How to label homemade coffee for sale
Home-roasted coffee has a loyal following, and a simple label, if you get the basics right. Here is what a bag of roasted coffee needs before you sell it.
What your coffee label needs
- ✓Product name. The common name of the food, so a buyer knows what it is.
- ✓Net quantity. Coffee is sold by net weight, for example 12 oz of whole bean or ground.
- ✓Ingredient list. Every ingredient, listed heaviest-first by weight.
- ✓Allergen statement. A “Contains” line for any of the nine major allergens in your recipe.
- ✓Business name and address. Who made the food and where they can be reached.
- ✓Home-kitchen disclaimer. The cottage food sentence your state requires you to print.
Allergens to watch in coffee
Plain roasted coffee carries no major allergens, but flavored coffees can add them. Still check every ingredient against the nine majors (milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sesame), because add-ins can introduce one. Your “Contains” line should reflect what is actually in your recipe.
Nutripane reads the allergens from your ingredients automatically, so the Contains line matches your recipe.
Do you need a Nutrition Facts panel for coffee?
Plain roasted coffee is usually exempt from the Nutrition Facts panel as a cottage food. Flavored or additive-containing coffees can be treated differently.
Nutripane builds the Nutrition Facts panel and the ingredient, allergen, and disclaimer label from your recipe, so you are ready whether you need the panel or not.
One thing sellers miss on coffee
State whether it is whole bean or ground, and the roast level. If it is flavored, list the flavoring rather than hiding it.
Questions
How do I label roasted coffee to sell?
Bag it with the product name, net weight, roast and grind, any ingredients beyond the coffee itself, your business name and address, and your state's home-kitchen disclaimer. Confirm whether your state treats home coffee roasting as a cottage food.
Does coffee need an ingredient list?
Single-origin plain roasted coffee can be a one-word ingredient statement, Coffee. Once you add flavorings, oils, or blends of other ingredients, list them all in order of weight.
Where to sell your coffee
Where you sell decides whether you need a full Nutrition Facts panel. Here is what each channel expects.
Guides to get you started
Labeling another food?
This page is general information, not legal advice. Food labeling and cottage food rules vary by state and county and change over time. Confirm current requirements with your state's cottage food program before you sell. See your state's rules or another product.