Specialty food makers & markets
Books and taxes for sourdough and microbakeries.
Weekly pre-order windows, a waitlist that fills fast, Saturday market pickups, and a fixed number of loaves your oven can actually bake. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
April came in at $2,300. You sold out your weekly pre-order window every week this month, so I flagged that your batch size, not demand, is now the limit on growth.
- Pre-order payments, week 1Weekly pre-orders
- Pre-order payments, week 2Weekly pre-orders
- Local mill flour orderFlour and grain cost
- Bread bags and labelsPackaging
- Farmers market pickup feePickup and booth costs
Why your books are different
A sourdough microbakery's books go wrong around the batch limit.
You are not a bakery that can bake more when demand goes up. Your oven and your schedule cap how many loaves exist each week, pre-orders get paid before the bread is baked, and flour is a bigger, more variable cost than most people expect. When the books do not track that, growth looks impossible to plan for.
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1
Pre-order payments get counted before the bread is baked
Customers often pay when they reserve a loaf during the weekly order window, days before it is actually baked and picked up. Counted as income right away, a big pre-order week can look bigger than the bread that actually got delivered.
What we doKeeps pre-order payments tracked against pickup week, so income lines up with bread actually delivered, not just orders taken. -
2
A sold-out week looks like a stopping point instead of a signal
When every week sells out fast, it is easy to read that as the ceiling on the business, when it usually means the batch size or schedule is the real limit, not demand.
What we doFlags when pre-orders are consistently selling out, so it reads as a capacity question worth solving, not a sign to stop growing. -
3
Flour cost swings get lost in a small grocery-style budget
Specialty and local mill flour prices can move noticeably, and in a small operation that swing is easy to miss until the whole month's ingredient cost looks off.
What we doKeeps flour and grain cost as its own line so a price change shows up clearly instead of blending into general supplies. -
4
Home kitchen and bakery costs blend together
Baking at home or in a small rented space means propane, water, and even some equipment get shared with personal use, with no clean line between the two.
What we doSeparates household spending from bakery ingredient and packaging purchases, and flags a reasonable kitchen-use deduction for the accountant to confirm.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a sourdough microbakery.
Set up once for how you sell and what you buy. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Weekly pre-ordersLoaves reserved and paid for during your weekly order window.
- Market and pop-up salesWalk-up sales at farmers markets or pop-up events.
- Standing subscription ordersCustomers on a recurring weekly or biweekly order, where offered.
- Wholesale ordersCafes or small shops buying loaves regularly, where offered.
Money out
- Flour and grain costSpecialty and local mill flour, your single biggest and most variable cost.
- Starter and ingredient suppliesSalt, seeds, and other mix-ins beyond the base flour.
- PackagingBread bags, twist ties, and labels.
- Pickup and booth costsFarmers market fees or a rented pickup location.
- Home kitchen shareA reasonable portion of home utilities tied to baking, flagged for the accountant.
- Delivery mileageDriving to pickup locations or deliveries.
What we watch for you
- Sell-out rate
How often the weekly window sells out, the clearest sign the batch size is now the limit on growth.
- Flour cost per batch
What flour costs against loaves baked. A rising number warns of a price jump early.
- Waitlist size
How many customers are waiting past capacity, useful for deciding whether to expand the batch.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things sourdough microbakery owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Your batch size looks like the real limit right now, not demand. Whether to bake more or raise prices is your call, but the numbers say you have room to consider either.
Your flour cost per batch is up a bit from last month. It is a small squeeze on margin for now, worth watching if it keeps climbing.
Only the portion tied to baking, and figuring that out fairly is worth a real conversation, so I flagged it for the accountant to work out with you.
The tax side
The tax side of a sourdough microbakery.
Most of what matters here is keeping a small, home-based operation's numbers honest, since pre-order timing and shared kitchen costs both need careful handling.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Income timing on pre-ordersPayments taken during a pre-order window are best tracked against the week the bread is actually baked and delivered, so income reflects real production, not just orders taken.
- Self-employment taxProfit from a microbakery is subject to 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- A partial home kitchen deductionA reasonable share of home costs tied to baking can sometimes be deducted. The details depend on your setup, so Gus flags it and the accountant works out the right number.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed. It comes out right only when personal and business spending are kept apart all year.
Deductions sourdough and microbakeries miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Specialty and mill flour
- Bread bags and labels
- Bench scrapers and proofing baskets
- A share of home kitchen utilities
- Farmers market booth fees
- Delivery mileage to pickups
- Online ordering site fees
- Scale for portioning dough
- Food handler training
- Oven maintenance
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A sourdough microbakery year, kept every month.
Weekly baking runs all year, but demand often climbs around the holidays and slows in the height of summer. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax calendar through both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so tax time does not surprise you.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your business return is filed and signed, well before any summer slowdown in orders.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer demand has shifted from your usual weekly sell-out pattern.
- October
Before the holiday order rush
Holiday bread and gift loaf orders start picking up. Gus looks at whether batch size or pricing needs a second look before the busiest stretch.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for sourdough and microbakeries. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions sourdough microbakery owners ask first.
Can Gus tell me if I am ready to bake bigger batches?
He tracks your sell-out rate and waitlist size, which are the clearest signals that demand has outgrown your current batch. The decision to expand is yours.
How does Gus handle pre-order payments taken before I bake?
He tracks them against the week the bread is actually delivered, so your income reflects real production rather than just orders taken in advance.
I bake in my home kitchen. Can I deduct any of my home costs?
A reasonable share tied to baking often can be, but the details depend on your setup. Gus flags it and the accountant works out a fair number with you.
Do I need a special permit to sell bread from a home kitchen?
Most states have cottage food or home bakery rules that vary by state and by what you sell. That is worth confirming with your state's program directly.
My books are a mess from a busy few months. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have and he sorts them by pre-order week, flour cost, and fees. Most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever