ask whether the kitchen's license covers making meat products for sale, because many shared kitchens are licensed for baking and catering, not meat.

A co-packer replaces kitchen rent with the plant's own per-batch charges. A retail-exempt store already has its kitchen. Our guide to renting versus building a commercial kitchen walks through when owning your space starts to pay.

Total Startup Costs

Startup costs run from $0 in equipment with a co-packer, to $508.62, $563.61 or $1,148.61 for an equipment kit, to a full plant build-out.

Each startup path reads across the row; scroll sideways for the range.

Kit totals add the October 6, 2026 prices in the equipment table: $189.99 + $269.99 + $54.99 + $6.49 + $42.15 = $563.61; the Colorado kit drops the $54.99 sealer for $508.62; and $449.99 + $429.99 + $209.99 + $16.49 + $42.15 = $1,148.61. Both kits use the 4-ounce pouches. Labels, knives, boards, gloves and the beef itself are extra.

A co-packer or a store you already work with lets you start without buying equipment. You bring your recipes, spices and brand; the inspected space brings the sinks, refrigeration and the inspection mark.

What Does It Cost to Build a Beef Jerky Manufacturing Plant?

There is no standard price for a beef jerky plant, and we could not find a published figure we trust enough to quote. The cost depends on whether you build or lease, how much equipment you buy and what your inspector requires. What every inspected jerky plant needs is the same, though.

• A grant of inspection from FSIS, or from your state program in one of the 30 states that run one.
• A written food safety plan. The FSIS jerky guideline ties jerky production to the federal sanitation and food safety plan rules (9 CFR parts 416 and 417).
• A validated heating step that reaches the kill temperature your plan names, with records for every batch.
• A drying step checked by water activity, 0.85 or lower for jerky stored in open air under the FSIS guideline.
• Approved labels carrying the inspection legend and your establishment number.

If you are pricing a plant, get quotes from a contractor and a meat plant designer, and talk to your state meat inspection office or the nearest FSIS district office first. Running through a co-packer for a year or two first lets you prove demand before you build.

How Much Does It Cost to Make Beef Jerky?

In our planning case, a 3-ounce bag of beef jerky costs $11.41 to make in a rented kitchen: $5.68 in beef and marinade, $3.00 in kitchen rent, $2.16 for your time and $0.57 for the bag, label and oxygen absorber. Beef is the biggest single cost because jerky loses most of its weight as it dries.

The math, step by step:

1. Beef. Boneless round roast averaged $8.96 a pound in August 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At 5 ounces of jerky per raw pound, that is $1.79 per finished ounce. At the USDA's 4 ounces a pound it is $2.24, and at North Dakota State's 6.4 ounces it is $1.40.
2. Marinade. About $0.50 per raw pound, or $0.10 per finished ounce. This is an estimate; use your own receipts.
3. Kitchen rent. $200 for an 8-hour day that turns 40 pounds of beef into 200 ounces of jerky, or $1.00 an ounce.
4. Your time. $144 for the same day at $18 an hour, or $0.72 an ounce.
5. The bag. $0.42 for the pouch and about $0.15 for the label and absorber.

That is $3.612 an ounce, times 3 ounces, plus $0.57 for the bag: $11.41. In a licensed space where you pay no rent, the same bag costs $8.41. This is also why jerky is so expensive in stores. A pound of beef becomes 4 to 6.4 ounces of jerky, so every ounce you sell carries the price of 2.5 to 4 ounces of raw beef before anyone is paid to make it.

How Much Should You Charge for Homemade Beef Jerky?

Charge about $5 to $5.50 an ounce if you rent kitchen time: $11 for a 2-ounce bag, $16 for 3 ounces, $21 for 4 and $40 for 8. That keeps about 26 to 29 percent of the price after every production cost, before card fees. Your customers are not comparing you to gas station jerky. They are comparing you to small-batch brands, and your story and process justify a higher price.

