Cottage bakery software for home bakers
bakerykeeper is back-office software for bakers who sell from home under their state's cottage food law, or from a small commercial kitchen. It keeps what each bake costs, what's in it, who ordered it and when to bake it in one place. It opens in the UK first, in spring 2027, and US bakers can join the waitlist now.
What is a cottage bakery?
A cottage bakery is a home-based business that makes foods that don't need refrigeration, like bread, cookies, brownies and many cakes, and sells them under its state's cottage food law, usually straight to customers. Every state now has some form of cottage food law, but what you can make, where you can sell and how much you can earn vary a lot from state to state.
Who it's for
- Cottage food bakers selling from home, by pre-order or for pickup.
- Farmers market bakers: see selling baked goods at farmers markets.
- Custom cake and cookie makers taking orders with deposits.
- Micro bakeries with a weekly bread subscription.
- Small bakeries and cafés that bake in a licensed kitchen.
What your state may ask for
Look up your own state's rules (usually with the department of agriculture or the health department). These are the things most states cover:
- Registration, a permit or a license. Some states need nothing; others want an application, a fee or an inspection.
- Food safety training, such as a food handler course.
- An approved foods list. Foods that need refrigeration, like cheesecake, cream pies or cream cheese frosting, usually aren't allowed under cottage food rules.
- A label with the product name, ingredients, the major allergens, net weight, your name and address, and a statement that it was made in a home kitchen that isn't inspected. See allergen labels for cottage bakers.
- Where you can sell. In person is almost always fine; online orders, delivery and shipping vary, and selling across state lines generally isn't allowed.
- A sales limit. Some states cap how much a cottage food business can sell in a year.
- Sales tax. Your state may want you to register for a seller's permit and collect tax on some baked goods.
General guidance, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change, and they're different in every state. Your state's agency has the final word.
What bakerykeeper does
| The job | How bakerykeeper helps |
|---|---|
| Pricing | What every loaf, dozen cookies or cake costs from what you paid for ingredients, plus packaging, oven time, your labor and overhead, and a suggested price for your target margin. How to price baked goods. |
| Orders and pickups | Your own order page where customers pick a pickup time and pay a deposit by card, and a list of today's pickups. |
| Bake plan | What to bake this morning to fill today's orders and your market table. |
| Allergens | Worked out from your recipes, never typed by hand. The nine major US allergens are all among the 14 bakerykeeper tracks today. |
| Sales | What you took by day, by market and by product. |
| Your settings | Dollars, °F, MM/DD/YYYY dates, and your local sales tax rate. |
Label layouts follow UK rules today. Tell us what your state asks for when you join the US list, and it will shape the US version.
Made by a home baker
bakerykeeper is built by a baker who bakes from a garden shed in the UK. It started as the tool they wanted: one place for what each loaf really costs, what's about to go out of date and who's picking up what. Cottage bakers in the US face the same mornings, so it's being built to work for you too.
Questions cottage bakers ask
Is bakerykeeper available in the US yet?
Not yet. It opens in the UK first, in spring 2027. Join the US list and we'll send you one email when it opens for US bakers.
Can I sell baked goods from home in my state?
Almost certainly, under your state's cottage food law, but the details differ: which foods, where you can sell, whether you need a permit and whether there's a sales cap. Check your state agriculture or health department's cottage food page.
Will it handle sales tax?
bakerykeeper's tax settings already include the US: prices are shown before tax, and you enter your own state and local rate.
Does it work for custom cakes and cookies?
Yes. Orders can carry custom requests (occasion, servings, flavor, theme, message and photos), a quote and a deposit.