Austin Farmers Markets: Launching Your Food Business Might be (a Little) Easier Than You Think
Do you have a secret recipe that earns raves from friends and family? Maybe it's a new twist on a traditional dish, or it's an old family recipe handed down over generations. Whatever the case, why not capitalize on your specialty? Austin is full of consumers who are hungry for new, exotic, and unique foods.
Nosh Pierogi (pictured), YAPA Artisan Empanadas, and Harper & Soul Provisions are a few local culinary entrepreneurs at Commercial Kitchen Factories Austin who have a healthy following at farmers markets. Turning your food hobby into a side hustle might be easier than you think.
Where do I start?
There's an easy, low-cost option for taking a recipe public that won't drain your life savings. It involves low overhead and relatively low start-up costs - it's the farmers market. As a farmers market vendor, you can introduce your product part-time on a small scale to people that are eager to try and ready to buy. Becoming an Austin farmers market vendor isn't tricky, but there are some rules and regulations to follow.
Find Your Kitchen
Texas law prohibits individuals from selling home-cooked food that requires time and temperature control to prevent spoilage – basically, any food that requires refrigeration. So your first step will be to find a commercial kitchen space (also called a Central Preparation Facility or CPF) if your recipe needs temperature control. Rentable by the hour, these shared kitchen spaces will provide ample room to prepare and store your food, and your home kitchen will stay mess-free.
Pick a Farmers Market
As you’re getting ready to prepare and package your food, find and apply to a farmers market. With more than 40 farmers markets in and around Austin every week, the hardest part may be determining which one to join. We suggest finding a location that is near your base of operations or your Central Preparation Facility. Once you've narrowed the list to a few markets, check their websites for vendor qualifications to make sure your product complies. Almost all farmers markets have online vendor application forms to get the process started.
Obtain Permits and Certifications
Once your farmers market is selected - and your vendor application is approved – it's time to get the proper paperwork in order. In Austin, you will need to complete a Farmer's Market: Operation Permit Application with the Health and Human Services Department. Also, as mentioned before, you will need a contract with a Central Preparation Facility for food/beverage storage between markets. Commercial Kitchen Factories Austin makes it easy to get both the mobile vendor permit and CPF contract with this online application.
Make That Side Hustle a Reality
The beauty of taking the farmers market route is that you control how your product is presented and sold. You can start with one farmers market and grow to more. Austin has several organizations that host multiple farmers markets around town. Selling at the farmers market also allows you to talk to your customers and get their feedback. So, if you've always dreamed of sharing your recipe with the world, now is the time. Let the Austin farmers market community and your friends at Commercial Kitchen Factories Austin help you realize the dream.