Pricing by Size

The price per ounce drops a little as bags get bigger, from $5.50 on a 2-ounce bag to $5.00 on an 8-ounce bag.

Margins sit in the right-hand columns; scroll sideways to reach them.

Rented kitchen, planning case from the cost section above. The 8-ounce bag uses the larger $0.68 pouch. Card fees are 2.9% + $0.30, as if each bag were its own order. Margins are rounded to the nearest whole percent. Our beef jerky pricing guide shows what a 3-ounce bag costs and should sell for in your own licensed space.

If you have your own licensed space and pay no rent, the 3-ounce bag costs $8.41, and about $12 keeps the same margin. If you rent and charge $10, you lose $1.41 on every 3-ounce bag before card fees.

Cost Breakdown Per Batch

The live question for a new vendor is not the cost of one bag but whether a small batch pays at all. Here is a typical 5-pound batch of beef in its own rented booking, next to a full 40-pound production day.

To put the small batch next to the full day, scroll sideways.

Both columns assume 5 ounces of finished jerky per raw pound, so 5 pounds make 25 ounces (eight 3-ounce bags) and 40 pounds make 200 ounces (66 bags). The 4-hour and 8-hour bookings and the $25 rate are planning estimates. Worked in our cost sheet on October 6, 2026.

The math shows why kitchen rental costs matter. Rent and your hours do not shrink in step with the batch: the 5-pound batch still needs a 4-hour booking, half the hours for one-eighth of the beef. If you can fill every tray, negotiate a better rate or share kitchen time with another vendor, your margins improve fast.

Pricing Strategies

• Position as premium and small-batch. Never compete on price with mass-produced jerky. Your story, ingredients and process justify a higher price.
• Offer a sample size with care. A 1-ounce bag costs $4.18 to make in the planning case, so a $5 sample keeps only 16 percent before card fees, about 7 percent after them. Use it to win new customers, not as your main product.
• Bundle flavors without discounting. Three 2-ounce bags in different flavors cost $23.39 to make; sold at $33, the same as three singles, the bundle keeps 29 percent and still sells more variety.
• Take pre-orders. Knowing your order count before production day means you buy only the beef you need.
• Raise prices when beef does. Round roast went from $8.55 a pound in January 2026 to $8.96 in August, per BLS figures. Recheck your cost per ounce every season.

Once a customer finds a jerky they love, make it easy to come back: keep that flavor in stock and tell your regulars when the next batch is ready.

What Flavors Sell Best?

We did not find a source we trust that ranks jerky flavors by sales for small vendors, so start with a few classics and let your own customers tell you. Three to four flavors is plenty for a first season: one original, one sweet and one hot is a simple spread for a market table. On Homegrown, Circle H Ranch sells its beef snack sticks in 3 flavors at $5 to $10 a pack. Add seasonal flavors once you know what sells.

Top-Selling Flavors: What to Start With

The table below is a starting lineup, not a sales ranking. The right-hand column says why each one earns a spot.

More flavor notes sit to the side on small screens; scroll sideways.

Starting suggestions, not measured sales. Check every marinade ingredient for allergens: soy sauce usually contains soy and wheat, and both show up in the ingredient list, so declare them the way your plant or regulator requires.

Start with three to four flavors. Original, teriyaki and one spicy option is a simple first lineup. Add seasonal or limited-edition flavors, like maple-bourbon in fall or habanero-mango in summer, to keep regulars coming back, and make sure every new flavor goes through your plant's or regulator's approval before it goes on a label.

How Should You Package and Label Beef Jerky?

Package jerky so it stays dry and shows the product, and label it to the rules of the path you chose. Packaging and labeling rules for meat are more detailed than for cottage food, and inspected jerky needs a label the plant signs off on.

