Newburgh Is Home to a Growing Cottage Food Community

Fresh sourdough. Homemade jams. Cake pops. Cookies. Honey.

If you've noticed more neighborhood bread stands and home-based bakeries popping up around Southern Indiana, you're not imagining things.

The Town of Newburgh recently highlighted several of its growing number of home-based food vendors, showcasing local entrepreneurs who are legally selling everything from artisan bread to baked treats right from their homes.

What Is a Home-Based Vendor?

Indiana law allows certain food entrepreneurs, often called home-based or cottage food vendors, to prepare and sell approved foods directly from their homes without operating a traditional commercial bakery or storefront.

Under Indiana's Home-Based Vendor law, vendors can sell products in person at farmers markets and community events, directly from their homes, and even ship eligible products within Indiana.

The law has opened the door for many Hoosiers to turn a favorite hobby into a small business.

What Foods Can They Sell?

Home-based vendors can legally sell a variety of non-potentially hazardous foods, including:

• Cookies, breads, muffins, cupcakes, and cake pops
• Candy and confections
• Honey, maple syrup, sorghum, and molasses
• Whole fruits and vegetables
• Tree nuts and legumes
• Traditional jams, jellies, and preserves made from high-acid fruits using full-sugar recipes
• Certain mushrooms grown as an agricultural product

These foods generally do not require refrigeration for safety.

What Can't Be Sold?

Some foods are prohibited because they require strict temperature control or additional food safety oversight.

Examples include:

• Meat products
• Salsa
• Pickled vegetables and other acidified foods
• Most canned foods
• Duck, turkey, or quail eggs
• Foods that require refrigeration to remain safe

Products sold by home-based vendors must also be sold directly to consumers and cannot be wholesaled to grocery stores.

Labeling Is Required

Every product sold by a home-based vendor must include specific information, including:

• The producer's name and mailing address
• Ingredients listed by weight
• Net weight or volume
• Processing date

A statement explaining that the food was produced in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Indiana Department of Health

Home-based vendors are also required to obtain an ANSI-accredited food handler certificate, according to the Indiana Home-based Vendor Handbook.

Newburgh's Home-Based Vendors

The Town of Newburgh recently highlighted several local businesses participating in the growing home-based food movement, including:

• The Cottage Bakery, 610 Middle Street
• The Kneading Neighbor, 4300 Pine Drive
• Lock & Dam Cottage Creations, 5644 St. Catherine Court
• Alex's Doughlicious Delights, 2400 Colorado Drive
• Baked and Crumbled Cake Pop Bakery, 3022 Deer Point Drive

The businesses offer everything from artisan sourdough and baked goods to cake pops, cookies, jams, and other homemade treats.

As more Hoosiers embrace shopping locally, Indiana's home-based vendor law has made it easier than ever to support neighborhood entrepreneurs while discovering fresh, homemade foods just around the corner.