Terms of Service

Last updated: June 2026

Welcome to TrueCottage. By accessing or using our website and software at truecottage.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. Please read them carefully.

1. About TrueCottage

TrueCottage LLC ("TrueCottage", "we") provides subscription software tools for home-based food producers ("Sellers"): label generation, product listings, and storefront pages. We also operate a public directory where visitors ("Buyers") can discover Sellers and their products.

TrueCottage is not a party to any food sale. We do not produce, inspect, handle, sell, or deliver food, and we do not process, hold, or transmit payment for any transaction between a Buyer and a Seller. All orders, payments, fulfillment, refunds, and disputes for food products are arranged directly between Buyer and Seller, outside the platform.

2. Eligibility

By using TrueCottage, you represent that:

• You are at least 18 years old.
• You have the legal authority to enter into this agreement.
• If you are a Seller, you operate (or will operate) under the cottage food or home-production law of the state where you produce and sell.

3. Subscriptions, Billing, and Cancellation

Seller tools require a paid subscription. Current plans and pricing are listed at truecottage.com/pricing.

• Billing. Subscriptions are billed monthly in advance through Stripe and renew automatically each billing period until cancelled. By subscribing, you authorize recurring charges to your payment method.
• Cancellation. You can cancel anytime from your dashboard ("Manage Billing"). Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; your tools remain available until then.
• Refunds. Subscription fees are non-refundable except where required by law. We do not prorate partial months.
• Non-payment. If a renewal payment fails, we may retry it; if it continues to fail, your subscription lapses and paid tools (including listings and your storefront's public visibility) are suspended until payment resumes.
• Price changes. We will give reasonable advance notice of price changes; changes apply at your next renewal.

TrueCottage does not store your payment card information; payment processing is handled by Stripe under Stripe's terms.

4. Compliance Tools Are Informational, Not Legal Advice

TrueCottage provides tools that help Sellers prepare product labels and understand cottage food rules, including state-specific label templates that cite their underlying statute or regulation and display the date we last verified them. These tools are provided for informational purposes only. They are not legal advice, and TrueCottage is not a law firm.

• You are solely responsible for the final content, accuracy, and legal compliance of every label you print and every product you sell.
• You must review and approve each label before using it.
• Laws change. A template that was accurate on its last-verified date may have been superseded. Verify current requirements with your state or local authority or a qualified professional.

5. Seller Responsibilities

Sellers are solely responsible for:

• Complying with all cottage food, home-production, food safety, and labeling laws of the state and locality where they operate (for example, the Colorado Cottage Foods Act for Colorado Sellers).
• Obtaining and maintaining any required registration, license, or food safety training.
• Accurately representing products: ingredients, allergens, serving size, and shelf life.
• Observing any sales caps or product restrictions in their state's law.
• All food safety and hygiene standards in their kitchen.
• Their own transactions with customers: collecting payment, fulfillment, and any refunds or disputes.
• Determining and meeting their own sales tax, income tax, and local business licensing obligations.

TrueCottage does not inspect seller kitchens, verify licenses, or guarantee food safety. Sellers use the platform at their own risk and are solely liable for their products and sales.

Self-Certification of Compliance. By creating a seller account and listing products, you self-certify that you have completed any food safety training required by your state, that your products comply with your state's cottage food law, and that all license information you provide is accurate and current. TrueCottage does not independently verify this information. Misrepresentation may result in immediate account removal.

6. Buyers and the Directory

The browse and storefront pages are a directory. When you contact a Seller through the contact methods they list, you are dealing with that Seller directly, not with TrueCottage. Buyers are responsible for:

• Reviewing ingredients and allergen information before ordering.
• Understanding that cottage food products are made in home kitchens that are typically not inspected by health departments.
• Arranging payment, pickup or delivery, and any issues directly with the Seller.

7. Prohibited Conduct

You may not use TrueCottage to:

• List or sell food products prohibited under your state's cottage food law.
• Make false or misleading representations about your products, ingredients, or licensing.
• Harass, defraud, spam, or harm other users.
• Scrape, copy, or resell platform content or seller contact information.
• Violate any applicable local, state, or federal law.

8. No Food Safety Guarantee

TrueCottage is a software company. We do not inspect, certify, or guarantee the safety, quality, or accuracy of any food product listed in our directory. Products are prepared in private home kitchens that are generally not subject to health department inspection. Buyers order at their own risk. If you have a serious food allergy or dietary restriction, ask the Seller directly before ordering.

9. Intellectual Property

The TrueCottage name, logo, software, and platform design are owned by TrueCottage LLC. Sellers retain ownership of their product descriptions, photos, and recipes. By posting content on TrueCottage, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display and promote that content on the platform and in marketing materials. Labels you generate with our tools are yours to use for your business.

10. Dispute Resolution

Disputes between Buyers and Sellers are between those parties; TrueCottage is not a party to food sales and is not obligated to mediate them. Any disputes with TrueCottage LLC will be governed by Colorado law. You agree to resolve disputes with TrueCottage through binding arbitration rather than court, to the extent permitted by law.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, TrueCottage LLC shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your use of the platform or tools, any label or content generated with the tools, any food products discovered through the directory, or any transaction between Buyers and Sellers. Our total liability to you for any claim shall not exceed the subscription fees you paid to TrueCottage in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless TrueCottage LLC, its members, employees, and contractors from any claims, damages, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from your use of the platform or tools, your products, your sales, the labels you use, or your violation of these Terms.

13. Account Termination

TrueCottage reserves the right to suspend or terminate any account that violates these Terms, engages in fraudulent activity, or is harmful to other users or the platform. Sellers who repeatedly receive safety complaints or violate cottage food law may be removed without notice. If we terminate your account without cause, we will refund the unused portion of your current billing period.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of TrueCottage after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. We will make reasonable efforts to notify users of material changes.

15. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to conflict of law provisions.