In this episode, we dive deep into one of the biggest decisions cottage food and charcuterie business owners face: Should we chase large custom orders or focus on selling smaller priced, high-volume products?

We share real-world experience from charcuterie tables & cottage food items, catering, markets, and home-based food businesses to break down the true cost of big events—including time, stress, prep, communication, and pricing—versus the freedom and scalability of standardized, repeatable products.

We talk about:

• Big custom orders vs. smaller high-volume sales (and which is actually more profitable)
• How stress, time, and mental load affect pricing and sustainability
• Why standardizing menus and products can increase income and reduce burnout
• When large orders do make sense (corporate clients, real estate agents, senior communities, and event planners)
• Giftable food ideas that stand out, from charcuterie bouquets to bakery gift boxes
• Why you don’t need a huge menu to succeed—and how over-accommodating can hurt your business
• How passion, confidence, and simplicity directly impact sales
• Using social media and visibility to attract organic referrals without paid ads

Whether we’re running a charcuterie business, baking from home, or building a cottage food brand, this episode helps us step back, evaluate our business model, and choose a path that fits our personality, lifestyle, and goals.

If we’re feeling overwhelmed, underpaid, or stuck saying yes to things we don’t enjoy, this conversation will help us rethink how we sell, what we offer, and how we grow—without burning out.

👉 Resources mentioned in this episode: grazingbiz.com/resources

If this episode resonates, share it with a fellow food business owner and help us keep growing the Grazing Biz community.

If you want more help to get your Charcuterie or home-based food Business launched or grow it online, we got you covered:

START OR GROW A CHARCUTERIE AND/OR COTTAGE FOOD BUSINESS IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS!! Learn about all our free and paid resources at https://grazingbiz.com/resources

Check out our new Mini-Course on Starting your Charcuterie Business at: https://grazingbiz.com/launch-minicourse

NEW EBOOK! STOP GUESSING AND START PROFITING. Get the Ultimate Guide on How to Buy, Price & Profit Like a Pro! "Charcuterie Profit Secrets"
Get the book at: https://grazingbiz.com/profitsecrets...

...when you get the book, get access to a special discount price on our amazing "Charcuterie AI Secrets" – A Guide to 10x Marketing & Sales Using AI and you'll also get 6 Charcuterie Business-Building AI prompts to help you to build everything from your business plan to boards to marketing plan so you can earn more at any stage of your business.

GET A FREE CHARCUTERIE BOARD CALCULATOR AT: https://grazingbiz.com/earnwithcheese

JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP FOR MORE TIPS/HELP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/charcuteriebiz

Follow us:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grazingbizstrategies

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grazingboardbiz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charcuterielaunchlab

We get these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) all the time — so we’re answering them in one place.

In this episode, we breakdown the most common FAQs for charcuterie and cottage food business owners who want to do this the right way from the start. We talk about what equipment you actually need, how to take orders without chaos, where your first customers really come from, and how to price so you’re not working for free.

We also cover websites, online ordering, automation, and why setting up simple systems early makes everything easier as you grow. Plus, we call out the mistakes we see over and over again — overbuying, underpricing, trying to do too much, and skipping the business side altogether.

If you’re starting out, scaling up, or trying to turn your side hustle into a real, profitable business, this episode will help you get clear, get organized, and move forward with confidence.

If you want more help to get your Charcuterie or home-based food Business launched or grow it online, we got you covered:

START OR GROW A CHARCUTERIE AND/OR COTTAGE FOOD BUSINESS IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS!! Learn about all our free and paid resources at https://grazingbiz.com/resources

Check out our new Mini-Course on Starting your Charcuterie Business at: https://grazingbiz.com/launch-minicourse

NEW EBOOK! STOP GUESSING AND START PROFITING. Get the Ultimate Guide on How to Buy, Price & Profit Like a Pro! "Charcuterie Profit Secrets"
Get the book at: https://grazingbiz.com/profitsecrets...

...when you get the book, get access to a special discount price on our amazing "Charcuterie AI Secrets" – A Guide to 10x Marketing & Sales Using AI and you'll also get 6 Charcuterie Business-Building AI prompts to help you to build everything from your business plan to boards to marketing plan so you can earn more at any stage of your business.

GET A FREE CHARCUTERIE BOARD CALCULATOR AT: https://grazingbiz.com/earnwithcheese

JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP FOR MORE TIPS/HELP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/charcuteriebiz

Follow us:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grazingbizstrategies

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grazingboardbiz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charcuterielaunchlab

As we kick off 2026, we’re sharing some of our favorite and most productive marketing lessons pulled straight from previous podcast episodes.

In this episode, we talk about how we market our charcuterie and cottage food businesses in simple, practical ways that actually work. We cover automation, online ordering, websites vs. landing pages, Google reviews, social media visibility, and how to build trust before you ever sell.

These are real strategies we’ve used to sell more with less stress and less manual work. If you’re growing a home-based food business and want clearer systems, better marketing, and more consistent sales, this episode will help you focus on what matters most.

We’re so glad you’re here and excited to grow with you in 2026.

If you want more help to get your Charcuterie or home-based food Business launched or grow it online, we got you covered:

START OR GROW A CHARCUTERIE AND/OR COTTAGE FOOD BUSINESS IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS!! Learn about all our free and paid resources at https://grazingbiz.com/resources

Check out our new Mini-Course on Starting your Charcuterie Business at: https://grazingbiz.com/launch-minicourse

NEW EBOOK! STOP GUESSING AND START PROFITING. Get the Ultimate Guide on How to Buy, Price & Profit Like a Pro! "Charcuterie Profit Secrets"
Get the book at: https://grazingbiz.com/profitsecrets...

...when you get the book, get access to a special discount price on our amazing "Charcuterie AI Secrets" – A Guide to 10x Marketing & Sales Using AI and you'll also get 6 Charcuterie Business-Building AI prompts to help you to build everything from your business plan to boards to marketing plan so you can earn more at any stage of your business.

GET A FREE CHARCUTERIE BOARD CALCULATOR AT: https://grazingbiz.com/earnwithcheese

JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP FOR MORE TIPS/HELP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/charcuteriebiz

Follow us:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grazingbizstrategies

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grazingboardbiz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charcuterielaunchlab