I was recently going through all of the cottage food laws to decipher which one was the best in the nation and although the only one I found to be great was North Carolina’s there are bits and peaces of other cottage food laws that stand out in a good way. Michigan passed their cottage food law this summer and although there is a limit to the about of revenue you can pull in per year, $15000.00 or less; the types of products a home food processor can make is amazing.
For the creative, intuitive food crafter, the lists offers lots to work with and that is a great thing!  You can only prepare “Non-potentially hazardous foods (time and/or temperature controls not required to assure food safety – meaning foods can safely be kept at room temperature and do not require refrigeration) meet the requirements for cottage foods and can be prepared in a home kitchen and sold directly to consumers without a license,” but check out the examples:

• Breads
• Similar baked goods
• Vinegar and flavored vinegars
• Cakes, including celebration cakes (birthday, anniversary, wedding)
• Sweet breads and muffins that contain fruits or vegetables (e.g., pumpkin or zucchini bread)
• Cooked fruit pies, including pie crusts made with butter, lard or shortening
• Jams and jellies in glass jars that can be stored at room temperature
• Cookies
• Dry herbs and dry herb mixtures
• Dry baking mixes
• Dry dip mixes
• Dry soup mixes
• Dehydrated vegetables or fruits
• Popcorn
• Cotton Candy
• Non-potentially hazardous dry bulk mixes sold wholesale can be repackaged into a Cottage Food product.  Similar items already packaged and labeled for retail sale can not be repackaged and/or relabeled
• Chocolate covered pretzels, marshmallows, graham crackers, Rice Krispies treats, strawberries, pineapple or bananas
• Coated or un-coated nuts
• Dried pasta made with eggs
• Roasted coffee beans or ground roasted coffee
• Vanilla extract (Note: these products require licensing by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission)
• Baked goods that contain alcohol, like rum cake or bourbon balls (Note: these products require licensing by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission)

What is great about this list? It allow you to up-sale, cross-sale and create amazing products. My goodness, do you believe it, you can “Roast coffee beans or grind roasted coffee” and bake…what a combination.

The stinker, again… you can only make $15000.00! Come on Michigan, you could have done better than this! You want to keep Michiganders destitute? Really? Plus you state if a food crafter reaches the “$15,000 threshold for gross annual sales allowed under the Cottage Food Law”, they’ll need to become licensed to allow for continued growth and success. I am pulling my hair out here! Look,  anyone who has ever started a small business knows $15000.00 (after taxes) is not enough to take you to the next level.

We don’t have to ask why Michigan and failure go hand-in-hand.

Learn about Michigan’s Cottage Food Law