Guide · Selling from home

Can I sell coffee & tea from home in Indiana?

Informational only, not legal advice.

Yes, with limits — Indiana allows some coffee & tea but prohibits others.

"With limits" means Indiana's allowed list and its prohibited list both name coffee & tea items. Check which list your product is on.

What Indiana's food lists say about coffee & tea

On the allowed list

  • Dried herbs, spices, and teas (air or oven dried without additional additives)
  • Roasted coffee beans (whole or ground), packaged

Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

On the prohibited list

  • Cold brew coffee, fresh-pressed juice, and products containing 0.5% or more alcohol by volume

Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

How Indiana reads its lists

The statute has no list of allowed foods: a home-based vendor may prepare and sell only food that is not a time temperature control for safety food (Ind. Code § 16-42-5.3-4(2), as amended by P.L.151-2024). The examples are from IDOH's handbook, which says its list "is neither complete nor all-inclusive"; for an unlisted product, contact the local health department or Purdue University Extension FEMI. Some products need pH or water activity testing.

Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

IDOH's handbook lists these as TCS foods or as products not considered HBV products, and says the list is not all-inclusive. Its FAQ answers "No" to pickled or acidified foods, fermented food, from-scratch barbecue or hot sauce, supplements, and homemade vanilla extract. Pet food is regulated by the Office of Indiana State Chemist; meat and meat fillings by the Board of Animal Health.

Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Selling coffee & tea in Indiana: permit, cost, and where to sell

Do I need a permit to sell coffee & tea from home in Indiana?

Indiana does not require a state-issued permit for cottage food.

Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, §§ 16-42-5.3-3, 16-42-5.3-12 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

The program is run by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), Division of Food Protection; enforced by local health departments.

Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

How much does a Indiana cottage food license cost?

Indiana does not charge a state cottage food license fee.

Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025), FAQ · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Is there a limit on how much I can sell in Indiana?

Indiana sets no overall annual sales cap for cottage food.

Source: Indiana Department of Health — Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum to local health departments (May 26, 2026) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Where can I sell coffee & tea in Indiana?

In person: Yes; farmers markets: Yes; online orders within Indiana: Yes; shipping to other states: No; delivery within Indiana: Yes; sales to stores or for resale: No.

Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, §§ 16-42-5.3-4, 16-42-5.3-6 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Food must be sold in person, by telephone, or through the Internet, and delivered to the end consumer in person, by mail, or by a third party carrier. A home-based vendor may not ship or deliver to an end consumer outside Indiana. Products may not be resold: no sales to a warehouse, retail food establishment, wholesaler, or anyone who will distribute them further. IDOH lists farmers markets, events, and roadside stands as HBV sale locations; a farmers market cannot require a food license but may ask for the food handler certificate, and event organizers may bar HBV goods. IDOH says the producer must make in-person sales themselves (products cannot be sold on their behalf) and may sell from another business only while physically present. Shipped or delivered food must be in a tamper-evident sealed package, and the vendor must keep each customer's shipping or delivery address for at least one year.

Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, §§ 16-42-5.3-4, 16-42-5.3-6 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Do I need training or a kitchen inspection in Indiana?

Indiana requires food safety training.

Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, § 16-42-5.3-7 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Indiana does not require a home kitchen inspection.

Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Labeling coffee & tea in Indiana

Indiana's cited labeling rules list 8 requirements. The full list is in the Indiana labeling guide.

Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, § 16-42-5.3-5 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Other foods in Indiana