As sales of Harvest Right Freeze Dryers skyrocket, many of the owners are using their machines to counteract the economic impact of Covid-related shutdowns and layoffs. Purchasing a freeze dryer isn’t like buying a dehydrator. This is a serious investment, and there are many ways to use the machine to pay for itself.

While many purchase a freeze dryer to put food away for later use, others see a niche market for items that lend well to freeze drying. However, our customers are at the mercy of their state cottage industry laws.

These laws vary by state, with some being quite strict and others more lenient. For instance, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, New Jersey, and West Virginia do not allow cottage industry at all. New Jersey is working to change their restrictions. Other states (like California, Maine, and Ohio) go so far as to allow indirect sales, meaning that your home-produced items can be sold to second party sellers, such as restaurants and shops. Most fall somewhere in the middle, with restrictions on where the items can be sold, what can be sold, and how it can be sold.

Sales of freeze dryers in 2020 more than doubled the 2018 numbers and the growth in the industry warrants requests to each state to revisit the laws regarding allowed items. There are now nearly 100k freeze dryers in the United States (and all over the world). Harvest Right, which used to only sell direct to consumer, is now being carried in stores across the country. Sales are growing exponentially.

If your state does not currently have an awareness of these incredible machines and what they do, then ask them to do due diligence and review the laws as they would apply to freeze-dried foods. As more of us come forward to request revisions, they will see the need for clarification. There are thousands of these machines in nearly every state and they are not going away. This is an industry that will need to be addressed, just as canning and dehydrating became popular and many families supplemented their incomes with home-made foods.

Freeze-dried foods do not spoil. In fact, they are 97 to 99 percent nutritionally intact up to 25 years later. These foods are moisture free. Freeze-dried foods will require a new set of guidelines that work with the qualities of these foods. It is time to take a serious look at the capability of these machines and redefine the laws around them.

There are social media groups for businesses sprouting up around freeze-dried foods, whether they are for candies, hiking and camping foods, specialty items for people with sensory disorders (the crunch of freeze-dried foods appeals to many who struggle with food textures), or even pet foods and treats.  Etsy and other sales groups are well-populated with freeze-dried foods. It is time to bring these foods and these machines into the cottage business. Encourage your state to investigate the possibilities.