The Homegrown Vendor Blog

What the 1099-K threshold means for food vendors using Venmo, PayPal, and card processors: it reports gross payments not profit, and you owe tax with or without one.

Food vendor mileage deduction explained: standard mileage rate vs actual expenses, what counts as business miles, how to track them, and how to choose. Not tax advice.

Sell Caribbean food from home: jerk seasoning, rum cake, and baked goods are shelf-stable and cottage-legal (oxtail and jerk chicken need a licensed kitchen). Rules and pricing.

Sell Indian food from home: namkeen, dry mithai, and spice blends are shelf-stable and cottage-legal (curries and biryani need a licensed kitchen). Rules, pricing, festivals.

Sell Middle Eastern sweets from home: baklava, ma'amoul, and halva are shelf-stable and often cottage-legal. Rules, nut allergen labeling, premium pricing, and demand.

Build a heritage food brand around your family's recipes: why your heritage is your best asset, defining your brand, telling your story, naming, and reaching customers.

Selling kosher food under cottage food law: which kosher foods are cottage-legal, kosher certification (hechsher), meat-dairy rules, pareve labeling, and holiday demand.

Selling halal food under cottage food law: keeping halal doesn't change the rules. Which halal foods are cottage-legal, sourcing, labeling, and reaching Muslim customers.

Sell chin chin from home: a shelf-stable, giftable, shippable fried snack that's often cottage-legal. Cottage food and fried-food rules, pricing, and packaging.