Online private-label coffee wholesaler

Gift shops, grocery and specialty stores, boutique hotels, B&Bs, gyms, offices and corporate gifting buyers.

You earn the gap between your cost per bag and your wholesale price, with minimum order sizes and repeat reorders from accounts.

• Online selling and email outreach
• Brand and label design basics
• Managing suppliers and orders
• Writing clear product descriptions

• Before trading, check whether your state requires a seller's permit (sales tax registration) and whether your state or local health or agriculture department requires a food business or wholesale food registration or license; rules vary by state
• Check who is legally responsible for labeling, since packaged food labels must meet FDA rules and your state's requirements
• Cottage food rules usually don't cover reselling coffee made by someone else, so check your state's rules for food sellers
• Product liability and general liability insurance
• Roaster minimum orders and lead times, which tie up cash in stock
• Collect sales tax rules and resale certificates correctly for each customer and state

Estimates put startup costs at typically around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on roaster minimum orders, label design and how much stock you buy. Roaster minimums and lead times can tie up cash in stock, so plan for that.

Things to check: whether your state requires a seller's permit, and whether your state or local health or agriculture department requires a food business or wholesale food registration or license. Rules vary by state. Also check who is legally responsible for labeling under FDA and state requirements.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue of typically around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on how many shops, offices and gift buyers you win and how large their orders are. Plan for at least about 10 hours a week.