Selling maple syrup in Minnesota
Yes — if the syrup comes from trees on land you own, rent or lease and you add nothing from off the farm, Minnesota treats it as a "product of the farm" and you don't need a food license or cottage food registration. Add off-farm ingredients like flavorings — or, per the state producers' association, sap or syrup from someone else — and you'll need a license (or, for some products, cottage food registration).
September 25, 2026
Some points to confirm with the agency
Minnesota's food licensing law doesn't apply to "persons selling the products of the farm or garden occupied and cultivated by them" (Minn. Stat. § 28A.15, subd. 2), and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) lists maple syrup as a product of the farm that needs no food license or Cottage Food Producer registration. The exemption ends if you add off-farm ingredients; the Minnesota Maple Syrup Producers' Association adds that it only covers syrup made exclusively from trees on land you own or control, with no sap from other producers. Outside the exemption you need an MDA food license, or you may be able to use a Cottage Food Producer registration for direct-to-consumer sales. MDA's licensing line is 651-201-6062.
Official pageMinnesota Department of Agriculture — Food Licensing Exclusions and ExemptionsThe product-of-the-farm exemption doesn't require a licensed facility — MDA notes farm products may be processed before sale — but every food business must still "produce safe, sanitary food products for sale" and handle products according to state and federal law. Minnesota's statute and MDA guidance don't set sugarhouse construction standards for exempt producers.
MDA says "the U.S. Grade is voluntary on maple syrup labels" — Minnesota doesn't require grading. If you do claim a grade and class, the Minnesota Maple Syrup Producers' Association notes it has to meet USDA's standards for it. Syrup must meet the federal minimum of 66% soluble solids; the association recommends finishing between 66.0 and 68.9 °Brix.
Check your density with the hydrometer calculator →- Product identity — "maple syrup" — on the principal display panel
- Net quantity in ounces and the full unit (e.g. pints or quarts), in the lower third of the front panel, in type at least 1/16 inch high (1/8 inch for labels over 5 sq in, 3/16 inch over 25 sq in); MDA notes a metric equivalent is sometimes required
- Business name and address, including ZIP code, on the information panel
- An ingredient list only if the product contains anything besides maple syrup (defoamers used as a processing aid don't need to be listed)
- All label text at least 1/16 inch high
The product-of-the-farm exclusion in the statute doesn't name any sales venues or limits, and MDA's guidance doesn't add any — so farm-gate and farmers market sales of your own syrup are covered. The cottage food route is narrower — direct to consumers from home, farmers markets or community events only, no wholesale or retail stores, and no shipping. The Minnesota Maple Syrup Producers' Association notes grading may be needed if you sell outside Minnesota.
No maple-specific equipment rules apply to exempt producers, but MDA requires all food businesses to produce safe, sanitary food, and products of the farm must be handled according to applicable state and federal laws.
There's no federal license to sell maple syrup in the US — whether you need a license, where you can boil and where you can sell are decided by your state. Federal rules still set the floor for every jar: the FDA defines what "maple syrup" is and what a food label must say, and USDA publishes grade standards that are voluntary at the federal level.
- FDA standard of identity: "maple syrup" (or "maple sirup") is made by concentrating and heat-treating maple sap and must contain at least 66% soluble solids by weight (21 CFR 168.140).
- Every packaged food label needs the product's name on the front panel (21 CFR 101.3), the net quantity of contents in fluid measure (21 CFR 101.7), and the name and place of business of the maker, packer or distributor, including city, state and ZIP code (21 CFR 101.5).
- Nutrition Facts panels are often not required for small producers: direct-to-consumer sellers with $50,000 or less a year in food sales to consumers (or $500,000 or less in total sales to consumers) are exempt if the label makes no nutrition claims (21 CFR 101.9(j)(1)). A separate low-volume exemption covers firms with fewer than 100 full-time-equivalent employees selling fewer than 100,000 units, and firms under 10 employees selling under 10,000 units don't have to file a notice (21 CFR 101.9(j)(18)).
- USDA's grade standards (effective March 2, 2015) are voluntary at the federal level: Grade A comes in four color/taste classes — Golden (Delicate), Amber (Rich), Dark (Robust) and Very Dark (Strong) — at 66–68.9% solids (°Brix). Processing Grade must be packed in containers of 5 gallons or larger and can't go into retail-size containers. Some states make grade labeling mandatory under state law (in this guide: Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin for licensed processors), while others leave it voluntary — see your state's page.
- FDA facility registration: FDA treats boiling sap into syrup as "manufacturing/processing", so a dedicated sugarhouse generally has to register with FDA unless an exemption applies — for example, it's a retail food establishment, meaning its direct-to-consumer food sales are worth more than its sales to all other buyers (sales at roadside stands, farmers markets, CSAs, fairs and by mail or online from a farm or farm-operated business all count as direct), or the syrup is made in your home or in an outbuilding that's still used the way a normal home building would be (FDA facility-registration Q&A, 7th ed., 2018).
- Licenses, home-kitchen rules and sugarhouse inspections are state matters, and federal rules apply on top of them — USDA's grade standards say they don't excuse failure to comply with state law.
Official sources
- Minn. Stat. § 28A.15 — Exclusions — Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
- Food Licensing Exclusions and Exemptions — Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Food Labeling Requirements (Maple Syrup section) — Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Frequently Asked Questions About Maple Syrup Production — Minnesota Maple Syrup Producers' Association
- 21 CFR 168.140 — Maple sirup (standard of identity) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (eCFR)
- 21 CFR 101.3 — Identity labeling of food in packaged form — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (eCFR)
- 21 CFR 101.5 — Food; name and place of business of manufacturer, packer, or distributor — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (via Cornell LII)
- 21 CFR 101.7 — Declaration of net quantity of contents — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (eCFR)
- 21 CFR 101.9 — Nutrition labeling of food (exemptions in paragraph (j)) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (via Cornell LII)
- United States Standards for Grades of Maple Syrup (effective March 2, 2015) — USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
- Questions and Answers Regarding Food Facility Registration (Seventh Edition): Guidance for Industry — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
This page summarizes public rules as we read them on September 25, 2026. It isn't legal advice, and rules change — confirm with the agency before you sell.
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