How the Garage works, who we buy from, where we sell, how the money moves, and how we do this with Your Last Prayer and KYZO. Everything below is real, including the parts where it is legally annoying.
Two organizations we are genuinely grateful to, and two concrete ways to work together that start this month.
An uplifting documentary film project honoring the voices, laughter and spiritual wisdom of elders across cultures and traditions. Not a somber project — a celebration. They film freely, produce "Make Me a Movie Star" mini-documentaries, and run a free digital library of elder stories called The Last Prayer.
A plant-based African food revolution — the KYZO Garden, a fresh vegetarian grocer in Accra, Ghana, plus The Hive, an art gallery and media space. They are building toward Mombasa, Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam with a mission of 100% plant-based Africa.
A real garage behind a real duplex in Moscow, Idaho. It holds a dehumidifier, a chest freezer, a vacuum sealer, four shelves of kraft pouches, and the accumulated dignity of many packing days.
Pallets arrive from California, Oregon, Washington and Florida. We check lot codes, moisture, and whether the crowbar damage is our fault. Mostly it's the crowbar's fault.
Every bag is weighed on a calibrated scale before and after filling. Net weight is a legal declaration, so it gets checked twice. We log it. He would be proud of the log.
Oxygen is the enemy of crispness. We pull the air out of the bag, then flush nitrogen into nut and dried-fruit packs and drop in a food-grade oxygen absorber. Vacuum alone can crush a nut and squeeze the oils out.
Heat-sealed with a manufacturer-approved film and the correct number of seals for the bag size. Then we test it: squeeze. If it hisses, it goes back in. A bag that hisses is a bag that doubts.
Net weight, ingredients, allergen statement, best-by date, producer and distributor address, origin, nutrition panel where required, and the Prop 65 warning when the product is California-grown — because California requires it and we are not going to argue with Sacramento.
We say a short prayer over the case. We are aware this is not a legal step. We are aware we do it anyway. It costs nothing and the team likes it.
Not yet. Today this step is a phone call: we call every person on the pre-order list, confirm the order, and give a date we can actually keep. Shipping boxes go out Monday and Thursday once permits, labels and the scale are all in agreement. Local delivery in Moscow starts first, because it is a shorter drive and a shorter prayer.
| Item | Why | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chamber vacuum sealer | Reliable de-airing of large bags; handles pouches with a degassing valve | Get one with a "vacuum and seal" cycle and a bag-insertion chamber. Dry goods only — no liquids, no soup |
| Countertop vacuum sealer | Small bags, pilot batches, individual reseals | Fine for starter volumes; upgrade when you outgrow it |
| 0.1g bench scale | Portioning into 4 oz / 8 oz / 12 oz retail packs | Calibrate monthly with test weights |
| 50–100kg platform scale | Cases, pallets, receiving | Freight is billed by weight; get it right |
| Kraft pouches w/ degassing valve | Our signature sleeve look, oxygen control | Buy 500–1000 count to hit a real price break |
| Poly-nylon / Mylar rolls | Clear inner bags for nuts and resealable pouches | Confirm your sealer is rated for the film thickness |
| Oxygen absorbers | Backstop for nut packs after nitrogen flush | Food-grade, iron-powder type; one per 500g of nuts is typical |
| Nitrogen flush kit | Protects nut oils from oxidation | The single biggest quality upgrade you can make |
| Thermal label printer | Lot codes, dates, allergens, case labels | Non-negotiable for shipping carriers |
| Desiccant (food-grade silica) | Extra moisture control in dried vegetables | Use sparingly with nuts; do not combine with absorbers in the same bag |
| Dehumidifier + thermometer | Palouse humidity is aggressive | Target under 55% RH in the packing room |
| Food-safe shelving + floor mat | Pallet racking off bare concrete | Cheap, and inspectors ask |
"Cottage food" laws generally cover shelf-stable, non-potentially-hazardous foods made in a home kitchen — but the definitions vary wildly and packing for wholesale usually falls outside them. Before you sell a single bag to a pantry, call your state agriculture department and your local environmental health / county health district and ask: may a home garage pack shelf-stable dried nuts and fruit for wholesale sale, and under what license? In Idaho this runs through the Idaho Department of Agriculture and your district health department; Washington through WSDA/Local Health; California through the county Environmental Health Department; Florida through DBPR.