Packaging

• Stand-up zipper pouches with a window look good on a table and let customers see the jerky. ClearBags' 4-ounce pouch was $0.42 each in a pack of 100 on October 6, 2026.
• Vacuum-sealed bags keep oxygen out, but they change the rules. Under the FSIS guideline, vacuum-packed jerky above a 0.85 water activity needs a "Refrigerate After Opening" statement, and Colorado's 2027 cottage rules do not allow vacuum-packed beef jerky at all.
• Include an oxygen absorber in each pouch for longer shelf life. If you will sell under Colorado's 2027 cottage law, ask the department whether an absorber counts as reduced oxygen packaging before you use one, because those rules do not allow reduced oxygen packaging for beef jerky.
• Mark every package with a packed-on or best-by date your plant or regulator accepts.

Required Label Information

Label rules depend on where the jerky was made. For jerky made in an inspected plant, the federal rule in 9 CFR 317.2 says the label shows the first six items below, some on the main panel and some, like the ingredient list and the business name, allowed on the information panel. Allergens and nutrition facts come from separate rules.

• Product name, such as "Beef Jerky"
• Ingredient list, from most to least by weight
• The name and place of business of the maker, packer or the business it was made for
• Net weight
• The official inspection legend and the plant's establishment number
• "Keep Refrigerated" or a similar statement if the product needs it
• Allergens like soy and wheat, the way your plant declares them
• Nutrition facts, which may be required depending on your sales; ask your plant

Colorado's 2027 cottage labels add their own items: your registration number, the county where the jerky was made, your phone number or email, the production date and the department's website address. Our guide to cottage food labeling requirements covers the cottage food side of labels in more detail.

Can You Buy Wholesale Beef Jerky, Repackage It and Sell It to a Gas Station?

No, not without an inspected plant. Repacking jerky into your own bags counts as preparing meat: 9 CFR 303.1 exempts "Wrapping or rewrapping products" from inspection only when a retail store does it for sale to consumers. Selling it to a gas station is selling to a store, not to a consumer. The federal retail exemption in 9 CFR 303.1 only covers a retail store selling "to consumers only." No order size changes that. The rule lists "Breaking bulk shipments of products" as a normal store task, which lets a butcher split a case for its own shoppers, but it does not let you repack for other stores.

What you can do instead:

• Resell sealed bags as they are. Buy finished, labeled bags from an inspected brand and resell them unopened. The federal rule in 9 CFR 320.5 says businesses that wholesale meat products in commerce must register with FSIS, so ask FSIS whether that applies to you.
• Sell your own brand through a co-packer. The plant packs your jerky in your bags with its inspection mark, and stores can buy it from you.
• Sell repacked jerky in your own retail store. If you run a licensed store, ask your regulator how the retail exemption applies to repacking for your own customers.

Where Can You Sell Beef Jerky?

Once you have your production and licensing sorted, jerky sells well through several channels. Which ones are open to you depends on where the jerky was made: USDA-inspected jerky can go almost anywhere, state-inspected jerky stays in your state, and retail-exempt jerky goes to household customers. Our guide to where to sell beef jerky maps seven places against each kind of plant, with the fee on a $12 bag at each.

Farmers Markets

Jerky is ideal for farmers markets: it is shelf-stable, easy to display and easy to sample. Ask your market manager what paperwork a processed meat vendor needs, and bring your plant's name and a finished label to that first conversation. A manager who has your label in hand can tell you right away whether it meets the market's rules. For more sales channels beyond markets, see our guide to 7 places to sell homemade food that are not Etsy or Shopify.

Online Pre-Orders: Take Jerky Orders Before Production Day for $10 a Month Billed Annually

Jerky ships well when it comes from a USDA plant, so online sales are a natural fit. The bigger question for a market vendor is where to send customers between Saturdays, so you know how much beef to buy before your next run. A pre-order page fixes that: customers pick flavors and bag sizes, pay, and you make what was ordered.

Homegrown is $10 per month billed annually ($12.50 billed monthly) with no percentage fees beyond standard payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30, which the vendor pays. On a $16 bag that is $0.76, so you keep $15.24. Each flavor or bag size can be a variant with its own price under one listing, you set pickup times at your market or another spot, you can set an order prep time before each pickup, and you can print a QR code for your booth sign and your bags.

