The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

5 Bakeries in 5 Years: What They’d Do Differently After Leaving Home

Jon Przybyl & Amanda Abou-Eid of Mesa, AZ share what happened after the city forced them out of their garage: $800K to build their first bakery, 5 locations in 5 years, &

$1 Million of Bread From Their Garage, Until the City Forced Them Out

Jon Przybyl & Amanda Abou-Eid of Mesa, AZ share one of the most important cottage food stories ever: how a bakery run from their garage topped $1M in sales, until a city

Why People Pay $33 for Something They Could Make at Home

Jackie Struble of Nolensville, TN shares how she got a little-known product into stores in 7 towns by educating customers, pricing with confidence, & staying intentionall

Why Her Cakes Sell Out 18 Months Ahead (It’s Not the Decorating)

Sara Jean Warnow of Topeka, KS shares how she built a wildly in-demand cake business with an 18-month waitlist by focusing on community, storytelling, & generosity rather

This Couple Bet $5,000 Before Making a Single Sale — Here’s What Happened

Matt & Ammie Dudley of Collinsville, IL share how they turned a $5k bet into a successful cottage food business by relentlessly tracking data and focusing on the three Ps

“I Thought It Was a Scam, But It Was an 800-Cookie Order!”

Ashley Withers of Salisbury, NC shares how she quickly grew her cottage food bakery by focusing on marketing, networking, & product quality, despite ignoring trends & jug

Six Figures From a Home Kitchen: Jennie Teske’s Gluten-Free Bakery

Jennie Teske of North Branch, MN shares how she built a rare 6-figure cottage food business without being salesy by selling exceptional products, leveraging systems, and

The Crazy Cotton Candy Lady: Turning a Childhood Dream Into a Business

Kristie Armstrong of Shelburne, VT shares her crazy story of how she quit her job and turned her passion into a successful business, despite lacking confidence due to bei

A Bakery Built on Saying No: Betsy Tranquilli’s Intentional Small Business

Betsy Tranquilli of Waimea, HI shares how she built a unique and successful bakery that works around her busy schedule by staying true to her identity and focusing on wha

Cupcakes Paid the Bills: Amber’s Cottage Food Survival Story

Amber Stokstad of St. Cloud, MN shares how a dark time in her life turned into a rainbow: a cottage food business that has had a profound impact on her family, her commun

She Collects Ocean Water and Turns It Into $25 Jars of Salt

Anna Eves of Cape Ann, MA shares how she turned a unique passion into a successful cottage food business by focusing on quality, branding, & community, despite facing unu

She Got Sued for a Wedding Cake… and Won (Porsha Kimble’s 6-Figure Baking Journey)

Porsha Kimble of Dallas, TX shares her 20-year journey including starting as a home baker, competing on the Food Network, teaching around the world, and building a 6-figu

Nurse Turned Jelly Maker — 50+ Flavors, 10 Stores, All From Her Home Kitchen

Halei Musil of Crescent, OK shares how her unique award-winning products led her to a surprising cottage food business journey that has enabled her to become an integral

From Empty Nester to Cookie Business Explosion: How Tammy Brennan Transformed Her Life

Tammy Brennan of Vancouver, WA shares how she started a cottage food business as an empty nester and grew it into a huge success, with hour-long lines at markets and over

One Year of Slow Sales — Then Everything Changed

Yanhui Chen of Virginia Beach, VA shares how she transitioned from a cottage food business to a food truck and built a thriving business by constantly trying new things u

From Laid Off to $55K: The Cottage Food Business Success of Kathleen & Drew

Kathleen & Drew Meyer of Boerne, TX share how they reached over $55k in sales within their first year in business by staying adaptable, implementing efficient business sy

From Math Teacher to Cake Pop Mogul: Amy Mucha’s Multi-Million Dollar Journey

Amy Mucha of Kent, OH shares how she massively scaled her home bakery and now sells over 100,000 cake pops per year, and then created a cake pop supplies business that is

Katrina Bland with Sweet Benefits

Katrina Bland of Catonsville, MD shares how she boosted her small cottage food business by investing in professional coaching, focusing on ecommerce, and landing large co

Beth Ford with Joe’s Bakery – Baton Rouge

Beth Ford of Baton Rouge, LA shares how she found new purpose, passion, and peace in life by opening a cottage food bakery and growing it until she could quit her job and

Lauren “Lolly” Anderson with Lolly’s Home Kitchen

Lolly Anderson of Sioux Falls, SD shares how cookies literally changed her life and led her to build a successful cottage food bakery and a digital product business that