Could you use a little extra cash? Do you love to eat? Now is the perfect time to combine them and start a side-gig based on your favorite foods.

jam and jelly food based side-gig

As I write this, unemployment is nearly 14% and thousands – maybe hundreds of thousands – of businesses have shuttered their doors. Many will not reopen, and others plan to reopen with fewer employees or reduced salaries. Thus, many of us need extra cash, but since it seems people aren’t buying anything, where are we going to get that cash? In times like these – which have come and gone before – consider providing affordable options meeting people’s needs or desires; food, shelter, self-improvement, toys, and children’s learning materials. You can create a side-gig, providing any one of these.

Side-Gig, Side-Hustle, Part-time Business, or Side Job?

What exactly is a side-gig?

A side-gig is the same thing as a side hustle or a part-time business. Unlike traditional moonlighting or taking on a second job, a side-gig is a business that you create. People have had side-gigs for eons, but many of us don’t think of it as a “regular” business. Have you ever sold Avon or Mary Kay? That’s a side gig. Ever rented out your extra room, made candy and sold it at the holiday fair, or fixed computers on the weekend? All side-gigs. Even if you consider it just helping out, any activity that you do on a regular basis and that brings in a bit of cash, is a business. The trick is to think of it as a business, and watch those occasional dollars flow in.

Advantages of Starting a Side-Gig

Time Saving: Starting a side-gig doesn’t mean you quit your day job. By its very nature, a side-gig is a part-time endeavor, something that can be carried out in the evening, on weekends, or seasonally.

Money Saving: The old adage, “it takes money to make money” is true; but a side-gig doesn’t have to be expensive. Yes, you will still need the appropriate licenses, but a side-gig doesn’t require a large inventory of ingredients and equipment, extra space, or employees. Starting a cracker business to rival Nabisco would require millions of dollars for inventory, packaging, factory equipment, employee training, sales representatives, distribution, etc. Starting a specialty cracker business in your kitchen requires maybe a thousand dollars for local licenses plus a few ingredients.

Quickly Meeting Customer and Personal Needs: What to start a tutoring business? Great! Start a side-gig and see if there is enough demand in your area. If there isn’t, is there another way to offer your expertise? If so, pivot and start tutoring online. Or maybe you will decide you don’t really like tutoring after all. Since you don’t have much money tied up in the side-gig, move on to something else. Maybe it’s time to get that new lawnmower and start a lawn care side-gig. When winter comes, tuck the mower away and bring out the snow shovel! A side-gig lets us quickly adapt to what the market needs and what we enjoy.

Quick Start: You may be able to start a side-gig as soon as this week! Depending on your business idea, and your local licensing requirements, you can develop a quick plan and start making money by the weekend. Unlike starting a large business, your side-gig probably won’t have to search for appropriate real estate, have an environmental impact study performed, or sponsor a hiring event. Faster mobilization means quicker cash in hand.

Why Start a Food-Based Side-Gig?

Customers: Some people need their lawn tended. Others are seeking new toys for their toddlers. Still others need help building a website or need a new knit hat. But everyone needs food! When you start a food-based side-gig your potential customer base is automatically larger than for any other business. That doesn’t mean everyone wants your special crab cakes – lots of people are either allergic to or don’t like seafood. But there are more potential crab cake munchers out there than people seeking stone figurines or quilted tote bags.

Expertise: As a human, you are already a food expert of some sort. After all, think of how many meals you have prepared and/or eaten thus far in your life! You may take a bit of time learning how to run a business, but you probably already know how to make your family’s famous peanut brittle.

Why Now is the Perfect Time to Start a Food Side-Gig

Self Determination: The country is in an upheaval right now. We have limited control over COVID-19, social media misinformation, the economy, and politicians who profess to have our best interests at heart when their actions show otherwise. It’s enough to make one sink into despair. A side-gig can help you take back your life! Along with a mask and turning off the TV, starting a side-gig that feeds you – both literally and metaphorically – restores our sense of self-sufficiency.

