How to Market and Sell Homemade Food Products

Although the phrase "homemade food" is often used to refer to recipes that are lovingly prepared in home kitchens, the "homemade" food products that you see in supermarkets tend to be crafted in relatively small batches in commercial kitchens. Many states also have cottage food laws that allow you to process some low hazard foods in a home kitchen. The decision of whether to use a home or commercial kitchen will determine the scale of your business and how you market and sell your homemade food products.

Farmers' markets are ideal venues for selling homemade food products. The opportunity to meet your clients face to face and sell directly to them enables you to market your homemade food products by emphasizing their uniqueness. Keeping virtually all of the purchase price enables you build a potentially profitable business, even if your sales volume is limited. Marketing homemade food products at farmers' markets also involves creating attractive displays and sampling your foods by offering tastes to shoppers.

Online sales offer another opportunity for small-scale food producers to find customers who are specifically interested in artisan food products. Build an attractive website that communicates your vision and your offerings. Equip it with eCommerce capabilities so interested customers can learn about your homemade food products and purchase them without having to navigate away from your site. Spread the word about your products by cross marketing with complimentary products. For example, if you sell homemade jams, exchange links with companies that sell homemade biscuits and muffins.

Grocery stores in your area that specialize in locally crafted foods may be interested in stocking your homemade food products. To sell wholesale to grocery stores you will probably need to prepare your products in a licensed commercial kitchen because retailers will likely require you to do so for insurance purposes. Bring samples to the buyers in the appropriate department. Offer to schedule demos sampling your products to customers.

If you prepare your homemade food products efficiently and with a healthy profit margin, you may be able to wholesale them to food distributors who, in turn, sell them to retail stores. You earn less per item selling products this way than offering them directly to customers or to retailers, but you can make up for price cuts by producing in greater volume. If you are selling to a distributor, lease a commercial kitchen in order to give your business credibility and also achieve economies of scale. Market your products by providing promotional materials, such as brochures and shelf signs, and offer introductory discounts to encourage customers to try your offerings.