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Farmers markets

Home Cook to Small Business: Start your Side Hustle as a Cottage Food Operator

Grandma’s blue-ribbon apple-pie recipe may still be winning awards and your secret ingredient BBQ sauce never has any leftovers, but shifting from being a home cook to a small business requires a leap of faith and a big financial investment not everyone can make. Luckily, Illinois’ Cottage Food laws allow entrepreneurs and foodies looking for a side hustle to test their product by selling it on a smaller scale at farmers markets. Under the law, individuals can skip prohibitive start-up costs...
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