Question About Ohio Cottage Food Law
Business By TricycleTreats Updated 25 Jun 2012 , 2:36pm by TricycleTreats
Hi all!
Newbie to Cake Central, although I've lurked off and on occasionally. 
My boyfriend wants to do a merger between my cupcake business (if you can even call it that; I still need to restart it after moving back to Cincinnati last year) and his juice business idea. We'd start off selling at farmers markets and see where things go.
I understand Ohio cottage food laws as it pertains to cakes/baked goods, but I'm puzzled if he'd be able to sell juice.
He would bring produce and our juicer and make drinks to order. There's no extra ingredients or additives in the juices. He's not canning anything. It's just shoving fruits and vegetables through the juicer.
Many, many thanks for the help and advice!
Hi!
I am in Ohio... But never thought about juice... I would think that since juice requires refridgeration (sp?) that it may not fall under the law, but check with them to be sure...
The links I am providing are from the Ohio Department of Agriculture Website... If you email them, they are prompt at answering questions... Also talk with your local Health Department because sometimes they add additional regulations... A quick email gets everything in writing...
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/foodsafety/docs/Cottage_Food_Rules_Final6-09.pdf
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/foodsafety/
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/foodsafety/docs/CottageFoodOperation-factsheet.pdf
Hopefully these links are helpful for you...
Oh... I forgot one link that is very helpful... a copy of an example label for items... very helpful link...
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/FoodSafety/docs/labeling/LabelLayout11-12-10.pdf
I am in Ohio... But never thought about juice... I would think that since juice requires refridgeration (sp?) that it may not fall under the law, but check with them to be sure...
Yeah, that's the tricky thing. 
The juice, after it's made, doesn't have to be refridgerated since it'll be made to order and the customer will be drinking it on the spot. The juice we make at home... even the juice we buy at the Whole Foods juice bar... it's never *cold* cold. It's more like a lukewarm kind of cold.
It's beforehand though. How would he keep the fruits and veggies cold? Bring a mini fridge? In a cooler? *sigh* And then as I was making my juice this morning... I realized there's the issue of cleaning the fruits and veggies before putting them through the juicer. *double sigh*
He has such a great idea--especially since the juice craze is just starting here in Cincinnati--and is really excited about it. I'm even excited about teaming up with him and offering healthy baked goods because, seriously, it just seems wrong for someone to buy a pear-carrot-beet-kale-spinach juice and then I'll be standing there asking if they'd like to buy this big calorie loaded cupcake topped high with buttercream icing. It'd be sad if he can't start out the cottage food way and build from there.
The links I am providing are from the Ohio Department of Agriculture Website... If you email them, they are prompt at answering questions...
Sent them an email yesterday afternoon.
Also talk with your local Health Department because sometimes they add additional regulations...
Should I talk to the Health Department in the county where we live or in the county where the farmer's market is in?
Thank you SOOO much for all your help!
you should probably talk to both counties, just in case you also sell in yours. and take a look at the farmers market's vendor agreement. sometimes they have other stipulations, like carrying a liability insurance policy (the big one up here in Dayton requires that).
Oh... I forgot one link that is very helpful... a copy of an example label for items... very helpful link...
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/FoodSafety/docs/labeling/LabelLayout11-12-10.pdf
This is AWESOME!!! Thank you!!!
It's been a real eye opener learning about everything that one needs to do to start an at-home food business. When I sold cupcakes at a farmers market down in Savannah, I'd just show up on Saturdays with cupcakes in carriers. No labels, no packaging, no nutrition info, etc. 
Moved back up here and learned that Georgia doesn't have a cottage food law, so I shouldn't have been selling at all.
Welp, heard back from Ohio's Department of Agriculture.
No, juice is not a Cottage Food. You would need to make and bottle the juice in an inspected facility. You would be inspected for sanitation and Good Manufacturing Practices.
FYI there is a community kitchen incubator in your area, might be worth looking into.
http://gabrielsplace.diosohio.org/Connect/community-kitchen-incubator.html
FYI there is a community kitchen incubator in your area, might be worth looking into.
http://gabrielsplace.diosohio.org/Connect/community-kitchen-incubator.html
Oh wow! I had *no* idea this place existed. I will definitely check into this. Thanks soooo much!
Sorry to hear... I wish you luck with your baking though!
Thanks!
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