Hi Cake Friends,

I just got accepted to the farmers market today, which will be started on May 21th, my question is where can I but these supplies,
Cupcake holding trays, 1/2 dozen and dozen.
Boxes for sugar cookies, and packaging for cake balls and cake pops.
and if there is anything I forgot feel free to add.
I am new to this so if there is anything you can think of that I can sell,
please feel free to recommend.

Oh Oh and where can I find the sticky nutrition labels.

Thanks for all your help.

You can find boxes from http://www.brpboxshop.com and plastic containers from http://www.plasticcontainercity.com. Restaurant supply stores in your area might also carry these items. You should be able to print nutrition labels yourself, just buy address labels from Staples.

Good luck, it can be very difficult to turn a profit selling baked goods at a farmer's market.

People generally come to a farmer's market prepared to spend a few bucks here and there, which means you will probably be limited to relatively low-margin items like cookies and muffins. Once you factor in the cost of the FM fees, booth rentals, your time to make the products, your time to staff the booth, your time to transport products back and forth, ingredients, packaging, overhead (license fees, insurance, etc.), and waste, there probably won't be much money (if any) left over. Your business plan should give you a good picture of your expected profitability based on your cost structure and acceptable pricing in your area.

If you are looking at the FM as a way to advertise your business to book orders for higher-margin products that's a different story, then it's not as big a deal if you end up losing money on the stuff you sell.

Some farmers markets are very high end. The one in my town is...organic produce, artisinal cheeses, sausages, and even flown-in seafood! There is an Amish lady who sells the best jam in the world, and I pay quite a premium for it. Every week I donate baked goods to a local animal shelter that sells them at this FM as a fund raiser, and I try to make sure my cupcakes measure up to the upscale atmosphere.

But Jason is right, as many FM are small gatherings of vendors that attract only small numbers of bargain hunters.

Even with upscale markets it can be tough, especially when you consider the perishable nature of baked goods. People selling non-perishable items have a much easier time of it, since they can make a huge batch ahead of time, and anything that doesn't sell can still be sold to someone else later.

The SF Bay area has several upscale FMs, but I ran the numbers and depending on demand we would end up breaking even after paying ourselves in the $5/hour range. As a custom shop you just can't charge enough of a premium for cookies or muffins to make it worthwhile. If I had a storefront with a high volume manufacturing setup it might be a different story.

You'll also want to look at which high-end products you are offering and who goes to farmer's markets. If you are specializing in wedding cakes (as an example) you will probably be better off networking with wedding-specific vendors like venues and planners.

I had thought of selling plain "sponge" cake with the thought that people could pick up their fresh fruit to go with it. I would also give them ideas such as picking up whipped cream or pouring hot fudge, etc.

I imagine it would be difficult to make money but if I do it on a part-time basis and with the intent on meeting new prospects, it should work out in the end.

Thoughts?

I also just got accepted into our local farmers market. I've been doing cakes for family and friends for years, and a couple of those friends have finally managed to push me into a real cottage industry business. I'm figuring I probably won't make much of a profit this year, as I just purchased a tent, table, boxes, and paid booth fees. I'm debating doing a second farmers market (about half an hour away) as I can prepare for the first which is on Thursday nights, and what doesn't sell there, I can try to sell at the second on Saturday morning in town.

Luckily, Michigan changed it's cottage food industry laws last year, so I don't have to pay licensing fees, or shop rentals. If I had to do that, forget it!

I'm planning on simple cake truffles (forget the pops, too much work) in bags of 13 (love the baker's dozen), cupcakes (with cute fondant toppers), and small 6" cakes simply decorated. I only plan on having 3 or 4 cakes at the market, at least to begin with, and 7 or 8 dozen cupcakes (3 different flavors). The cake truffles, I'm not sure about, those seem to be what everyone is raving about right now...

Good luck to you in your endeavor, and thanks to the person who posted the couple of links. I had priced out boxes at a couple of sites, and found that mrtakeoutbags.com had the best prices for what I needed in boxes, but I'll definitely compare to the posted links on here.

Perhaps NY law is different than MI law... We are able to sell chocolate covered items, as listed in this easy to read FAQ document by MI government.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mda/MDA-CFFAQ-MASTER_327558_7.pdf