Start a Small-Batch Craft Soy Sauce Business

Independent restaurants and chefs, specialty grocers, gift shops, farmers market shoppers and online buyers who want a local or artisan product.

You sell bottles at retail prices at markets and online, and at a wholesale price to shops and restaurants. Selling larger bottles or bulk containers to chefs can help move volume.

• Patience and careful record keeping
• Cooking or fermentation know-how
• Selling to shops and chefs
• Food safety habits

• Many state cottage food laws do not cover sauces, so check whether you need a licensed commercial kitchen
• Check whether your state or the FDA requires food facility registration, a process review for shelf-stable sauces, or lab testing
• Labels must show soy and wheat allergens and follow FDA labeling rules, so check the details
• Product liability and general liability insurance, which shops and markets often ask for
• Long fermentation ties up cash and space before you earn anything, and a bad batch is a real loss

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on kitchen rental hours, equipment, ingredients and packaging. Monthly revenue is estimated at around $800 to $4,000, depending on how much stock you build and where you sell.

Check whether your state's cottage food law covers sauces, since many do not, or whether you need a licensed commercial kitchen. Also check FDA food facility registration, process review or lab testing, allergen labeling for soy and wheat, and product liability insurance.

Fermentation takes months, so you start batches early and build stock before earning much. Plan on typically at least around 12 hours a week. Useful skills include patience, record keeping, fermentation know-how and selling to shops and chefs.