What kind of licence do you need to make and sell candy?

Question

I want to start a candy business, do I need a licence to make and sell it?

Answer 1

Each state and local government has its own rules and regulations. It depends on what those are. You need to contact both and ask the questions.  

Answer 2

You'll need a LOT more than a license.  You will need to have a commercial kitchen; you cannot make candy for sale at home.  Your kitchen, your packaging area, and your store must all pass a health department inspection.  

How do you plan to distribute it? to sell it?  Are you going to have your own store?  

Before you go any further, I STRONGLY recommend you contact the Small Business Development Center (at your local community college) and talk to them; the counseling is free.  Then sign up for the NxLevel Entrepreneurial program...  it's a 12 session course that walks you through the ins and outs of starting or growing your business, and as part of that you will write a business plan.  At the end of the class your plan will be reviewed by a lending professional, and will be critiqued, telling you the strong points of your plan AND the weak points.  

Then you can work on the weak points and hopefully get it into shape to actually present to a lender and get the loan you need.  There is a cost ($375.00 last year at my SBDC) for the NxLevel program, but it’s a lot cheaper than losing your investment.

Even if you hire a professional to write your plan, you should still take the NxLevel course.  It saved me from going into a business that would have failed within a year or so, taking my investment with it.  

Business plans may be a pain in the butt to prepare, but without one, your business is doomed to failure.  To start with, you won't know what your startup costs are going to be, what kind of income to expect, what your ongoing expenses are, who your competition is, and even whether or not you can make a profit.  Without a GOOD business plan, you will not be able to get a business loan to get your business off the ground.

Answer 3

Kind of. You would need your typical startup business licenses, tax id, etc. If you're selling in a restaurant then you would have to follow the same  regulations set forth by the health department. If you're planning to sell it in stores or pre-wrapped then you'll have to have the nutritional facts printed on the packaging. The FDA testing for this can be in excess of $10K for each item and/or time you have tested.