Minnesota cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Minnesota
Minnesota cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Minnesota's cottage food law lets home bakers sell directly to consumers up to a $78,000 sales cap — provided you sell directly to consumers, label every product correctly, and follow Minnesota's rules. CottageOps configures the Minnesota label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Minnesota's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- $78,000 per year, gross sales. In Minnesota this is a hard cap — once you reach it in a 12-month window, the lawful move is to stop selling under the cottage food exemption (or move to a fully licensed operation).
- Refrigerated (TCS) foods
- Minnesota's cottage food path is limited to shelf-stable goods — refrigerated (TCS) items aren't allowed under the exemption.
- Where you can sell
- Direct to Minnesota consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Minnesota
Every Minnesota cottage food label must carry the product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, the net weight, a “Contains” allergen statement for any FDA major allergens, your name and address as the producer, and the Minnesota-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.
Before you sell in Minnesota
Minnesota requires you to register with the state before you sell.
Before accepting orders in Minnesota, you'll need to register with the state agency that oversees cottage food. There's no kitchen inspection — it's typically a one-time registration. You can set everything up in CottageOps first and flip on orders once you're registered.
Full Minnesota cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Minnesota's primary statute, the agency that enforces it, the revenue cap, what foods are allowed, refrigerated-food (TCS) rules, labeling notes, and the watch-outs to know before you sell.
- Primary statute
- Minn. Stat. §28A.152 (Minnesota Cottage Food exemption) (Minnesota Cottage Food exemption)
- Enforcing agency
- Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)
- Revenue cap
- $78,000/year program ceiling (a Tier-1/Tier-2 internal boundary sits at $7,665). The engine stores $78,000. Hard cap.
- Allowed foods
- Non-TCS (shelf-stable) cottage foods including baked goods.
- Refrigerated (TCS) / prohibited
- Conservative shelf-stable only (engine refuses TCS labels for MN).
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer; registration before sale (registration tier).
- Labeling notes
- Disclosure (note the plural) "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection." at ≥10pt.
- Watch-outs
- Registration before sale required (gated tier).
- Internal Tier-1/Tier-2 boundary at $7,665 affects training/registration requirements.
General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state agency. Last verified 2026-06-15.
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Minnesota cottage food FAQ
What must a Minnesota cottage food label include?
A compliant Minnesota cottage food label needs the product name, the ingredients in descending order by weight, the net weight (oz and/or grams), the "Contains" allergen statement for any FDA major allergens, the producer's name and address, and the Minnesota-required legal disclosure. Our free generator fills in the disclosure for you and lays out the rest automatically as you type.
What is the required cottage food disclosure in Minnesota?
Minnesota requires this exact disclosure on the label: "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection." You never type it — the generator applies the current Minnesota disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Minnesota?
No — Minnesota's cottage food path is limited to shelf-stable goods, so TCS items that need refrigeration are not allowed under the cottage food exemption. If you toggle "Contains a TCS item" the generator will flag that Minnesota doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Minnesota cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Minnesota-compliant label is free with no account. CottageOps is free through 2026 — no credit card — and when you're ready to download or print the full-resolution label you just claim your free CottageOps account. In 2027 it's a flat $19/mo (or $190/yr).
More for Minnesota bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
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A free Minnesota storefront, the Minnesota label disclosure configured for you, and sales tracking — built in from day one. Cancel anytime; the most-recent month is refundable.
Start freeThis is general information, not legal advice — confirm with your Minnesota cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.