How-to
Start a home bakery: rules, storefront, first drop.
Starting a home bakery is three steps: stay legal, take orders, then bake and hand off. This guide walks that path. Use the cottage food laws hub for your state or province rules. Use BakeryFlow when you are ready to take pre-orders and run your first drop.
Once you know your local rules, BakeryFlow takes your first pre-orders from one link.
1. Know the rules where you live
Cottage food rules decide what you may sell from a home kitchen. Read the cottage food laws hub, then your state or province page. Come back here when you are ready to sell.
2. Set up BakeryFlow before your first drop
- One storefront link customers can use without an app.
- A short menu you can actually finish.
- Pickup windows and how you get paid.
3. Run your first drop
Treat it like a small pop-up: date, quantity limits, close time, bake list, pickup. BakeryFlow emails customers a pickup reminder, then a review request after pickup. After that, weekly drops are the same motion with a new menu.
How to start a home bakery
- Check cottage food and local rules. Read your state or province cottage food guide for allowed foods, labels, sales caps, and whether you need a permit. Confirm local rules if your city adds any.
- Set up a customer-facing storefront. Publish a BakeryFlow storefront link with this week’s menu, pickup windows, and pay methods. Share it in your bio, texts, or posts.
- Run your first drop. Open pre-orders, close the drop before you shop and mix, bake the list on bake day, and hand off orders in your pickup windows.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a home bakery?⌄
Confirm cottage food rules in your state or province, set up a BakeryFlow storefront link, then run a first drop: take pre-orders, bake what sold, hand off at pickup.
Do I need a commercial kitchen?⌄
Many state and provincial programs allow a home kitchen with limits. Some products or volumes require a commercial kitchen. Check your state or province guide.
What software do I need on day one?⌄
You need a way to take pre-orders and a list to bake from. BakeryFlow is that home bakery app.