A national home for cottage food is being built.
NCFA is the first national trade association built exclusively for the cottage food industry — advocating for your right to build a business from your own kitchen. Our full site is on the way. Be the first to know when it's here.
Our Mission
We exist to strengthen the cottage food industry through education, business resources, strategic partnerships, professional development, and community support — for producers at every stage of growth. NCFA gives homemade food entrepreneurs the support and infrastructure they've always needed — and the collective voice they deserve.
— WHO WE ARE —
Built by the community, for the community.
The National Cottage Food Alliance exists because cottage food entrepreneurs deserve more than scattered Facebook groups and state-by-state guesswork.
Founded in Minnesota and organized as a trade association, NCFA is the first organization dedicated entirely to this industry at a national level — representing the collective business interests of home-based food producers across all 50 states. Our goal isn't just to serve our members. It's to elevate the entire industry.
— WHAT WE’RE BUILDING —
Three pillars that move the industry forward
Everything NCFA does ladders up to making cottage food businesses more viable, more connected, and more protected.
Education
Webinars, workshops, and professional development — practical, industry-relevant learning that helps entrepreneurs confidently start, operate, and grow.
Community
A national membership network, digital forums, local chapters, and CottageFoodieCon — so no one has to figure this out alone.
Economic Opportunity
Pathways that increase profitability, reduce barriers to entry, and unlock tools for long-term success through member and partner benefits.
— WHO’S BEHIND THIS —
Real people, building a real organization.
NCFA isn't a faceless logo. It's being built by people rooted in the cottage food community — and backed by brands that's been part of it for years.
The cottage food industry has been growing for more than a decade — slowly, quietly, one kitchen at a time. Home bakers, jam makers, candy crafters, and small-batch producers have been building businesses and navigating confusing laws largely on their own.
NCFA was founded to change that — the first trade association dedicated entirely to this industry at a national level. We were founded in Minnesota, organized as a trade association with 501(c)(6) status actively in process, and built to represent the collective business interests of cottage food producers in all 50 states.
✓ National trade association
✓ 501(c)(6) status pending
✓ Headquartered in Minnesota
Our founding team
Matt Rosen
Matt Rosen is a 23-year military veteran turned cottage food entrepreneur who built Sergeant Shortbread from his home kitchen into a successful shortbread cookie business, growing from local coffee shops to shipping nationwide. The challenges he faced with pricing, marketing, and navigating the industry inspired his next chapter. Matt helped create CottageFoodieCon and co-founded the National Cottage Food Alliance with a simple belief: no cottage food producer should have to build their business alone. He is dedicated to helping home-based food entrepreneurs through education, community, and shared resources. He is based in Eden Prairie.
Founder & Executive Director
Lisa He
Lisa is a strategic leader with 15+ years of experience spanning regulatory affairs, product management, and digital entrepreneurship. She built Borderlands Bakery from her home kitchen into a nationally recognized brand — with 170K Instagram followers, 350K+ on TikTok, ~45K on YouTube, and appearances on Food Network and Netflix — before founding My Custom Bakes, a SaaS platform now serving thousands of cottage food entrepreneurs across the U.S. and Canada. A published author and medical device software compliance professional, Lisa brings a rare combination of technical rigor, operator credibility, and deep community roots to the Alliance as co-founder. She is based in Orlando, FL.
President of the Board
Kirsten Barott-Bebo brings more than a decade of nonprofit and association management experience, with a strong background in membership engagement, governance, events, and organizational operations. She currently serves as Relationship & Events Director for the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce and has spent the last five years supporting board leadership and organizational record-keeping in secretary roles. Kirsten is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations grow their impact through strong systems, strategic relationships, and effective governance.
Secretary of the BoardKirsten Bebo
Nicole Bendig-Lamb is the Owner/Operator of Cake Business School, LLC dba Angel Foods and Master Cake Designer behind Snarky Sweet Cake Chick, LLC. A former Food Network competitor and author of the best-selling book, Baking Your Way To The Top: How to Start & Grow Your Own Home-Based Baking Business, Nicole is also an Accountant with over a decade of Public Accounting experience. A former Certified Profit First Professional, she is a Cottage Food Baker and Business Coach who educates home-based food producers. Her specialty is profitability, cash flow management, and regulatory compliance.
Treasurer of the BoardNicole Bendig-Lamb
“We started NCFA because cottage food entrepreneurs deserve more than scattered Facebook groups and state-by-state guesswork. You built your business from scratch — now let's build the industry, together.”
—The NCFA Founding Team