How to Make Your Own Food Products and Sell Them Online

There are still hoops to jump through on the path to a sustainable food-selling business, so let's talk about the main points you'll need to contend with if this is an ambition you hold.

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Get to grips with safety regulations & requirements

Firstly, there are all sorts of rules and regulations which govern how food is produced, packaged and sold. Not only do you need to comply with federal laws, but also local specifications for running a business in this industry.

By getting up to speed with expectations and complying with relevant regs, you'll be starting on the right foot.

Research your market niche

It's safe to assume that if you're intending to sell home-made food products online, you already have a passion for your particular area of the culinary world. However, being an expert in making a dish is one thing, and knowing what the sales market looks like is quite another.

Thus it pays to do some research, look at the scale of sales, analyze your target demographics, see what rivals you'll face, and consider how much capital you'll need to invest to achieve your aims.

Get high quality die-cut stickers for product labeling

Presentation is majorly important in branding food items, and so you can't afford to skimp here. This is where product labeling comes into play, as the more professional and aesthetically appealing your packaging, the easier it will be to win over customers.

Suppliers like StickerYou are ideally suited to small business owners who want to connect with consumers through compelling, quality stickers which serve as labels. As such you don't need to break the bank to compete with the big boys in this regard.

Start using social media

With your products perfected and your packaging looking on-point, you can begin to test the waters with social media to generate a buzz about your emerging brand.

Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are arguably the best places for food producers to get started, since they are focused on photos and videos rather than text, as well as offering excellent sharing features to help small creators gain traction.

Don't just post pictures of the finished products, but also take time to document the processes involved in creating them, as food prep content is particularly popular. It's a good idea to absorb a lot of content from top rated, highly followed food-focused creators, as this will give you an idea of the trends that are hot right now.

Make a website

You can sell directly to customers simply by accepting orders via social media DM or email, and while this might be adequate for very low volumes of sales, in the end you'll need a website to make this more formal and professional.

It's a sensible step to start a site sooner rather than later, as this will save you from having to put in hard work to launch one later on when you'll be busy with other aspects of the business.

You can start with a simple template-based site from a site builder platform like Squarespace if you wish, and this may be adequate as your business grows. A standalone site might be necessary in the long term, but that's a bridge that can be crossed if and when you reach it.

Wrapping up

Starting a food business online is a lot like building any other company in the digital age, so learn from the lessons of others in different industries, and don't be afraid to push the envelope in your own way!

Lesley Montoya

Update 20 May 2022