Can I make and sell handmade chocolates from home?

Burlesque_Babe

I've been toying for ages with starting some kind of food related business.

I've got some money I can use, but I really want to start small and see how it goes.

I'd like to have a handmade chocolates business and then sell through various channels but I know the rules about selling of homemade foods is a bit of a jungle.

I emailed the Environmental Health department at my local council yesterday and asked if I could legally start a business at home making and selling handmade chocolates. I asked what special equipment I needed (if any) and what I needed to do to ensure I was compliant with food preparation regulations. I also asked about information on correct labelling.

The reply was a bit rubbish to be honest, it just gave me a link to Business Link and said 'everything you want to know will be on there'. There is tonnes of great advice on the Business Link site about starting a business generally, but before I get any further I just want to know:

Can I run a food related company from a domestic kitchen (ie handmade chocolates) and if so, what do I need to do to ensure I'm compliant??

I emailed back with this question first thing this morning, but I've had no reply.

Can anyone help - I don't really want to plan any further if this step can't be got past (ie I need a commercial premise of some kind)

me_and_me_monkeys

I cook for people as part of my job and looked into whether i could do it from home and like you found a minefield of information. most of which was of no use to me. What I could understand was that I needed a food hygene cert. and my kitchen would need to be inspected and passed by environmental health. I decided that that was way to much hastle and just cook in peoples homes for them

Burlesque_Babe

excellent, monkey - very interesting. I have my basic food hygiene certificate (I did it online in a couple of hours).

Still heard nothing back from the council - what I'd really like to see is a list of 'what you definitely have to do to have a food related business from home' but I'm wondering if it exists. I don't want to start something and then get into trouble.

Do you cook for them as in dinner parties - one offs? Or are you a cook in their home permanently?

LittleVoice

keren29 wrote: »

excellent, monkey - very interesting. I have my basic food hygiene certificate (I did it online in a couple of hours).

Hi

Sorry it's a bit off topic but did you undertake both the training and the exam on line? If so, could you tell me what organisation offers this?

PS Think I've answered my own question by googling food hygiene certification.

muz

Hi, I am in the process of starting a cake decorating business from home, and my local council have been very helpful with regard to all the rules and regs. I requested a visit from the environmental health officer, and she went through everything with me during the visit.
I was told that I needed a level 2 food hygiene certificate, to be completed at the local college, and that the online cert. would NOT be sufficient. Different councils may have different views on this, but I would advise checking which cert. is recognised before parting with your cash !!

lindens

I was told i could use my domestic kitchen but there needed to be two sinks and taps, one for washing equipment and a separate one for washing hands.

Savvy_Sue

I think at an inspection they would also look at work surfaces and 'joins': don't want gaps and crevices in which food could get lodged.

Burlesque_Babe

this is all really helpful - thankyou.

I'll start having a look at my local college courses for a level 2 certificate and ask if I need to do it.

me_and_me_monkeys

keren29 wrote: »

excellent, monkey - very interesting. I have my basic food hygiene certificate (I did it online in a couple of hours).

Still heard nothing back from the council - what I'd really like to see is a list of 'what you definitely have to do to have a food related business from home' but I'm wondering if it exists. I don't want to start something and then get into trouble.

Do you cook for them as in dinner parties - one offs? Or are you a cook in their home permanently?

I do dinner parties or Batch cooking on a regular basis my fav client is a disabled gentleman who has me round for a mornings company and cooking - and I cook a months worth of meals for him = by working out his menu for the month i have his lunch costs down to 38p a portion and main meals at £1.99 (all including my time) so cheaper for him than buying frozen meals also its guaranteed to be served in a way he can manage without help - my 1st visit he told me that he spent 20 mins chasing a silce of beef round a plate as he was unable to cut it so resorted to eating it off the plate like a dog.

my main job is a doula so part of that is sometimes cooking a family meal or batch cooking. - I started the other bits as i could see there was a market and jumped on it!

Burlesque_Babe

What a good idea monkeys - good for you for jumping in on a gap in the market!

Debt_Free_Chick

Putting

food business home

in to Google produces these results.

The first one from Powys has a useful checklist - but remember that some regulations might be different in Wales.

Assuming your Council is Borough of Poole here's a link to their own website, re registration of food premises.

HTH