5 Types of Cookie Businesses You Can Start From Home

If there’s one thing the past few years have taught us, it’s that necessity is the mother of invention. After years on the same grind chasing the same red dot, you might be feeling it’s time for a change. If you’ve been dreaming about opening your very own business in the food industry, now might just be your time to shine! 

The best part? These businesses don’t require any substantial start-up capital. Starting a cookie business from your home just takes a little time, passion, and baking magic!

Here are five unique types of cookie businesses that anyone could start.

Decorating Cookie Business

Have a passion for fashion? Why not dress up some of your delicious flavors with a coating of colored icing?

Etsy Cookie Business

Make every special moment count with cookies for any event or celebration.

Homemade Cookie Business

Make ’em just like momma did, but for a profit instead!

Cookie Box Business

Bake a new flavor every week, and let subscribers pick and choose their favorites with every box.

Niche Cookie Business

From gluten free to vegan options, your bakery can serve it all!

Cookie Business Logistics

Once you have your cookie business identified, you will need to take a look at the logistical side of packaging and selling your cookies. It’s one thing to pull a pan out of the oven, and quite another to get your homemade delights shipped and sold to the end customer. Here are three logistical concerns you should at least consider before pressing start on your next homemade cookie adventure.

Budgeting Cookies

The amounts and types of cookies you plan on baking will set an enormous precedent for the overall operation of your cookie business. How many orders will you expect to have per week? What is the average cost of ingredients? Shipping products? Sanitation requirements? Each of these should be worked into an overall budget.

Set out to develop an exhaustive spreadsheet before starting your business. 

1. What will it cost to buy the baking equipment?
2. Think through marketing and promotional costs.
3. Consider the price of packaging cookies for shipping or pick-up.

Packaging Cookies

The art of packaging your cookies for eventual sale is an art that combines aesthetically pleasing wrappers with their properly hygienic shells. Before purchasing packaging materials, it is important to know three things:

• How you want your cookies to look while packaged.
• The number of cookies in each package.
• Your state and local laws governing cookie packaging.

In all States, food items that fail to meet packaging requirements will be considered ‘adulterated’ and banned from sale by the FDA. Shipping and storage requirements must be met if you plan to legally operate a cookie business from your home.

But don’t worry too much! You’ll have lots of time to learn about the specifics of packaging cookies by getting some hands-on experience.

Consider how you want your cookies to look when packaged. Do they need to be shipped through the mail? Are they going to be picked up in boxes? The possibilities are endless! Here are just a few quick ideas to wet your whistle:

• Cookies in jars
• Cookies in square donut boxes
• Cookies in 3D cube boxes
• Cookies in single packages
• Cookies in sealable paper bags

Do a little research on the types of cookie packaging that may be right for you. Don’t forget to customize your options as well!

Distributing Cookies

If only cookies were as easy to ship as they were to eat! One of the most important parts of your new at-home cookie business will revolve around distributing your sweet treats to your buyers.

If you plan on running a cookie business from your home, you will need to think through the shipping or retrieval process. Need to send cookies through the mail? Talk to your local post office about their options. Want to host a cookie box pickup at your home once a week? Determine what will be needed to make it happen. Remember: your cookie business is all about flexibility. Distribution is entirely up to your preference!

A Final Crumb On Cookies

Opening your very own cookie business from home has a ton of potential for both you, your family, and your professional career. Sink your teeth into something truly sweet and extra rewarding with a company you can call your own. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be teaching your friends how to open a cookie business in the near future!