Small-Batch ice cream and sorbet for local businesses

Cafés, restaurants, bakeries, specialty grocers, event caterers and wedding venues.

You sell tubs, pans or cases at a wholesale price per unit, with repeat weekly or monthly orders. Custom flavors for events can bring in higher prices.

• Recipe development and consistent production
• Food safety knowledge
• Selling to local businesses

• Ice cream usually contains dairy, so cottage food rules often don't cover it. Check your state's rules on dairy and frozen dessert manufacturing
• Health department permit and possibly a state manufacturing license, plus food handler or manager certification
• Product liability and general liability insurance, which many wholesale customers will ask to see
• Allergen labeling and packaging rules, so check what applies to wholesale products
• Seasonal demand, so plan for slower winter months
• Freezer capacity and transport to customers while keeping product frozen

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on your kitchen arrangement, equipment, freezer capacity and packaging. Monthly revenue is typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on how many local accounts you win and how often they reorder.

Ice cream usually contains dairy, so cottage food rules often don't cover it. Check your state's dairy and frozen dessert manufacturing rules, the health department permit, any state manufacturing license, and food handler or manager certification. Also check allergen labeling rules for wholesale products.

Estimates start at around 15 hours a week, depending on how many customers you supply and how often you produce. Also plan for seasonal demand, with slower winter months, and for freezer capacity and keeping product frozen during delivery.