7 Legal Keys to Start & Grow Your Alabama Cottage Food Business

Food & Business Law for Alabama Home-Based Food Businesses

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"Your satsuma marmalade is to die for. You need to be selling this!"

Maybe your specialty is toasted pecan scones or the custom dried herbal blends you’ve perfected over the past three years. Whatever your unique food specialty.....

You have a dream to become a food entrepreneur.

So maybe you're starting in your home kitchen now but you're dreaming big. You've been researching "how to start a home-based food business" but what you're finding is more about marketing and pricing and selling. What you're finding is too broad or too generic or not specific to Alabama.

The reality is that it IS hard to find specific resources on the Alabama laws, tax and licensing requirements you must comply with, unless you know where to look and the right legal words to use. Even when the information is "out there," it's rarely in one place.

You’re feeling just a little overwhelmed, maybe even confused by what you're reading and being told.

Stress is NO friend when you're launching a dream!

I know. I've been in your shoes.

[And I even have a law degree! I started my first business when I was 27 and hung out my shingle in Florence, Alabama just a few years after I earned my JD.]

I even have big dreams for my own food and farm business ventures, which is partly how the idea for this course came about, as I was doing my own research.

This course is all about the Alabama laws that apply to home-based food businesses and how to start and grow your actual business.

Do any of these questions sound familiar to you?

Am I required to collect sales tax when I sell jams or cookies?

What if I'm just selling at the farmers market?

Do I need a business license to sell my products at farmers markets?

Is a business license the same thing as the business privilege tax?

I want to sell my pickled peppers. Can I do that under the cottage food law? If I can't then why do I see people selling pickled relishes at the farmer's market?

Can I copyright my recipe?

Can I use the cute graphic I found online in my logo?

Can I run a catering business out of my home?

Do you know what types of agreements you need to have in place BEFORE you start your business with a friend, relative, or even your spouse?

Finding the answers to all these can be stressful, especially when there’s no library or roadmap to help you deal with the legal and tax side of starting a small food business in Alabama.

Don't let the stress distract you from your dreams....

You could hire an attorney and a CPA to guide you, but the ones with real experience in food startups are expensive. Experienced Alabama business attorneys with tax knowledge typically charge $350 or more per hour for their services.

This course does NOT include legal representation or legal advice. This course is for educational and informational purposes only.

Right now, you’re still exploring your options or just starting out. You aren’t ready to spend that kind of money until you get a better idea of what's required to run your business like a business.

If you’re an aspiring or new Alabama food entrepreneur starting a home-based food business, then this course was designed just for you.

[If you already own your own business, but want to know more about the topics we'll cover, like taxes or copyright, trademark, and how these relate to your business, this course might be helpful for you, too!]

This course is educational and informational only and does not include legal advice or legal representation.

When you start any type of new business you have a LOT of startup costs.

A fixed price educational resource like this course can help you:

Reduce your uncertainty and stress

Make smarter choices up front

Plan and develop a strategy for growing your business

Serve as a foundation to help you spot potential problems before they turn into real BIG problems, and

Help you ask smarter questions when you’re ready to retain an accountant and lawyer.

Like I said earlier, I have a dream to take my small farming operation and my "real food" mission and build it into something big.

I'm sure YOU have big dreams, too.

I founded Start Learn Company to help others--folks just like you--learn what you need to know to get started building your dream business.

If this sounds right for you, I hope you'll be one of the students who enroll during the beta launch enrollment period.

Students who enroll in this course during a Beta Launch period will get full access to any updated course materials created for the 7 Legal Keys to Start and Grow Your Alabama Cottage Food Business course through the September 30, 2019 course expiration date. See FAQs for more details on this.



Your Instructor


Sheree Martin
Sheree Martin

Sheree is a lawyer and former college professor with a passion for local food and sustainable farms.

Sheree has 10 years experience as a full-time college professor at Oklahoma State University and Samford University and has also taught as an adjunct faculty member at The University of Alabama.

Sheree has a B.A., J.D., and Ph.D. from The University of Alabama and an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida. She also has a certificate in sustainable food systems leadership through the University of Vermont College of Continuing Education.

Sheree started her first business when she was 27. Dissatisfied with the constraints of billable hour demands (working 60-70 hours a week for someone else is NO way to live), she hung out her shingle in Florence, Alabama and practiced in the areas of business and tax law as a solo attorney for several years. She then joined a wonderful law firm in Tuscaloosa where she became the first woman shareholder in that firm.

Eventually, Sheree was ready for new challenges and earned a Ph.D. in Mass Communication while working as a freelance writer and learning to hand-code websites (before WordPress was a thing). After teaching for several years at Oklahoma State, Sheree returned to Tuscaloosa and rejoined her former law firm for two years. During the Great Recession, Sheree decided to return to higher ed and taught at Samford University for six years. Sheree left Samford in 2015 to again pursue her entrepreneurial dreams.

Today, Sheree is engaged in several business ventures in the digital media and e-commerce space, practicing law for select clients, and a small farming and beekeeping business "adventure" on family land in the Shoals area. Sheree earned her Cottage Food Certification earlier this year, has perfected a couple of recipes, and is exploring her own food venture (which requires a commercial kitchen, not home-based).

