Launch
Make it legal. Make it real.
Pick your path
Four ways to sell food in Connecticut.
Each path has its own first steps, its own regulator, and its own kind of kitchen. Find the one that fits how you want to sell — then we’ll walk the licensing with you.
Mobile & food truck
A commissary kitchen, a health-district permit, and a route. The lowest-overhead way onto the street.
Licensing & first steps
Brick-and-mortar
A storefront or stall of your own. The most control, the most cost, the most regulation — done in order.
Licensing & first steps
At home (cottage)
Start shelf-stable from your own kitchen under Connecticut’s cottage-food rules. A real beginning, with a ceiling.
Licensing & first steps
Shared or rented kitchen
Licensed commercial space by the hour — the model Altru is building for the region. Scale without buying the building.
Licensing & first steps
Who regulates you
In our region, it’s usually your health district.
In Southeastern Connecticut, food permits run through your local health district. If you’re in Norwich, that’s the Uncas Health District. In New London or Groton, it’s Ledge Light Health District. They issue the permits, inspect the kitchens, and — genuinely — would rather help you pass than catch you failing.
Food-safety basics
The habits that keep the permit.
Safe temperatures, clean separation, honest labeling, and a manager who’s certified. Most paths want at least one person food-safety trained — it’s a short course, and it’s the first workshop we’ll run.
Get food-safety ready →Requirements depend on product, process, sales channel, and licensing authority — always confirm with your regulator.
Legal and selling? Now let’s grow it.
Go to Grow →