If you are a "facility" that owns/leases the packing space, you may need FDA food facility registration and a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual. Tree nuts are on the FDA's high-risk list for Salmonella, and the Preventive Controls rule for nut/seed processors is specific and strict. The fastest, cheapest, lowest-risk path: have a co-packer do the packing under their program and put your sleeves on their line. Ask each co-packer on the supplier list if they will run private label for a small nonprofit.
Required on every retail pack: product name, net quantity (NIST Handbook 44), ingredient list in descending order, allergen declaration, name and address of the manufacturer/distributor, country of origin where required, best-by date, and a nutrition panel if you are a small manufacturer. California Prop 65 warning for lead and cadmium is required for many California-grown tree nuts and dried fruits — print it, do not fight it. Also check whether your state requires the FALCPA / FASTER Act sesame and modified-food-statement rules for any mixes you assemble yourself.
Selling from a garage creates nexus in your home state. Shipping to other states creates economic nexus thresholds. Washington has no retail sales tax but does have B&O tax. Get a resale certificate for every business customer, or collect and remit properly. This is the part where people accidentally become tax filers. Do not be that person. Hire someone.
Keep nuts cold and dark — ideally under 50°F — because nut oils go rancid, and rancid nuts make people angry in a way we cannot market around. Dried fruit wants cool and dry. Dried vegetables want cool and very dry. Do not put dehumidifier output and oxygen absorbers in the same bag. And do not, under any circumstances, freeze the raisins: we tried it in 2024 and they came back as one solid brick.
Real companies in the Pacific Northwest, California, Florida and a few national co-packers worth calling. Verify minimums, packaging options, and private-label terms before you order anything — we have listed what each is known for, not what they have quoted us.
| Supplier | Where | Known For | Ask Them For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkland Nut Company | Blaine, WA | Hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts; roasting; retail-size bags | 1 lb / 2 lb food-grade pouches, private label, and whether they co-pack for a small nonprofit |
| Sahale Snacks | Kirkland, WA | Premium trail mixes, dried fruit and nut blends, resealable pouches | Bulk base mix, then we pack our own sleeves — the cheapest path to a signature product |
| Hazelnut Growers of Oregon | Eugene, OR | Oregon hazelnuts — cracking, roasting, wholesale | Roasted hazelnut halves in 25 lb cases, food-grade liners |
| Tonnemakers Fruit | Wenatchee, WA | Apple processing: dried slices, sauce, juice; strong co-packing culture | Dried apple slices and co-packing capacity for a nonprofit private label |
| Applepak | Yakima Valley, WA | Apple products and value-add; grower relationships | Unsweetened dried apple slices, sizes, and grower-direct pricing |
| Northwest Cherry / WA Tree Fruit | Yakima, WA | Grower associations — a directory, not a seller | Referrals for a small dried-cherry processor who can sell direct |
| Supplier | Where | Known For | Ask Them For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Diamond Growers | Sacramento, CA | Almonds at enormous scale; industrial sales arm | Roasted almond halves/flakes in bulk; ask about industrial/private-label sales |
| Wonderful Pistachios | Fresno / Central Valley, CA | Pistachios, in-shell and kernel | Roasted unsalted kernel in bulk; also their Wonderful nut line |
| Sun-Maid (Selma Farms) | Selma, CA | Golden & dark raisins — the raisin capital of the world | Golden raisins, 25 lb cases, sulfite-free options (ask, and label honestly) |
| Sun Pacific | Fresno, CA | Raisins, dried fruits, at scale | Dried fruit assortments and case pricing for a nonprofit buyer |
| Sunsweet Growers | Modesto, CA | Black currants, raisins, dried cherries | Dried black currants — a genuinely premium product with a great story |
| Mariani Packing | Fresno, CA | Apricots, dried and canned | Dried apricot halves, sulfite-free and traditional, bulk |
| Apricot Orchards | Woodland, CA | Dried apricots — specialist, high quality | Whole and halves, 25 lb cases |
