Baking Good Legislation
On August 27, Governor Pritzker signed into law the Home-to-Market Act. The Home-to-Market Act allows producers of home-based food products to sell their goods directly to customers. This new law goes into effect on January 1, 2022. This will foster the growth of home-based entrepreneurs, known as the cottage food businesses.
Prior to the passage of the Home-to-Market Act, cottage food producers were only allowed to sell their products at farmer's markets. They were prohibited from selling at fairs or festivals, and online. Compared to other states, Illinois has one of the most restrictive regulations governing the cottage food industry. This new act will open the door for a vast increase in sales and provide cottage producers the opportunity to start or grow their businesses. The Home-to-Market Act comes at the perfect time as many of these home-based food businesses and farms were hit hard by the pandemic. During the pandemic, many farmer's markets delayed their openings, leaving cottage food producers unable to sell their products. The new bill will especially benefit women-owned businesses, as 77% of cottage food businesses are owned by women.
The SBAC is a strong advocate for home-based businesses. Check out our most recent win regarding HBBs.
*CLOSED* the Cook County Small Business Source Grow Grant Program!
Apply for the Cook County Small Business Source Grow Grant Program! The SBAC advocates for the small business community in numerous ways, including by disseminating important information about programs that will support small businesses. The Cook County Small Business Source Grow Grant program will provide grants to certain small businesses still struggling to recover from the pandemic.…
We’ve been busy advocating for you!
We’ve been busy advocating for the small business comunity! It’s been a busy past few weeks for the SBAC. Our fight to revitalize local business districts continues fervently. We are committed to meeting our Illinois Alders individually to discuss our SBAC Agenda and how to build a better Illinois. Small businesses are the heart of…
August 17th, 2022 – Small Business Workshop – What to ask Before You Open Your Doors
August 17th, 2022 SBAC Empower, Groupon + the Greater Englewood Chamber Of Commerce present an open Q&A session to answer your questions on starting a business. Opening a business and have a question on business usage, zoning, banking, etc? Already have a business and have questions? Listen in, and our panelists will answer freely. With:…
