From hobby batches to a real cottage business
Freeze-dried candy and snacks are among the most popular cottage food products in the country, and among the easiest to get wrong legally. This hub collects everything we publish on selling what you dry.
Start here
- Flagship guide
Selling freeze-dried food from home: rules, testing, and real unit economics
What cottage food laws generally allow, the 0.85 water-activity line, labeling, and a worked cost-per-bag model.
- Free tool
The Batch Log & Cost Tracker
Know your true cost per batch and per bag: the number your pricing depends on. Includes a water-activity reading field for your records.
- Troubleshooting
Bags lost their crunch in storage
The five failure points between a perfect batch and a stale product, and how sellers prevent every one.
The three questions every new seller must answer
1. Is my product allowed? Most states allow shelf-stable, non-potentially-hazardous foods under cottage law. For freeze-dried products the dividing line is usually water activity (0.85 or below is the common threshold), plus categorical rules (meat, poultry, and seafood are broadly excluded).
2. Can I prove it? A growing number of states expect sellers to verify water activity. University extension programs have validated sub-$100 meters for cottage producers; our economics guide covers testing practice and record-keeping.
3. Does the math work? Electricity, packaging, absorbers, labels, candy cost, and, above all, your machine's cycle time set a floor under your pricing. Log a few real batches in the Batch Log before you print price tags.