# Pricing food items?



## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

Quandary.... I make a mean Apple Cinnamon Walnut desert bread. I am wondering what would be a reasonable charge for a small loaf say 5 x 3 inches. Also I am working on developing a really good split pea and ham soup that I would like to sell by the pint and or quart and need some idea about pricing for that. Lots of folks down here do not have time to make at home the best breads, soups, stews using naturally grown parts and such. Don't know if this is a good idea since soups and stews are so cheap to by at Wmart. May have to concentrate on the breads side...just don't know yet. Advise asked for and welcomed! Sis


----------



## oldtruckbbq (Aug 8, 2016)

Some states allow selling home baked goods, but you get into anything other than that and you get into a regulatory quagmire that doesn't allow you to sell to the public from a home kitchen.

Figure the cost of ingredients in each loaf, the cost of the energy to bake it, packaging materials, and your time. Don't try to compete with Walmart because you will lose out. In a failed partnership doing custom meat processing and fresh meat sales my ex-partner always wanted to keep prices competitive with Walmart. If you are selling a premium product, how are people going to really believe it is a premium product if it cost Walmart prices? You can only sell at a loss for a short time before you end up like my ex-partner - out of business.

You might want to visit a local farmers market or a store that sells locally produced goods to see what kinds of prices they put on their products. Bottom line is, know your costs, contain your costs, and keep track of all your expenses to you know if you are making money or not.


----------



## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

got it and thank you!


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I used to sell baked goods at more or less twice the cost to make them. That gave me a net return of about $7 per hour for my time baking.

I did not count the time I spent selling, as the main idea was to gain marketing experience.


----------



## thorn653 (Jun 3, 2013)

You could try to sell it at a farmers market and if no one is 
buying it, just lower the price a bit.


----------