| Bolthouse Farms | Bakersfield, CA | Dried fruits, pistachios, nut butters, cider vinegar | Dried pineapple, mango, and their nut line — excellent quality, premium price |
| Concord Foods | Richmond, CA | Wholesale dried fruit, nuts, seeds, powders | Best place to start for small order quantities — one case, many SKUs |
| Traina | Adel, CA | Dried fruit, nuts, trail mixes, private label | Private-label trail mix with our sleeve, or base mixes to blend ourselves |
| Fieldbrook Foods | Watsonville, CA | Contract packer: dried fruit, nut butters, trail mixes | Co-packing for a small brand — ask for a pilot run |
| Alder Creek Foods | Bakersfield, CA | Repacker/private label of nuts and dried fruit | Repacked bulk into our pouches, plus private-label services |
| Nut Harvest | Salinas, CA | Nut and dried-fruit snack packs, sold widely | Bulk bins and case pricing |
| Dried Solutions Inc. | Gridley, CA | Dehydrated vegetables — carrots, garlic, onion, peppers, mixes | Dehydrated veggie medleys and single vegetables; also custom blends |
| Tanimura & Antle | Salinas, CA | Large grower/shipper; value-add programs | Grower-direct surplus for drying — cheap seconds into our veg medley |
| Supplier | Where | Known For | Ask Them For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature's Garden | Plant City, FL | Roasted nuts, dried fruit, trail mixes; private label and co-packing | Best Florida fit for us. Ask about co-packing our sleeves and about Florida-grown mango and coconut drying |
| Hampton Farms | Donalds, GA | Large nut co-packer — cashews, pecans, almonds, peanuts | Bulk roasted nuts and co-packing capacity; closest big nut processor to Florida |
| Florida tropical fruit growers | Central & South FL | Mango, pineapple, coconut, papaya | Seconds-grade fruit for our own drying — mango and pineapple are already on our sleeve mockups |
| Georgia / Florida pecan houses | GA & FL | Pecans, the Southern nut | Broken pieces at low cost for our trail mixes |
| Supplier | Where | Known For | Ask Them For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Foods | Hanover, PA | Contract packing at scale, nut roasting, resealing | Whether they will run a small nonprofit private label; a strong option once volume grows |
| Regional co-packer (nearest to you) | Spokane / Pullman / Boise | Whatever the local plant can do | Ask first — most will not pack a stranger, but a nonprofit with a story and a retail account often gets a yes |
Ranked by how well they fit a nonprofit snack company with an unbeatable origin story and no marketing budget.
Shopify or WooCommerce with Stripe. Best margin, full control of the story, and the only channel where the packshot and the prayer card ship together. Start here — by taking pre-orders while the paperwork finishes.
Why first: every other channel points back here.
Moscow, Coeur d'Alene, Spokane, Boise, Pullman, Seattle. Cash-friendly, story-friendly, and the single best place to watch someone pick up a bag, read the sleeve, and laugh out loud.
Tip: put the beard scanner on a tablet. It works. It works extremely well.
Fall festival season (Sept–Nov) is our Super Bowl. Fellowship halls, Bible studies, church planters, potlucks, small groups. Bring a display, a table tent, and case pricing.
Pitch: "Faith Food Table — bulk pricing for the fellowship hall."
The mission channel. 25-bag cases at nonprofit cost, shipped anywhere in the continental US once that is legal, licensed and real. This is where the "miracles" section gets its footnotes.
Pitch: send one bag first, free, then a case at cost.
Soft dried fruit, easy-open pouches, low sodium, no choking-hazard shapes. Entered through Your Last Prayer, who already walk in the door for us.
Ask: "What can your residents actually chew?" Then make that.
Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Florida. Sell them the story, the sleeve design and the nonprofit story line. They put local nonprofits on the shelf all the time.
Bring: a sample case and the Prop 65 label already printed.
Bulk dried fruit and nuts into the KYZO Garden, then onward to Mombasa, Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. Light, durable, long-shelf-life product that survives ocean freight and feeds a lot of people per kilo.
Partner: kyzo.org
Communities that eat enormous quantities of dried fruit after they sweat. High repeat, low price sensitivity, and an audience that reads a sleeve twice before buying it.
Format: bulk boxes on a snack shelf at cost, branded.