Here is the full fee stack on one $16 bag, checked on each platform's pricing page on October 6, 2026.

Every fee column matters here, so scroll sideways on a phone.

Checked on Homegrown's signup page, etsy.com/sell, shopify.com/pricing and Square's online store plans page, October 6, 2026. Fees are figured on the $16 price before tax and shipping, one bag per order. Etsy's $1.97 is $0.20 + $1.04 + $0.73. Square's in-person rate is 2.6% + $0.15.

At 50 bags a month, Etsy's fees ($98.50) are about twice Homegrown's on the annual plan ($48.20), and Etsy is built around shipping, so read Etsy's food policy before you list meat. Shopify is built for a brand that ships across the country and costs more per month. Square Online's free plan costs the least at 50 orders a month and is a fair pick if you mainly want a checkout. Homegrown is built for local pickup at your booth or another spot you choose, and local delivery within a radius you set, with a storefront listed on Homegrown's local marketplace, though you should plan on most orders coming from people you send to your own link.

What Homegrown does not do: it does not ship, so it fits jerky you hand over at a market, a pickup spot or by local delivery within a radius you set. Your customers create a Homegrown account to place their first order. There is no drops or countdown-release feature and no release date for one, no automatic recurring billing, and you cannot price by the pound yet, so list fixed bag sizes. It also will not help you manage wholesale accounts with stores or breweries. If you sell from an inspected plant at farmers markets and want regulars to pre-order their bags before you buy beef, you can set up your Homegrown storefront in about 15 minutes and share the link at your booth.

Local Retail

Stores are a strong channel once your jerky is made in an inspected plant: a USDA plant for stores anywhere, or a state plant for stores inside your state. A store reselling your jerky is a wholesale sale, which the retail exemption does not cover. These are the usual fits:

• Specialty food stores and butcher shops: a natural fit for small-batch jerky
• Convenience stores and gas stations: high volume but lower margins after the store's cut
• Brewery taprooms: jerky and beer are a natural pairing
• Gyms and fitness studios: a high-protein snack for fitness customers
• Gift shops: jerky makes a good local souvenir or gift item

A store keeps part of the shelf price, so price your wholesale bag from your cost per bag, not from your market price. The wholesale section of our beef jerky pricing guide shows how.

Subscription Sales

A monthly jerky club gives you steady orders and steady production days. Offer two or three tiers, priced from your cost sheet, not from a round number. In the planning case a three-flavor pack of 2-ounce bags at $33 keeps about 29 percent, and an 8-ounce bag at $40 keeps about 26 percent, both before card fees.

Homegrown does not charge customers automatically each month, so a club there works as a standing reminder: keep your listings open year-round and message your regulars before each production run so they reorder on their own schedule. Once your jerky business is running, our guide to adding online ordering to your existing market business shows how vendors move market regulars to pre-orders, and if you also sell foods that do qualify as cottage food, our guide on how to start a cottage food business covers that licensing process.

What Mistakes Cost New Jerky Vendors the Most?

The most expensive mistakes are legal ones, because they can end your business, and pricing ones, because they quietly drain it. Watch for these:

• Selling home-dehydrator jerky "just to friends." Payment makes it a sale, and in 5 of the 8 states we read, meat is excluded by name.
• Assuming custom-exempt beef can be sold. It is marked "Not for Sale" and stays with the owner's household.
• Shipping state-inspected jerky across state lines. Only federal plants can, plus state plants accepted into the Cooperative Interstate Shipment program in the 10 states that run it.
• Skipping the heating step. The USDA recommends 160°F for beef before drying, because a dehydrator alone may never get there.
• Pricing from the beef alone. In the planning case, rent and your time add $5.16 to a 3-ounce bag.
• Running half-empty batches. A 5-pound batch in its own 4-hour booking loses $95.87 in the planning case; a full 40-pound day leaves $295.92.
• Relying on one state form. Where a state form and the federal rule disagree, as in Pennsylvania, get a written answer before you make a batch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you sell beef jerky under cottage food laws?

