Small-Batch chocolatier from home

Gift buyers, market shoppers, local cafés and gift shops, and people ordering for weddings, holidays and corporate gifts.

You sell boxes and bars at a price well above ingredient cost. Revenue comes from market days, online orders and seasonal peaks like Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter.

• Tempering and working with chocolate
• Recipe testing and consistency
• Packaging and presentation
• Basic costing and pricing

• Many provinces do not allow food for sale to be made in a home kitchen without approval, check with your public health unit and municipality
• Check the Canadian food labelling rules, including allergen declarations (milk, nuts, soy and others) and bilingual labelling if selling in Quebec or sending products across provinces
• Commercial general liability and product liability insurance, as markets often ask for proof
• Heat in summer can melt stock, so plan storage and shipping carefully
• Check a home-based business licence with your municipality and whether you need GST/HST registration once revenue passes the small supplier threshold

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on your equipment, ingredients, packaging and insurance. Couverture chocolate, tempering tools and giftable boxes are the main things to budget for.

Many provinces do not allow food for sale to be made in a home kitchen without approval, so check with your public health unit and municipality. Also check allergen and bilingual labelling rules, and any home-based business licence.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $300 to $1,500, depending on how many markets, online orders and gift buyers you reach. Summer heat can melt stock, so plan your storage and shipping carefully.