The Homegrown Vendor Blog

Selling food on Instagram doesn't change your licensing requirements. Your state's cottage food law applies the same whether customers find you at a market or through DMs.

Need an order form for Instagram food sales? Compare Google Forms, Jotform, and dedicated ordering pages — and learn which saves the most time.

Learn how to track DM orders for your food business with spreadsheets, payment tracking, and weekly workflows so no order gets lost.

Farm stands are simple, seasonal setups with low cost. Farm stores are permanent retail spaces needing more investment. Learn which model fits your goals.

Farm stand or CSA? Compare startup costs, crop requirements, revenue models, and workload to decide which direct sales model fits your small farm.

Farm stand or farmers market? Compare costs, traffic, and flexibility to decide which selling channel is right for your food business — or use both.

Find grants for your cottage food business. Federal, state, and private programs fund home food vendors — startup costs are under $500 so small grants go far.

Wyoming, Utah, Maine, North Dakota, and Arkansas lead with food freedom laws. Learn what you can sell, which states have the fewest restrictions, and how to start.

Should you upgrade from your home kitchen to a commissary? Learn when it makes sense, what it costs, and why most cottage food vendors should stay home.