Sheree's podcasts include:

  • Owner: Legal
  • Birmingham Shines
  • Ignite Alabama Podcast (rebranding in the works)
  • Shine Springs Farm Shinecast

In addition to other enterprises, Sheree is the founder of Start Learn Company - Protected Series of Shinecast LLC.




Course Curriculum


  Welcome & Course Overview
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  Module #1: Alabama Cottage Food Law
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  Module #2: Business Entities
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  Module #2.5: EIN & Other Tax Numbers
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  Module #3: Business Licenses, Business Privilege Tax, Sales Taxes
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  Module #4: Zoning & Related Issues for Home Based Businesses
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  Module #5: State & Federal Income Taxes
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  Module #6: Employment Law Basics
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  Module #7: Copyright & Trademark Law for Cottage Food Biz Owners
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  Bonus: Module #8: Home-Processed Foods & State Sanctioned Farmers Markets
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Frequently Asked Questions


How long do I have access to the course?
You will have access to the course from the date the course opens through September 30, 2019. That's one year.
Why can’t I access the course after one year? I sometimes see online courses with "lifetime access."
Since laws and regulations change, especially in the area of tax, food safety, and other compliance matters, it is not feasible to have an unlimited, lifetime access policy for a legal education and information course.
When does the course start?
The course lessons, videos, and other resources are being finalized. Course access opened October 1, 2018. Course materials have been added every day since then. Most course modules are either complete or nearing completion. You can currently access everything that is in the course portal. All course materials (for the first iteration of the course) should be ready by October 20, 2018. Additional materials may be added later, based on feedback from the students who pre-enrolled in September or enrolled in October 2018.
Why are you pre-selling the course if access doesn’t open until October 1, 2018?
It takes a great deal of time to create educational resources on Alabama food law that are practical and organized in a way that are easy to follow. By pre-selling the course at a lower price point we can more accurately measure interest in the course topic. Updated on October 15, 2018: Please note that the pre-sale course pricing has ended and the early-bird beta-enrollment pricing has also ended, as of October 15, 2018. Once the course gets underway, we'll take advantage of feedback from the first group of students to create supplemental and updated examples and resources, if needed. Early enrollees will get access to all the updates and new materials that may be added throughout the year of their course membership at no extra charge.
Does this course include legal advice and/or legal representation?
No. This course is an information and education resource only. Think of it like the practical college course in Alabama food business law that you never took because it wasn’t offered at your school.
Can I download the course materials for viewing and reading offline?
Video presentations in the course are for streaming only and there are no downloadable PDFs for this course. Students enrolled in the course are responsible for watching the videos online and creating notes from the course materials for their personal use. This is for copyright and sales tax reasons.
What if I have questions about something confusing in the materials?
The course modules and resources may be updated to clarify anything that is confusing to students in this beta launch version of the course. We may also update materials with additional examples and resources to address questions that come in during the first 60 days after the course opens or at any live webinars or Facebook live events we may offer. Keep in mind that we can’t give specific legal advice about your business goals. However, with that caveat aside, questions about topics and issues covered in the course may be submitted via email or in the Facebook Group we plan to create for students in the course.
Will the course content be dripped out or will everything be available immediately when the course opens?
Course modules may be released in stages (“dripped”) by module during the first month after the course opens, but the entire course (in the first version) will be available to you by October 20, 2018. Keep in mind that the first group of students will provide feedback so we may also create new or supplemental materials based on this feedback. These supplemental and updated materials will be added if/when needed. As a beta-launch enrollee, you will have access to all course materials, original and/or updated, whenever they're added, all the way through September 30, 2019.
Does this course include certification under the Alabama Cottage Food Law?
No. We recommend that you contact your County Extension Office to find out the next time the certification course and exam will be offered in your area. The course WILL include information about the certification process and resources with links to where you can take the certification course and test. The course will also cover what you need to do once you pass the test and receive your certificate. Course materials will reinforce what you learn in the official certification course for the Alabama Cottage Food Law certification exam, but we will focus on topics and issues not covered in the basic certification course.
Does this course include legal information education related to making and selling lip balms, creams, lotions and similar products?
No. However, due to interest in this type of business, Start Learn Company is researching and will likely create a standalone mini-course on the legal issues related to producing, labeling and selling home-made balms, lotions, etc. Students who are enrolled in the cottage food business course will receive a discount code to purchase the mini-course at a reduced price point.
What is a "beta launch"?
A beta launch allows a new product, service, app, etc. to be released and tested with a limited group of users to identify questions that users may have about the product. The beta launch also allows for trouble-shooting missing or confusing information. "Beta Test" users usually pay a reduced price for early access.
Who can I contact for more information before I enroll?
Feel free to email other questions to [email protected].
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We hope and believe you will be thrilled with the course. However, we understand that sometimes learning styles differ. Full refunds will be granted for up to 10 days after you enroll in the course. From day 11 to day 30 after you enroll, you can request and receive a refund of 75% of the enrollment price you paid. We do not issue refunds after 30 days.

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