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.