The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

Learn how to start a food business from your home kitchen by hearing stories from cottage food entrepreneurs about how they grew their businesses from the ground up. Does everyone ask for your recipes, or say "You should sell that"? Have you dreamed of starting a brick-and-mortar bakery, or simply want a fun hobby that brings in some extra dough? On this podcast, David interviews a wide range of entrepreneurs across America who legally sell their homemade food via their state's cottage food law. Each episode reveals strategies for marketing and selling your food products successfully from home, online, at farmers markets/events, and in stores. Learn what steps you should (or shouldn't) take, and get your cottage food business off to the right start!

Episodes

Tiffany Hill with The Pink Crumbb

April 23, 2024 • 53 mins

Tiffany Hill of Apple Valley, CA shares how she switched careers and built a full-time income from her cottage food bakery, after initially struggling to make sales and nearly shutting it down

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/113

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Mark Elvidge with Vermont Nut Free Chocolates

April 9, 2024 • 59 mins

Mark Elvidge shares how he and his wife started Vermont Nut Free Chocolates from home in 1998 and built it into an international brand with over 1,000 wholesale locations and constant growth each year

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/112

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Monique Germaine with Kneading to Bake

March 26, 2024 • 56 mins

Monique Germaine of Nashville, TN shares how she built and rebuilt her cottage food bakery in 3 different states, plus a crazy commercial food business journey that got her products into big retailers

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/111

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Michelle Dukes with The Cookie Cutters

March 12, 2024 • 56 mins

Michelle Dukes of Penfield, NY shares why she shifted her business model after 10 years of running a cottage food bakery, while keeping focus on the most important aspect of her business: having fun

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/110

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Shupan Abraham with Cakes By Shupan

February 27, 2024 • 57 mins

Shupan Abraham of Lawrenceville, GA shares how her cottage food bakery transformed once she hired a coach, and what she's learned about putting herself out there and marketing her business effectively

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/109

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David Bock with Buzzed Honeys

February 13, 2024 • 58 mins

David Bock of Altadena, CA runs a multifaceted honey business that specializes in rescuing honey bees, and he shares local marketing tips that helped him build an email list of 3,500+ subscribers

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/108

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Jessi Deily with Colby Jack Rabbit

January 30, 2024 • 58 mins

Jessi Deily of Helena, MT sells macarons and custom-decorated meringue cookies with her cottage food business and shares her journey from struggling artist to successful baker and TikTok influencer

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/107

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Eric & Denise Steilberger with Fudge De Fûge

January 16, 2024 • 55 mins

Eric & Denise Steilberger of Ocala, FL sell their homemade fudge all year long and share how the lessons they learned from running a cafe in Alaska helped them build a successful cottage food business

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/106

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Kristyn Suemnick with Old Oak Sourdough

January 2, 2024 • 59 mins

Kristyn Suemnick of Murrieta, CA shares how her discovery of sourdough bread led to building a thriving home bakery that allows her to stay at home with her kids and better connect with her community

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/105

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Megan Shonka with Happy Mango Bakery

December 19, 2023 • 59 mins

Megan Shonka of Papillion, NE shares the highs and lows of her home-based bakery journey, the importance of being involved in her community, and her plans to expand into a brick-and-mortar storefront

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/104

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Angela Awunor with Angyono Cakes

December 5, 2023 • 59 mins

Angela Awunor of Glenn Dale, MD shares how she moved her thriving custom cake business from a commercial kitchen into her home, and how she maintains work-life balance with two full-time careers

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/103

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Denae Spiering with The Sugar Shack

November 21, 2023 • 59 mins

Denae Spiering of Bridgeville, DE shares how she realized her long-time dream of building a brick-and-mortar bakery despite life getting in the way and pausing her cottage food business for many years

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/102

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Deanna Martinez-Bey with The Fiery Whisk Bakery

November 7, 2023 • 57 mins

Deanna Martinez-Bey of Wake Forest, NC is a multi-faceted food entrepreneur and shares her experience in building a cottage food bakery, writing books, managing social media, and running pop-up events

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/101

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Episode 100: Where Are They Now?

October 24, 2023 • 126 mins

In this very special 100th episode, previous guests come back on to share an update of what's changed since they were last on the show, what's surprised them, and what they've learned along the way

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/100

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Starting A Mission-Driven Business with Nancy Chang

October 10, 2023 • 59 mins

Nancy Chang of Oakland, CA sells healthy soups with her home-based micro-restaurant and shares how her mother's battle with cancer inspired her to provide nourishing food to those facing health issues

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/99

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Invest In Yourself with Stephanie Wiley

September 26, 2023 • 59 mins

Stephanie Wiley of Whitefish, MT shares how the tragic loss of her son inspired her to start a cookie business, which she has quickly grown by seeking help from others and investing in the business

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/98

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Healthy Grains, Wealthy Gains with Tamara Ketchian

September 12, 2023 • 59 mins

Tamara Ketchian of Orange, CT sells gluten-free vegan granola and shares how she's gone from stay-at-home mom to starting a cottage food bakery to now scaling her business with a commercial kitchen

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/97

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Don’t Be Afraid Of Failure with Jana LaViolette

August 29, 2023 • 59 mins

Jana LaViolette of Clovis, NM shares her incredible journey from cottage food to food truck to storefront, and how she overcame many obstacles by constantly trying new things and never giving up

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/96

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It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint with Robert & Paula Grosz

August 15, 2023 • 59 mins

Robert & Paula Grosz of Murray, KY share how they built a thriving jam & jelly business that allowed them to quit their jobs by focusing on quality, listening to customers, and scaling their business

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/95

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From Corporate Burnout to Cottage Food with Susan Ting

August 1, 2023 • 57 mins

Susan Ting of Needham, MA shares how quitting her corporate job and facing burnout led her to start a cottage food bakery where she sells very unique and high-end gluten-free mochi desserts

Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/94

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The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Tiffany Hill with The Pink Crumbb

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Mark Elvidge with Vermont Nut Free Chocolates

Monique Germaine with Kneading to Bake

Michelle Dukes with The Cookie Cutters

Shupan Abraham with Cakes By Shupan

David Bock with Buzzed Honeys

Jessi Deily with Colby Jack Rabbit

Eric & Denise Steilberger with Fudge De Fûge

Kristyn Suemnick with Old Oak Sourdough

Megan Shonka with Happy Mango Bakery

Angela Awunor with Angyono Cakes

Denae Spiering with The Sugar Shack

Deanna Martinez-Bey with The Fiery Whisk Bakery

Episode 100: Where Are They Now?

Starting A Mission-Driven Business with Nancy Chang

Invest In Yourself with Stephanie Wiley

Healthy Grains, Wealthy Gains with Tamara Ketchian

Don’t Be Afraid Of Failure with Jana LaViolette

It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint with Robert & Paula Grosz

From Corporate Burnout to Cottage Food with Susan Ting

Popular Podcasts

Tiffany Hill with The Pink Crumbb

Mark Elvidge with Vermont Nut Free Chocolates