Sweet Home Bakery
By: Paige Nelson
All bakeries start somewhere. Many are starting in the heart of one’s home.
Like any new business, starting a storefront in the beginning can be challenging for a number of reasons. Financially, not having a firm customer base, etc., which is why in-home bakeries have been on the rise, but they haven’t always been around in Texas.
Kelley Masters set out to change things for in-home bakeries in Texas in 2005 when her sister asked her to make her wedding cake. She started taking cake decorating lessons and participating in online forums and after a while realized that there were people who had cake businesses from their homes. It was in that time that she thought to herself “I want to do that too.” It was through many phone calls and being transferred to different people that Masters got a definitive no, she wasn’t allowed to have a cooking business from her home.
She wanted change. So, in 2007 she wrote letters to the Texas State Representative and got nothing. Masters sent another letter including the 11 states that she knew at that time that allowed people to bake and sell things from their home. This worked, and in 2009 the Texas state representative at the time introduced the first Cottage Food Bill.
“You would have thought the world was ending at how the health department, all the cities and the counties reacted. They said it was going to be the end of public health as we knew it. Everybody was against the bill,” Masters said.
The bill ended up not passing until 2011, and was very limited. You could only sell baked goods, jams and jellies and dried herb mixes and you could only sell them from your home.
The Texas Cottage Food Law as we know it now, was expanded in 2013 to include the selling of a number of additional food items. It also included selling food not just at your home but at farmers’ markets, farm stands, municipal, county, or nonprofit fairs, festivals, or events.
Masters said, Forbes magazine reported than more than 1,000 businesses had been created as a result of the Texas Cottage Food Law.
A local in-home bakery business that has benefitted from this bill being passed is Big Honey Bakery. Julia Miller, founder and owner of Big Honey Bakery, like Masters, wanted to start a bakery business.
Miller, only being open for a month, has gotten to see her dream in action. Miller’s love for baking was formed at a young age after seeing her grandparents bake in the kitchen for hours.
“My grandfather, Big Al, and I would sit in the kitchen for hours and make batch after batch until we were able to perfect a chocolate chip cookie,” Miller said.
Miller always dreamed of opening her own bakery someday, but when her grandfather passed away the thought started to overwhelm her.
“I didn’t think it was possible without the capital, without investors, without a storefront. But, I think I just woke up one day and realized that I didn’t need any of those things. All I needed was an oven, some taste testers, and a little drive,” Miller said.
After building her baking supplies collection for years, Miller cut down on her upfront cost of the initial supplies. Because Big Honey Bakery gained traction so fast, she was able to use the profit for stickers, business cards, packaging and things to help grow her business.
Miller said that she has not had any trouble with compliance of the Texas Cottage Food Law to open an in-home bakery and that it is very straightforward to follow.
To open an in-home bakery, you have to obtain a food handlers card which you can get online for $8 as well as put a label on your food that states the allergens and that it was made in a home kitchen.
Miller’s story among many others in Texas is what has made all of Masters’ work on the bill worth it.
Miller, who has a full-time corporate job on top of opening the bakery, has her hands full.
“These businesses really mean a lot to the people who own them. They are a great way to incubate a business, to see if they actually have a viable business. They provide much needed income to the people who need it most. I think it has been fantastic for Texas,” Masters said.
Masters doesn’t plan to stop at the 2013 bill. In fact, there is a 2019 bill pending in the legislature for changes to the 2013 bill. A big change to the new bill would basically say you could sell anywhere, not just in your home, at farmer’s markets or at non-profit events. It takes out the current restriction of location and says as long as you are selling directly to your consumer you can sell anywhere.
“Location I would say is the top concern of the group (in-home bakers) that I represent just because it doesn’t matter how good your product is if there is nowhere to sell it,” Masters said.
Opening an in-home bakery isn’t easy, but because of the Texas Cottage Food Law it has been made possible.