In 7 of the 8 states we read, no. Of the 8 state home-food programs we read on October 6, 2026, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota exclude meat by name, and California and Ohio do not list it among approved foods. Pennsylvania's registration form lists beef jerky, but federal meat law still covers beef, so get a written answer from the state before relying on it. Colorado's new cottage food law lists beef jerky as approved starting January 1, 2027. The department marks its 2027 pages as information only and does not address federal meat inspection there, so email cdphe_cf@state.co.us and get the answer in writing before you plan a launch.

How much does it cost to start a jerky business?

A starter equipment kit costs $563.61 ($508.62 without the vacuum sealer, for Colorado's 2027 cottage rules) and a bigger one $1,148.61 at WebstaurantStore and ClearBags list prices from October 6, 2026, before labels, beef and kitchen time. If a USDA-inspected co-packer makes your jerky, you skip the equipment and pay the plant's first-run minimum instead, which plants set by quote. Building your own inspected plant is a much larger investment with no standard price.

How long does homemade beef jerky last?

The USDA says home-dried jerky keeps 1 to 2 months and commercially packaged jerky keeps 12 months. The University of Arkansas Extension says properly dried jerky keeps two weeks at room temperature in a sealed container and recommends refrigerating or freezing it for longer. Always mark packages with a packed-on or best-by date.

What is the profit margin on beef jerky?

In our planning case, a vendor renting kitchen time keeps about 26 to 29 percent of each bag after every production cost and before card fees, or 22 to 24 percent after them. A 3-ounce bag costs $11.41 to make and sells for $16. In your own licensed space with no rent, the same bag costs $8.41, so the margin on beef jerky rises a lot; our guide to how much to sell beef jerky for runs both cases.

Do you need USDA inspection to sell jerky?

If you sell across state lines or ship to other states, you need jerky from a USDA-inspected plant, or from a state plant accepted into its state's Cooperative Interstate Shipment program, which 10 states run. Inside one of the 30 states with its own meat program, state inspection works for in-state sales, including sales to stores. A licensed retail store can sell its own jerky to household customers without an inspector under the federal retail exemption. Your state agriculture department can confirm which of these applies to you.

What cut of beef is best for jerky?

Lean, whole-muscle cuts from the round, like top round, bottom round and eye of round, are the usual picks. They slice evenly, and the Arkansas guide says to trim all fat because it goes rancid quickly. North Dakota State's guide also names rump roast and chuck tender roast. Whole muscle is safer to start with than ground beef, which is harder to make safe.

Can you sell jerky online and ship it?

Yes, if it comes from a USDA-inspected plant, which can sell in every state, and jerky ships well because it is light and shelf-stable. State-inspected jerky can ship only within its state, unless its state takes part in Cooperative Interstate Shipment and the plant has been accepted into it. Retail-exempt jerky is limited to household consumers, so ask your regulator before you ship it. To sell beef jerky from home with local pickup instead of shipping, a pre-order page like Homegrown's works for your market regulars.

Related Reading

These guides answer the next question most jerky vendors have.

• Can You Sell Homemade Beef Jerky? The federal law and each exemption in more depth.
• How Much to Sell Beef Jerky For Bag-by-bag pricing, wholesale prices and what 20, 50 and 100 bags a week pay.
• Where to Sell Beef Jerky Seven places to sell and which ones each kind of plant allows.
• Colorado Cottage Food Law The rest of Colorado's home-food rules.
• Food Freedom States List Which states have food freedom laws, and what they still leave out.

Jerky takes more legal work up front than almost any other food you could sell, so pick your production path first and confirm it with your state in writing. When your jerky is made in an inspected plant and ready for the market table, start your Homegrown storefront so regulars can order their favorite flavors before you buy the next batch of beef.