How do I start a home-based food business in Nevada?

What counts as a home-based food business in Nevada?

In Nevada, a home-based food business is also known as a “cottage food” business, which falls under cottage food law. The State of Nevada provides a detailed FAQ that explains what a cottage food business is. Essentially, a cottage food operation is a food business where you make food from your private home. As for what a private home means, it just means the place where you live. You can sell up to $35,000 per year from your home-based food business 

What can you sell at a home-based food business in Nevada?

You’re allowed to sell “low-risk” foods in a cottage food business, which include foods like:

• Nuts and nut mixes;
• Candies;
• Jams, jellies and preserves;
• Vinegar and flavored vinegar;
• Dry herbs and seasoning mixes;
• Dried fruits;
• Cereals, trail mixes and granola;
• Popcorn and popcorn balls; or

• Baked goods that:

  • Are not potentially hazardous foods;
  • Do not contain cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue or cream cheese frosting or garnishes; and
  • Do not require time or temperature controls for food safety.

Some foods you CANNOT prepare include:

• Fresh or dried meat or meat products including jerky
• Fresh or dried poultry or poultry products
• Canned fruits, vegetables, vegetable butters, or salsas
• Fish or shellfish products
• Canned pickled products such as corn relish, pickles or sauerkraut
• Raw seed sprouts
• Tempered or molded chocolate or chocolate type products
• Cut fresh fruits or vegetables
• Food products made from cut fresh fruits or vegetables, not subject to cooking
• Food products made with cooked vegetable products
• Garlic in Oil mixtures
• juices made from fresh fruits or vegetables
• Ice or ice products
• Barbeque sauces, ketchup and mustard

• Focaccia-style breads with vegetables or cheeses

• Roasted coffee products 

How to open a home-based food business in Nevada

Although it all comes down to making and selling your food, there’s still many steps that most people end up following. 

Here are the steps: 

1. Decide what kinds of foods you want to sell. It can be helpful to figure out what you want to sell beforehand, since several of the later steps involve what you’re selling, such as labelling your food and registering your business. 
2. Label your food. You’ll have to label what it is, as well as its net weight and ingredients. 
3. Make sure your home is sanitary according to the health guidelines. For the safety of yourself and your customers, it’s best to keep everything clean. This will also ensure that the registration process goes smoothly. 
4. Register your business. You’ll have to register your business as a “cottage food operation” with the government–we’ll go more in detail about this in a later section. 
5. Set up an online store, or sell in-person at food fairs and farmers’ markets. Now you’re ready to set up your business, whether online or in-person. You can either sell at in-person events or online using a service like FormPay. 
6. Promote your business. Now, the only thing left to do is to promote your business. You can first tell your family and friends, then reach more people online through social media–this article has more tips on how to promote your business. 

Do you need a license to sell homemade food in Nevada?

Yes, you do need a license to sell homemade food in Nevada. For the counties of Elko, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Nye, Storey, and White Pine, you can get a license from the DPBH (Department of Health and Human Services Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health). 

If you’re in the other counties listed below, you’ll have to register with that specific county’s service. You can also have multiple licenses from the DPBH and/or one of the counties below. 

• Carson City Health and Human Services (Carson City and Douglas County)
• Central Nevada Health District (Churchill, City of Fallon, Pershing, Mineral, and Eureka)
• Southern Nevada Health District (Clark County)
• Washoe County (Reno, Sparks)

How to sell homemade food at farmers’ markets and food fairs in Nevada

Once you have your cottage food operator’s license, you can sell food made in your home at any event as long as it’s directly to the customer (for example, you can’t sell it through another restaurant). That means you can sell it at farmers’ markets and food fairs as well. 

How to sell homemade food online in Nevada

Selling directly to the public means that you can sell your food online as well, which most people opt to do since it’s the more convenient option. You can use an e-commerce tool like FormPay to help you set up your store.

Many other home-based food businesses, like G Sweets and Uncle Tim’s Delicacies, are already using services like FormPay to provide a quick and convenient way for customers to buy food directly from their homes. 

How to sell homemade baked goods in Nevada

As mentioned before, baked goods that count as “low-risk” foods are totally fine to sell. This means baked goods that aren’t potentially hazardous foods, for example baked goods that don’t contain cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue or cream cheese frosting or garnishes and don’t require time or temperature controls for food safety.

Summary

Luckily, Nevada is one of the easiest states to sell homemade food in. Once you have a cottage food operation license, you can sell your food from wherever you like, whether it’s at in-person events or online through a service like FormPay. 

Resources

• Environmental Health Cottage Food Registration - Home
• Environmental Health Cottage Food Registration - FAQ