marketing Going official in 2019 in CA, but confused as to what licenses/permits needed?

[ExitPlan]

Hey everyone! Hoping I can get some clear cut answers here pertaining to my specific scenario. I've been crafting and iterating on my recipe for a fermented hot sauce over this past year, and have learned quickly that I cannot just bottle it myself and sell it to people as hotsauce does not fall under California's cottage food law.
 
I want to do things as legit as I possibly can in 2019, which means I will be filing an LLC and getting all necessary permits and licensing so I can sell my hot sauce at farmers markets and online. Ideally, as I am just starting out, I want to mitigate my risk by keeping batch sizes small so I am looking into finding a willing restaurant or church to use their kitchen after hours.
 
So a few key questions I am looking to have answered:
 
- At this stage, if I am planning on doing business in Los Angeles, California (Gardena specifically) is it best I form my LLC in California or Delaware?
 
- Aside form registering my LLC, what other permits or licenses do I need to obtain in order to produce and bottle my own hot sauce if I am using a restaurant's or church's kitchen?
 
- If I use a restaurant's or church's kitchen, what aspects of the process MUST I do in that kitchen?
 
- If I am fermenting my hot sauce, can I prepare the ingredients at that kitchen, and then let it ferment at my house or do I have to let it ferment at that commercial kitchen?
 
- If I cook and bottle the fermented hotsauce at the commercial kitchen, can I at hold my stock at my own home or do I have to find a commercial space to hold the stock?
 
- And finally, if I want to legally sell this product online and at farmer's markets from Los Angeles, California, do I need a food scientist to review my recipe and come up with nutritional information?
 
 
I probably have a plethora of other questions, but this should be it for now lol. Thank you so much for any responses!

 

[Marsh]

Very cool info! Thank you. Just curious, what’s the rough amount you’ve put into this so far and where do you think it will end with? Do you have many things that are an annual fee or are most of the permits a one and done kind of thing?

I am about 1k in with permits, licenses and legal fees, and I need more which is why I just started a Kickstarter in hopes that it will help fund the rest of my business. I would have to go back and see, but I'm pretty sure you have to renew most of the stuff you do with the state and county just forgot if its every year or 2/3 years.

 

[Jadan]

I am about 1k in with permits, licenses and legal fees, and I need more which is why I just started a Kickstarter in hopes that it will help fund the rest of my business. I would have to go back and see, but I'm pretty sure you have to renew most of the stuff you do with the state and county just forgot if its every year or 2/3 years.

Interesting, yeah the renewal timeline is what I’m expecting to see as well (from what I’ve found so far here in Los Angeles area) I wish you luck man! Happy to see fellow folks follow their dreams!

 

[HellfireFarm]

@Marsh Riverside proper for me, with a short stint in Colton.