Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 4, 2026
1. Our Privacy Commitment
Cottage Pro is built for cottage bakers, by a cottage baker. We collect only what we need to make the tools work. We never sell your data, never show you ads, and never use third-party analytics trackers. If you don't create an account, your data stays entirely on your device.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 If You Don't Create an Account
When you use Cottage Pro without an account, all your data — recipes, business information, label content — is stored only in your browser's local storage. We never see it, never collect it, and never transmit it to our servers.
2.2 If You Create an Account
When you sign up with your email and PIN, we store:
| Data | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | Account identification and sign-in | you@example.com |
| PIN (hashed) | Authentication — stored as a bcrypt hash, never in plain text | (cryptographic hash only) |
| Session token | Keeps you signed in — random 32-byte hex string, expires after 30 days | (random string) |
| Login timestamps | Account security — last login time | 2026-08-04 14:30:00 |
2.3 Data You Choose to Provide
All of the following is optional — you only provide it if you want to use those features:
| Data | Feature | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business name, address, city/state/zip, phone, email, Venmo/CashApp handle, logo image | Business Profiles & Labels | Auto-fills your product labels and storefront. Phone and email are only shown publicly if you enable them in storefront settings. |
| Recipe names, categories, ingredient lists, allergen flags | Recipe Manager | Used for label generation, compliance checking, and storefront menus. |
| Product names, descriptions, prices, photos, categories | Storefront | Displayed on your public storefront page. Photos are stored as uploaded. |
| Batch quantities, prices, sales notes | Sales Tracker | Inventory and revenue tracking for your own use. |
| Customer ratings, comments | Feedback | Collected from your customers via QR code — you control whether this feature is active. |
| Storefront configuration (colors, ordering info, pickup details, social links, announcements) | Storefront | Customizes your public page appearance and content. |
2.4 Automatically Collected Data
| Data | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Usage event logs (feature used, anonymized metadata, IP address) | Understanding which features are used; rate limiting; abuse prevention | Retained while your account is active. IP addresses are not linked to personal identity beyond rate limiting. |
| Server logs (request path, timestamp, IP address) | Operational monitoring and security | Rotated periodically; not retained indefinitely. |
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your data exclusively to:
- Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
- Authenticate your account and keep you signed in
- Render your public storefront page
- Generate labels, compliance results, and templates from your data
- Prevent abuse and enforce rate limits
- Communicate with you about your account if necessary
We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or automated decision-making. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties except as required to provide the Service (see Section 5).
4. Data Storage & Security
Account data is stored in a PostgreSQL database on servers we control. Your PIN is hashed using bcrypt (10 rounds) — we cannot recover your plain-text PIN. Session tokens are cryptographically random 256-bit hex strings. All communication between your browser and our servers uses HTTPS in production.
While we implement reasonable security measures, no method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
5. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services as part of providing the Service:
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Groq (groq.com) | AI-powered cottage law assistant ("Ask Cottage Pro") | Your question text and the relevant state's cottage food law reference document. No personal data is sent — only the question content. |
| QR Server (api.qrserver.com) | Generating QR codes for feedback collection and label templates | The URL encoded in the QR code (typically your feedback page or storefront URL). |
We do not embed any third-party analytics, advertising, or social media tracking pixels. There is no Google Analytics, no Facebook Pixel, and no similar tracking on Cottage Pro.
6. Cookies & Local Storage
Cottage Pro uses your browser's localStorage (not cookies) for:
- Authentication: Your session token is stored so you stay signed in
- Anonymous user data: Recipes, business info, and preferences are saved locally if you haven't created an account
- Preferences: Active profile selection and UI state
We do not use tracking cookies or any form of cross-site tracking. Your localStorage data never leaves your browser unless you create an account and choose to sync data to our servers.
7. Data Retention
We retain your account data as long as your account is active. You can delete individual items (recipes, profiles, batches) at any time through the Service. You can permanently delete your entire account and all associated data through the account deletion feature. Account deletion is immediate and irreversible — all your data is removed from our servers (database rows are deleted via CASCADE).
Usage event logs and server logs are retained for operational purposes and are periodically rotated. Anonymized, aggregated usage statistics may be retained after account deletion for service improvement purposes and cannot be linked back to you.
8. Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access: View all data associated with your account through the Service's tools
- Correct: Edit or update your data at any time through the Service
- Delete: Remove individual items or your entire account permanently
- Export: Request a copy of your data by contacting us
- Withdraw consent: Stop using the Service and delete your account
To exercise any of these rights, use the tools built into the Service or contact us at hello@cottagepro.us.
9. Children's Privacy
Cottage Pro is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn we have collected such information, we will delete it promptly.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version on this page and update the "Last updated" date. For significant changes, we will notify account holders via the email address on file. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices? Contact us at hello@cottagepro.us.