Terms of Service

Last updated: August 4, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Cottage Pro ("the Service"), you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. We may update these terms at any time. Continued use after changes means you accept the new terms.

2. Description of Service

Cottage Pro provides free tools for cottage food producers, including but not limited to: recipe management, label generation, compliance checking, storefront hosting, sales tracking, batch management, template printing, customer feedback collection, and AI-assisted legal guidance. Some features require a free account; others work without one.

3. Accounts

To access certain features, you must create an account using your email address and a PIN. You are responsible for keeping your credentials confidential and for all activity under your account. You must provide accurate information. You may delete your account at any time through the Service, which permanently removes all associated data.

4. Free Tier & Right to Migrate

The Service is offered free of charge as a community resource. However, we reserve the right to require any user whose usage — including but not limited to storefront traffic, bandwidth consumption, or storage — significantly exceeds typical usage patterns to transition to a separate paid hosting arrangement or to cease using the impacted features. We will provide reasonable notice (minimum 30 days) before any such requirement takes effect.

This provision exists solely to protect the Service's sustainability for all users. We do not anticipate enforcing it under normal circumstances.

5. User Content

You retain ownership of all content you upload or create through the Service — including recipes, product descriptions, photos, business information, and storefront content. By using the Service, you grant us a limited license to store and display this content solely as necessary to provide the Service to you (e.g., rendering your public storefront page).

You are responsible for ensuring your content complies with all applicable laws, including cottage food regulations and intellectual property rights.

6. Storefront Content Standards

Public storefront pages must not contain content that is illegal, fraudulent, misleading, or that misrepresents your cottage food business. We reserve the right to suspend or remove storefront pages that violate these standards or that create legal exposure for the Service.

7. Intellectual Property

The Cottage Pro name, logo, website design, and underlying code are owned by Cottage Pro. You may not copy, modify, or redistribute them without permission. The tools, compliance rules engine, and label templates are provided for your use in connection with the Service and may not be extracted or repurposed independently.

8. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts or data
• Overload, disrupt, or interfere with the Service's operation
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) to access the Service without permission
• Submit false or misleading compliance information
• Use the AI assistant to generate content that is harmful, illegal, or misleading

9. No Legal Advice

Cottage Pro is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. The compliance tools, AI assistant, guides, and all other content are provided for informational purposes only. Cottage food laws vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Always verify compliance requirements with your state's department of health, department of agriculture, or a qualified attorney. Reliance on information from the Service is at your own risk.

10. AI-Generated Content

The AI assistant ("Ask Cottage Pro") uses third-party language models (Groq) to generate responses based on published cottage food law reference documents. AI-generated responses may contain errors, omissions, or outdated information. You should independently verify any information before relying on it for compliance decisions. We do not guarantee the accuracy of AI-generated content.

11. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with third-party services including Groq (AI language model inference) and QR Server (QR code generation). We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or practices of these third-party services. Your use of AI features is also subject to Groq's terms of service.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied.
• We are not liable for any damages arising from your use of the Service, including but not limited to: lost profits, regulatory fines, business interruption, or any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.
• Our total liability for any claim related to the Service is limited to the amount you have paid us for the Service (which is zero, for free-tier users).

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Cottage Pro and its operators from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of the Service, your content, or your violation of these Terms.

14. Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. You may delete your account and all associated data through the Service's account deletion feature. We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms, with or without notice. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (including No Legal Advice, Limitation of Liability, and Indemnification) will survive.

15. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Missouri, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of Missouri.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at hello@cottagepro.us.