Florida Cottage Food Law · 2026
Can you sell home-roasted coffee in Florida?
YES — Allowed
Yes. Roasted coffee beans and ground coffee are allowed Florida cottage foods — dry, shelf-stable, and a strong subscription product.
Why yes?
Roasted coffee beans and dry ground coffee are non-potentially-hazardous dry goods, allowed under the cottage food law. Home roasting has a devoted market and natural repeat purchases.
What is not allowed: selling brewed coffee drinks (that is food service), or ready-to-drink bottled coffee (a beverage requiring processing approval).
Florida Cottage Food Law: Key Facts
Updated July 2026- Permit required: None — no license, permit, or FDACS registration for cottage foods
- Legal basis: Florida Statute 500.80
- Annual sales cap: $250,000 gross per year
- The rule: Only non-potentially-hazardous foods (safe at room temperature)
- Sales channel: Direct to consumers in Florida only — no wholesale
- Labels: 6 required elements, including the cottage food statement
How to sell roasted coffee legally
- 1Sell whole bean or ground, in valve bags with roast dates
- 2Brewed drinks and cold brew bottles are NOT cottage foods — dry product only
- 3A weekly/monthly subscription is the ideal coffee revenue model
- 4Single-origin stories and roast profiles justify premium pricing
Storage & refrigeration
Roasted Coffee qualifies because it's shelf-stable — safe at room temperature. Keep it that way: the moment you add a cream or custard filling, fresh dairy, or anything that needs refrigeration, it stops being a cottage food. Store and transport roasted coffee at room temperature and it stays compliant.
How to label roasted coffee
Every package of roasted coffee you sell needs a compliant label with all 6 required elements:
- 1Your cottage food business name and address
- 2The product name
- 3Ingredients, listed in descending order by weight
- 4Net weight or quantity
- 5Allergen declaration (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish)
- 6The cottage food statement (exact wording, below)
“Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations.”
This statement must appear word-for-word.
Where you can sell roasted coffee in Florida
Cottage food is sold direct to the customer, within Florida. For roasted coffee, that means:
✅ Allowed
- Farmers markets, fairs & events
- Home pickup and local delivery
- Online, phone & mail order — delivered in Florida
🚫 Not allowed
- Wholesale to stores/restaurants for resale
- Selling or shipping outside Florida
- More than $250,000 in gross sales per year
Pricing roasted coffee for profit
Add up your cost per unit (ingredients + packaging), multiply by 3–4× to cover your time and overhead, then sanity-check against what similar makers charge locally. Undercharging is the single most common mistake — your time is a real cost, not a freebie.
Free recipe cost calculatorCommon mistakes to avoid
- Underpricing — not counting your time, packaging, and market fees
- Missing a required label element, especially the exact cottage food statement
- Adding a filling or frosting that needs refrigeration, which quietly turns compliant roasted coffee non-compliant
- Selling across state lines or wholesale to a shop for resale
- Losing track of the $250,000/year gross sales cap
Not sure about a different product?
Check any food against Florida's rules in seconds with our free tool — then price it and label it with the rest of the toolkit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell cold brew at the farmers market?
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No — brewed and ready-to-drink beverages are not cottage foods. Sell the beans; let customers brew.
Can I sell flavored coffee?
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Yes, dry-flavored roasted beans or grounds (flavor oils applied to dry beans) remain shelf-stable dry goods.
People also ask about
Official Florida sources
FDACS — Cottage Foods
Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services — the official cottage food program.
Florida Statute 500.80
The cottage food law itself, on the Florida Legislature's official site.
This is general educational information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change — always verify current requirements with FDACS before you sell.
Ready to start selling?
Get the step-by-step startup guide, free pricing tools, and a spot in Florida's cottage food directory.
Educational information, not legal advice. Verify current requirements with FDACS. Based on Florida Statute 500.80 as of 2026.