During the Covid years, it seemed like almost everyone started taking up some form of baking as a hobby (or maybe a coping mechanism?). Whether it was sourdough, cookies, or cake, baking became a creative outlet, a stress-reliever, not to mention a time-filler for all that time at home/in isolation! Whatever it was, you really enjoyed doing it and maybe you even got really good at it! So then you thought, “Hey, maybe I could turn this into a gig and earn some extra income!”. After all, anyone can have a home-baking business in Australia, right??

The short answer to that is… YES!

BUUUUUT… (come on, I’m sure you knew there was a “but” coming!)

ONLY if you follow and meet the necessary requirements for a home food/baking business.

To have a LEGAL home-baking business in Australia, you do need to have a council-approved food licence and registered kitchen.

Yes, I am aware that there are plenty of home-baking “businesses” and “hobby bakers” out there without a licence. But did you know that it is actually ILLEGAL to take any form of payment for home-baked goods WITHOUT a food licence? And in case you thought there was a loophole, their definition of “payment” also includes “reimbursement” for ingredients. Yup! They have gotten very smart, and very strict about this, especially now that it’s become so common.

Now, I’m not here to bag out those of you without a food licence. Honestly, I believe most legit home-baking businesses might have even started out that way! That being said, it’s certainly not a wise thing to do or continue doing, as they actually have very harsh fines and penalties (I’m talking tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the state!!) for those caught breaking the law - it’s simply just not worth it! And in case you’re thinking “That’s not going to happen to me!”, I actually know people who got caught (usually because someone has reported them to the council!), and also, the council officers have actually admitted to trawling through social media pages and groups to "catch" unlicensed bakers!

What I do want to tell you though, is that becoming a LEGAL home-baker may not be as hard as you think it is! And if you’ve got the dream to have your own home-baking business and make some income from doing something you’re passionate about, that’s all the more reason to GO FOR IT! I used to think it wouldn’t be possible for me until I did some extensive research into what was required for a home food business and found out that a lot of the obstacles I had given myself were actually misconceptions and misinformation!

Lucky for you, I’m going to save you some time staring at your computer screen! In my next blog post, I’m going to delve into the things you will need to have your very own LEGAL home-baking business! So if you don’t want to miss it, make sure you subscribe to my Blog Mailing List (form below) so I can let you know once it’s published!

Meanwhile, if you’d like to brush up on your caking skills in preparation for that business of yours, or even if you’d just like to learn more about cake baking and decorating, click HERE for my top 10 tips for making buttercream cakes like a pro!