So, if one would want to sell seed and possibly peppers, what laws, licenses, insurance, tax ID, etc would you have to worry about? Are these considered a food? Not looking to sell canned stuff like salsa or jelly. Any correct information would be appreciated.
Selling Seeds and Peppers
- Thread starter mmcdermott1
- Start date
You might ask AJ. He recently had a venture with a large health food store chain here in DFW.
From what I know, in Dallas you need some type of liability insurance that will protect you from food-borne diseases. Imagine selling a few pods and being sued because "they" said the food contained a bacteria like ecoli of similar....
To be in the salsa or processing game, you may need a commercial food handlers license.
I sell a few plants here and there, but have mainly sold produce from my garden at local farmer's markets with no trouble.
USUALLY, and I stress USUALLY, a small time grower can GET AWAY with selling produce at the market without legal trouble. But there are some horror stories about people being fined by their local jurisdiction. I'm sure you can ask about all the legal mumbo jumbo down at your local city hall.
Some helpful info may be; how big do you want your operation to be, will you sell to the public or to a restaurant or retailer.
I also believe in PROTECTING YOURSELF.... If that may be by means of insurance or going thru all the proper paperwork, it may be worth it in the long run.
I'm sure I mostly stated the obvious, but that is my two pennies.
From what I know, in Dallas you need some type of liability insurance that will protect you from food-borne diseases. Imagine selling a few pods and being sued because "they" said the food contained a bacteria like ecoli of similar....
To be in the salsa or processing game, you may need a commercial food handlers license.
I sell a few plants here and there, but have mainly sold produce from my garden at local farmer's markets with no trouble.
USUALLY, and I stress USUALLY, a small time grower can GET AWAY with selling produce at the market without legal trouble. But there are some horror stories about people being fined by their local jurisdiction. I'm sure you can ask about all the legal mumbo jumbo down at your local city hall.
Some helpful info may be; how big do you want your operation to be, will you sell to the public or to a restaurant or retailer.
I also believe in PROTECTING YOURSELF.... If that may be by means of insurance or going thru all the proper paperwork, it may be worth it in the long run.
I'm sure I mostly stated the obvious, but that is my two pennies.
I would say that if you want to sell a few here and there, like NorTex, do something like a farmer's market. If it were just seeds, I don't think there would be any problems at all. I would still contact a few seed sellers to make sure.
Me and the wife sell at the farmers market and we are usually the few that have a food handlers card. I always say better safe than sorry. If I was to do anything other than that I would play on the side of catuion and get any permit or insurrence required.
I'm actually talking more just seed than anything..like an online store selling seed.
I'd recommend you know and grow seeds for several years and get to really know what you have before selling. Too many seeds companies are started by amateurs who decide to make quick money by selling the new and popular products that they know hardly anything about. Its sad when us chileheads have to explain to sellers what they are really selling and this happens daily. Its easy to get free(or cheap) seeds and then produce your own and sell them, but there's hundreds of people already doing that and to be honest, most of them are quite unreliable and/or un-knowledgable. Have you thought about who you're intented market is, and how you are going to isolate your plants for purity. Are you planning on selling mostly the new and most popular species like most sellers, or do you have something original or different to offer? No offence to anyone personally but I think the last thing we need is another person selling bhuts, nagas, and scorpions and all the differnt colored crosses of these
God I hope I don't get in trouble for this. 
Jim Duffy is one guy that I know is doing it right!
He has a network of people working for him to maintain specie purity and integrity. He won't sell anything until he has proven the strain is stable. He has been working with these chillies for a very long time and is at the top of his game.
If I ever jump into the arena I think it would either be the small farmers market or a product made from my produce.
I really hope that you succeed in you endeavors!!
Jim Duffy is one guy that I know is doing it right!
He has a network of people working for him to maintain specie purity and integrity. He won't sell anything until he has proven the strain is stable. He has been working with these chillies for a very long time and is at the top of his game.
If I ever jump into the arena I think it would either be the small farmers market or a product made from my produce.
I really hope that you succeed in you endeavors!!
Here in Pennsylvania, it is a requirement to be registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture by filling out a Home Processing Plan Review and also to hold Food Liability Insurance. Any reputable farmer's market will also require the members / sellers to meet this requirement for liability reasons. Although there are a few exceptions to the rules, just about any product is required to be registered. I would imagine that each state has there own set of regulations and rules, so it would probably be a good idea to contact the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture. Good luck man!
Mike, maybe this could bring you a little more inspiration.
If you want to check it out, this is Jim's story:
http://www.superhotchiles.com/
He has given me a lot of growing tips throughout my first season. I didn't know anything of the "THP" at the time. So I am very grateful that he was there for me to answer many questions and help contribute to a successful season.
Maybe you might want to consider the powder business.
If you want to check it out, this is Jim's story:
http://www.superhotchiles.com/
He has given me a lot of growing tips throughout my first season. I didn't know anything of the "THP" at the time. So I am very grateful that he was there for me to answer many questions and help contribute to a successful season.
Maybe you might want to consider the powder business.
I like what Jim is doing, but I wouldn't say "He has been working with these chillies for a very long time". He started growing in 2004 from what I've read
My wife is a lawyer and absolutely nothing ever gets by her.
Boy you remind me of her.
Shame - Shame on me.
OOOOOOPS!!! I just read the part of your original post about NOT processing jellies, sauces, etc. Sorry dude. Not sure what to tell you but you should still contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture just to be sure.
AlabamaJack
eXtreme
fresh pods are considered "Produce"...here in Texas no license specifically for hot peppers is needed but you need a tax ID number so the state, county, and city (if applicable) can get their cut...
seeds are a different thing...you need to know the laws of each state where you want to send the seeds...import of seeds vary from state to state depending on what their money crops are...
seeds are a different thing...you need to know the laws of each state where you want to send the seeds...import of seeds vary from state to state depending on what their money crops are...
I agree you have to know what your doing but to say there is so much competition I would have to disagree with. To be honest, I have been buying pepper seed for quite a while and have only found a few reliable sources for seed. Others have sold untrue seed, others are way over priced. Buying seed over the pond, although I have never done, sounds like a pain in the butt. Just my experience....
What you don't get is all those "unreliable" people are just like you. they don't have bad intentions, they just don't know any better. it takes a lot of experience and a lot of money to become a reliable supplier.
Start small and go up from there.
I believe that some states require germination tests be performed on seeds, and that you state on the label what the germination percentage is. I have received seeds that had this label, and it mentioned "In accordance with...blah, blah,blah". Something else to look into.