Can you sell sourdough bread from home? Yes, and here's how

Good news first: sourdough is one of the easiest things you can sell from your home kitchen! A plain loaf doesn't need the fridge, and that's the line almost every cottage food law cares about most. So if you've been feeding a starter for a while and handing loaves to every neighbor who'll take one, you're probably closer to a little bread business than you think.

I can tell you sourdough isn't a niche thing, either. On Coop right now, 65 metro areas have enough local sourdough bakers to get their own "sourdough near me" page, and that bar is at least five listings from at least three different sellers. Sourdough is also one of the most searched words in the app every single week (27 searches last week, right behind eggs, meat and beef).

Where the sourdough bakers are

These are the metros on Coop with the most sourdough listings as of this week:

One thing I find really encouraging in there: a city doesn't need a huge population to have a real sourdough scene. Springfield, Missouri has more sourdough bakers on Coop than a lot of metros ten times its size.

And the other side of it matters too. People in Austin are searching Google for sourdough bread near them, but there are only a handful of Austin sourdough listings on Coop so far (you can see them here). If you bake in a city like that, there's room for you.

The rules in six states

We've read the official laws for six states and written a full guide for each one. Here's the short version for a plain sourdough loaf:

Every state also wants a label on your bread, and most want a specific sentence on it saying it was made in a home kitchen. The exact wording is different in each state, so copy it straight from your state's guide. (We wrote a whole post on cottage food labels if you want the details.)

Where sourdough gets tricky

A plain loaf of flour, water and salt is the easy case. Here's where you should slow down and check your state's guide before you list:

• Fillings and add-ins. Cheese, jalapeño and cheese, meat, or anything with a cream filling can turn a shelf-stable loaf into a food that needs the fridge. Some states treat those very differently from plain bread.
• Shipping. Florida and Oklahoma allow it. Texas and Arizona don't. If you're not sure, plan on local pickup and delivery.
• Your county and city. Cottage food laws are state laws, but local zoning and HOA rules can still apply to where you sell and how buyers pick up.

A few tips for selling sourdough

A few things that make a sourdough storefront easier to run (and easier to buy from):

• Bake to a schedule. Sourdough takes a day or two from start to finish, so pick your bake days and take orders ahead. Coop lets you set pickup times, so buyers know exactly when their loaf will be ready (and you're not stuck with six extra loaves on a Tuesday).
• List more than one thing. Plain loaves are the anchor, but a lot of bakers add focaccia, bagels, cinnamon rolls or a seasonal loaf. A buyer who comes for bread might grab one more thing while they're at it.
• Show the crumb. A photo of the loaf cut open sells it better than any description I could write for you!
• Say what's in it. Flour type, any add-ins, and allergens right in the listing. Buyers appreciate it, and in some states your online listing has to show the label info anyway.

If you're starting from zero, the free Coop Academy lessons walk you through setting up a storefront and your first listings. And our post on starting a cottage bakery covers the bigger picture.

Ready to sell your bread?

If you've got a starter on the counter and a few loaves a week to spare, open a storefront on Coop and let your neighbors find you. And if you're just here because you want a good loaf, you can browse sourdough near you any time.

This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so confirm with your state's health or agriculture department before you sell.

Cole Coleman, founder of Coop