Etsy for the gift boxes, Amazon for reach, and direct corporate gifting — welcome boxes, "thinking of you" care packages, elder care hampers, wedding favors for people who are definitely Jesus.
Best SKU: the Legacy Box.
WSU, University of Idaho, Eastern Washington, Spokane community colleges, plus campus ministries and student organizations. Cheap entry point, high volume, lifetime believers.
Format: 25-bag cases for a weekly snack table.
Ramadan/Eid, Diwali, Passover, Lent, and harvest festivals. Dried fruit is a genuinely useful interfaith food donation, and a great way to meet people outside your congregation.
Note: keep the messaging plural and welcoming. The door says believers only; the hand says everybody.
The original bread-and-fish model. Mobile home parks, transitional housing, encampment outreach, food trucks. Small orders, high dignity, repeat relationships.
Advantage: nobody has ever thought this was weird.
Call 8 suppliers. Buy one small case of each of five ingredients. Order a scale and a vacuum sealer. Get the health department on the phone and write down exactly what they say. Take every pre-order by hand.
Print 250 sleeves. Pack 50 bags. Get them labeled correctly. Photograph everything, including the parts that look messy. Write the labels, then read them out loud to a friend.
Start fulfilling pre-orders by hand. Do the Moscow and Coeur d'Alene markets. Ship one free Legacy Box to a care facility via Your Last Prayer. Send one crate to Accra via KYZO — if it clears customs, we will call it a miracle.
Open real online ordering only once permits, labels and the scale are all correct. Add churches, co-ops and pantries in that order. Co-pack once volume justifies it. Move the LLC's books to a real accountant before, not after, the first awkward tax season.
We want to be a real 501(c)(3), not a vibe. Here is the structure, stated plainly, including the parts where the IRS gets a say.
A 501(c)(3) religious or charitable organization. File Form 1023 (or 1023-EZ if gross income stays under the IRS threshold — our $50,000 target fits comfortably inside it). Its exempt purpose: feeding people, especially elders and food-insecure communities, with excellent dry goods, and funding partner projects.
A for-profit LLC owns the snack sales. It has its own books, its own bank account, its own brand and its own contracts. It buys ingredients, packs, ships, and takes payment — once the permits exist. This matters because selling snacks is a trade or business — under IRC 512 that income is unrelated business income and is taxable to the nonprofit if run inside the 501(c)(3).
The LLC donates its net profits to the 501(c)(3), with a written agreement covering a reasonable percentage of profits, documentation, and no influence over the nonprofit's charitable decisions. We cap the LLC's annual net income at $50,000 and route the rest back into projects. This is the standard, well-trodden structure, and it is the one that keeps the money clean.
| Item | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Can a 501(c)(3) make money? | Yes. It can conduct a trade or business as long as the activity furthers (or at least does not conflict with) the exempt purpose, and it must file Form 990-T for unrelated business income. |
| Is $50,000/yr "safe"? | The dollar figure is not itself the legal test — the activity is. Running snacks through a separate LLC with a gift agreement keeps the nonprofit's books clean and makes the cap easy to demonstrate. |
| Do we need a private letter of ruling? | Not required, but a PLR from the IRS (Form 1024) removes uncertainty about how the activity is classified. It is worth the fees once the volume is real. |
| State charitable solicitation laws | Separate from federal. Most states require registration and a solicitation permit before you can ask for money in that state. We ask for money for freebies, but check the rule anyway. |
| Sales tax | The LLC sells and collects sales tax where nexus exists. The nonprofit itself is generally exempt on purchases, but a retail sale of goods is a taxable activity regardless of who runs it. |
| Donations | Cash and in-kind (bags of fruit given to pantries) can be deductible with a contemporaneous written acknowledgment (Form 8283/833) for gifts over $250. |
| Volunteers | Unpaid volunteers are fine. If anyone is a shareholder or has a financial interest, the LLC needs a real employment relationship — pay them a W-2 wage like any employee. |
| Governance | Separate board, minutes, conflict-of-interest policy, and annual Form 990. Do this right and the "we're a nonprofit" claim is real, which matters when a co-op asks us to sell them at cost. |
Partner with us, stock us, sponsor a Legacy Box, open a Garden, or just order a bag and find out for yourself.