Home patisserie selling by pre-order

Local families, people planning birthdays and small gatherings, and offices ordering for meetings.

You charge per item or per box, with higher prices for custom celebration cakes and larger orders. Weekend and holiday orders such as Christmas and Easter are often the busiest.

• Pastry techniques such as laminated dough, choux and tart shells
• Careful weighing, timing and food safety habits
• Photographing and promoting your baking on social media

• Many provinces restrict or require approval for selling food from a home kitchen, so check with your local public health unit before you sell
• Some places only allow low-risk goods, so cream-filled or custard items may need a licensed kitchen
• Commercial general liability insurance and clear allergen labelling (nuts, dairy, eggs, wheat)
• A home-based business licence may be needed from your municipality
• Register for GST/HST once revenue passes the small supplier threshold

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on your ovens, tools, packaging and insurance. Costs vary with the range of pastries you plan to make.

Check before you sell. Many provinces restrict or require approval for home kitchen food sales, so ask your local public health unit. Cream-filled or custard items may need a licensed kitchen. Also check allergen labelling, insurance, municipal home-based licences and GST/HST registration.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue typically around $500 to $3,500, depending on batch sizes, pricing and how many pickup days you run. Expect to spend at least about 10 hours a week.