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Selling Homemade Vanilla Extract - maybe?

post #1 of 5
3/19/12 at 2:25pm
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I own a small bakery specializing in pies, cookies and cakes. I've been thinking about making homemade vanilla to sell during the holidays. I did make a courtesy call to our health dept to see if there was any problem with this because of the alcohol, but she wanted to check with the ATF (grrrrr). My storebought vanilla has 35% alcohol...so I figure it should be ok to do this as long as I follow the FDA guidelines. Has anyone tried to do this or have any insight? Thank you!
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post #2 of 5
3/20/12 at 3:38am
My daughter made vanilla for Christmas gifts, it was great. I liked the look of it a lot, you could see the flecks of the bean. She used pretty bottles, with a cute topper, and labels. I bet people would buy them as stocking stuffers, as well as for themselves.
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post #3 of 5
3/20/12 at 10:54am
In the UK you have to have the age restriction on the product as it is mainly alcohol. So I would say so long as you sell it to over 21's with ID etc you will be covered.
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post #4 of 5
3/20/12 at 11:37pm
I had a wholesaler approach me about selling my extract and it is in production now to be sold in gourmet and organic specialty food stores. I do have an HD that is up on the law as far a selling baked goods with alcohol and the extract.

The extract falls under FDA, not ATF. You must make it 35% alcohol or by law (yes, law), you cannot call it extract. That is the minimum. You may be subject to an FDA inspection. In my area, the local FDA inspectors will come by and check out any wholesaling or sales issue that is not in the norm.

Another issue to consider is that it may fall under manufacturing because you will be bottling. This again, falls into the realm of the FDA. Not as in having an FDA certified kitchen for shipping out of state, but they are more knowledgeable concerning bottling and canning.

This is a packaged product, unlike cake and bakery goods which are considered unpackaged. You may need a nutritional label from a certified agency. You will need this if you ever ship it. Or you may have an HD code that just requires an ingredient label.

You also may need certification that it meets FDA requirements for extract. I don't, but if it is ever questioned, I have to have my exact process showing my percentages and how I derived the numbers.

I'll be happy to share anything else I have found out in a pm. Let me know if you are interested.
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post #5 of 5
1/16/13 at 4:30pm

How generous is your offer to help! your post has already answered some questions for me. I wanted sell vanilla at farmers markets here in Colorado. If I understand you correctly, the issue is bottling and must meet certain standards fro manufaturing and bottling, is that right?

Who should i contact to comply, in your opinion? The health dept. and the FDA?

Can you think of other issues i might want to look out for?

Gain thanks for your generosity in sharing information....sometimes the only thing that stands between inaction and sucess is a little knowledge!

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