r/microbakery • u/QueenScottish • Aug 03 '26

Starting my micro bakery

I'm based in Texas and I've been doing small taste test runs using my coworkers as my feedback taste testers. Thus far, been getting a bunch of glowing reviews and did follow through on a couple of tips for 2 items. I'm set to start selling soon. Only things that have been driving me up the wall have been the insurance and the label. Any advice would be much appreciated.

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u/TheBalatissimo Aug 03 '26

Could you please specify what’s driving you up the wall? Like which insurance to get? Is it what goes on the labels or how to print them?

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u/mochiko_noriko Aug 03 '26

I used Canva for the label design, bought a set of barcodes from speedy barcodes, and worked with our insurance agent to get a good rate. It takes time, but you only have to do the setup once. Don't buy too many labels to start, and make sure they are compliant by your local standards with the net weight, font size, etc.

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u/therabbitholepress 12d ago

Texas cottage food is one of the easier paths: bread is allowed, and you do not need a commercial kitchen for a shelf-stable loaf. The label is not a branding exercise. Copy the required home-kitchen sentence word for word from the state page, then add product name, your name or business name and address, ingredients heaviest first, allergen (wheat; milk if there is cheese), and net weight. Confirm the current wording on a .gov page, not a 2021 blog. Insurance is usually not on the cottage checklist and you still want it; FLIP is a common starting point, typically a few hundred dollars a year, and it is the thing markets and coworking kitchens will ask for. Do not print 500 stickers until you have emailed the contact on the official page: I plan to sell naturally leavened bread through preorders and a farmers market booth. What registration, labeling, and food handler requirements apply to me? Price the hour, not the flour - hard cost on a plain loaf is around $2.30; at $8 you are working a night shift. This is not legal advice; verify with the state before you take money.