HawthorneVillager.com

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience licensing a home-based food business here in Milton? My wife and I thought about starting a micro-business (making candy), but we’re not sure how to navigate the licensing process. We haven’t yet received any details from the Halton Health Dept, so in the meantime we were hoping to get some pointers from someone who’s gone through this process.

Any information at all is appreciated!

Thanks

I don't have any info but I'll buy some when you're up and running!

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Some people are like slinkies. They're really good for nothing but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

I do not know much about this area. However, you do have the option of renting a kitchen, if the process of getting licensed for cooking in your home is cumbersome.

Do you know of any commercial kitchens in Milton/area that are renting space? That would be an option, though not as convenient as having the production in our own kitchen.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs offers resources for starting a food business.

Check out: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/foo ... /intro.htm

Also.. check out the Toronto Food Business Incubator. The Toronto Food Business Incubator (TFBI) is a non-profit organization that assists entrepreneurs in establishing and growing food processing companies.

http://www.tfbi.ca/

I think following Buckwheat's reference links will be helpful.

I've been on both these sites a couple of weeks ago, but they're mostly for general information, nothing specific. I need very specific info, like do we need 2 sinks or 3, and the general info just doesn't answer my questions.

The TFBI is a good program, but only for someone who wants to pursue their food business on a full-time basis. We are looking to work in our business part-time, while keeping our day jobs which pay the mortgage and bills.

Thanks for the answers, though!

I can't help you with those questions, but wonder if you've looked at insurance vs profitability for this type of business? Not just a potential increase in your home-owners policy, but I would think you'd need business insurance, given that you're producing something for human consumption.

My business insurance covers office contents, theft, fire, flood, interuption and some liability, and it's $115/month! For something like you describe, I would think it's going to be quite a bit more - potentially eating (no pun intended) into your part time profits.

Tough start up, not to mention all of the other hoops you're going to have to jump through, including becoming a Certified Food Handler. I'm a realist, so don't get me wrong, I still wish you the best of luck on this venture.

Sebi, did you ever get your business started?

We're trying to do something similar. We find there's a lot of general information available, but nothing broken down into precise steps about what we need to do and who to talk to about it.

The kitchen incubators in Toronto and Hamilton are awesome, but that's too far to drive to start up a small business in Milton.

The region no longer allows you to use your home kitchen to prepare food for sale (unless you've been grandfathered in). I've been trying to find out if we can install a kitchen in our basement, and I think we'd have to go through the by-law office to get zoning consideration.

We are willing to share a commercial kitchen space with another small food biz, but can't afford the rent on our own just yet. Anyone interested in splitting the rent somewhere?

Have you considered renting the party rooms at the community centre to cook the food in
I believe they come with kitchens and I would imagine the kitchens are food safety certified with correct number of sinks extra.
Then maybe all you would need correct transporting equipment and a proper fridge for storage at home.

I think the super store also has a kitchen up stairs that they rent out for cooking classes, maybe they also rent for just cooking

Sebi

I believe you would need 3 sinks
1st one for washing with soap
2nd one for rinsing dishing before Sanitary steam clean process
3rd one for hand washing, must always have a hand washing sink

3 sinks is right. You'd also need things like proper ventilation, and probably a separate entrance. Use only utensils for that kitchen only, so you're not sharing spoons and pots with a primary home kitchen, etc.

They changed the rules last year and are not allowing primary home kitchens to be used...if you already had one, then you're grandfathered in, but no new ones are allowed. That's about all I've been able to glean from discussions with the Health Department for far.

Schweethart, thanks for bringing this back!

Unfortunately, we had to put this idea on hold for now, we had a baby recently so our priorities changed a bit. We did not give up the idea at all, just taking a short break!

My wife obtained the Food Handler Certificate, and you will need that to become licensed. We tried to find a kitchen nearby to rent (community centre, senior's centre, churches), but either the kitchens were not health department inspected, or the business owners did not want to rent. In our particular case, the issue is complicated by the fact that chocolate work needs to happen between very specific temperature and humidity parameters, plus there's lots of equipment that needs to be stored, or we'd have to cart it back and forth (melter, molds, utensils). It is quite difficult to find a kitchen that responds to these requirements.

You're right with the home kitchen, they no longer allow that. We looked into the basement kitchen option, but the health department people said it would have to have a separate entrance from the outside, so that they can inspect it without having to pass through the home, and without advance notice. Depending on what you are making, there are specific rules that apply to those products regarding labelling, allergens, storage requirements, etc. It's not the same if you make granola (everything can be stored at room temp without issue), or if you make ice-cream (specific storage temperature, not to mention pasteurisation etc). What kind of product are you making?

I'm glad to keep the discussion going, and maybe we could indeed share a kitchen space, if one is available. In our case, we still have to find buyers for our product, but the idea is still up and we do hope to make it work in the future.

Sebi

We make ice cream. LOL

We know we'd need freezers to keep everything at a proper temp, and since we use dairy & eggs, those carry a higher risk level.

It's crazy...you think you can start something like this small, but really, it's about the same level of cost/commitment/hassle to go big. We thought we could start as weekend warriors, selling at farmers markets and events, then work our way up to having a shop. In the end, it's probably easier to start a retail space with a kitchen in the back.