Home pastry and cake pre-orders

Local families, office organizers, and people planning birthdays, showers and small celebrations.

Price per item, box or custom cake, with higher prices for decorated cakes and larger event orders. Deposits on custom orders help cover ingredients.

• Baking and decorating
• Organizing orders and pickup times
• Food safety habits
• Social media and photography basics

• Rules for selling food from home vary a lot by province and municipality, and some places require a commercial or inspected kitchen, so check before selling
• Food handler certification may be required or expected, check with your public health unit
• Allergen labelling and cross-contamination, especially nuts, eggs, milk and gluten
• Commercial general liability insurance and a check on your home insurance and any home-based business licence
• Register for GST/HST once you pass the small supplier threshold, and check whether your province charges tax on baked goods

Startup costs are typically around $500 to $3,000, depending on your baking equipment, ingredients, packaging and any insurance or certification. These are estimates for a small home-based operation.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $400 to $2,500, depending on how many orders you take, your pricing and the hours you bake. Many people start with around 8 hours a week.

Rules for selling food from home vary by province and municipality, and some places require an inspected kitchen, so check first. Also check food handler certification, allergen labelling, liability insurance, any home-based business licence and GST/HST.