Longing for the Good Old Days: Do you fondly remember Grandma’s strawberry pie? Mom’s peach preserves? Uncle Jim’s homemade beef jerky? You aren’t alone. Many people yearn for homemade foods that have intense flavor and lack additives and preservatives. But most people don’t have a family favorite pie recipe or know how to turn fresh fruit into jam and jelly. You can fill the void. Your customers are looking for the homemade products that only you can provide.

Exclusivity: I dream of my own home in Hawaii. Do I own property there? No. Why? Because, (despite my side-gig) homes in Hawaii are out of my price range. But each time I visit I bring a little bit of the islands back home with me. There’s usually a box of chocolate covered macadamias, some pink Hawaiian salt, a bottle of coconut syrup, and some lilikoi curd. Specialty foods are an affordable treat. Even when the economy is difficult, many of us can afford a delicious food impulse purchase, even if we can’t afford a fancy vacation home. So, start stirring!

Less Competition: You may think that now is a terrible time to start a food side gig. In reality, it’s the perfect time! As more people abandon their old business plans, and others are hesitant to start a new business, the marketplace is seeking replacements. We may be buying fewer clothes or movie tickets these days, but we are still buying food. You can provide the delicious options your customers want and need.


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Americans are starting new businesses at a rapid rate, but now is a particularly good time to start a small-scale artisan or specialty food business.

artisan food business

As the years go by, we get further and further from our
agrarian roots. No longer do we grow up learning how to preserve the backyard
harvest, or even how to grow a backyard garden! Most of us squeeze dinner in
sometime between work and soccer practice, leaving little time to prepare a
home cooked meal.

But…we all still want great, artisan-style food that tastes homemade.
Which makes now the perfect time to show off your bread making talents. Or to
share your special-recipe marinara sauce. Or to put up cases of your family’s
favorite apricot preserves. All ideas that you can easily turn into a small or
side business.

Maybe you have had a food business idea bouncing around in
your head for a while now. Perhaps you have dreamed about operating a food
truck or selling whoopie pies at outdoor markets. But the timing has never
seemed right. So why is now the time
to turn that dream into reality?

Join the Business Crowd

According to cloud-based accounting software firm Freshbooks, 24 million of us have the desire to start a business. Most of us never make the move, fearful of what might happen if we quit our “real” jobs. That fear may be justified, which is why starting a small-scale artisan food business on the side is the answer.

Growing Food Sales

According to the Specialty Foods Association, sales of specialty (or artisan) foods grew 12.9% between 2015 and 2017, while standard retail food sales grew.1.4%. They predict that the specialty foods market, a $140 billion market, will grow 19% by 2022. Therefore, start your business now and claim your share of this profitable market early.

Customers, Customers

The economy is chugging along at a fine pace. Unemployment is at its lowest level in years. That means people have extra disposable income to spend on your product. It also means that people are busier than ever, and are seeking time-saving ways to put a healthy and satisfying meal on the table. Your artisan food product can supply both!

Tell the World About Your Business

Social media may be the bane of civilization, or it may be what finally connects us all, but it has made it easier to tell the world about your business. Instead of placing an ad in the local newspaper and hoping your potential customers will see it, you can now set up a business Facebook page or Instagram account and share your products. Pinterest boards are especially appealing for food businesses. And you may be able to sell your products not just at the local Farmer’s market, but also on sites like Etsy and Amazon.

Abundant Small-Scale Business Opportunities

There are so many ways to enter the artisan food market. As mentioned above, you could start a small baking business specializing in pies, or breads, or cookies, or quiches… the list goes on. Or you could become a personal chef and only take on as many customers as you choose. Maybe you could turn your backyard into an herb Eden, growing and selling fresh basil or dill or lemongrass. Perhaps you could start a pop-up wine and cheese tasting business, or organize farm-to table-events in your area. The ideas are only limited by your imagination. At least one of them is perfect for you.

Intuit, predicts that the number of small businesses will grow from 30 million in 2016 to 42 million in 2026. One of these businesses can be yours. Want even more reasons? Check out this previous post, 5 Reasons to Start a Food Business Today.