Is this for you at all
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The regulatory door is often open
Candy and confectionery appear on most state cottage food lists, because the products are shelf stable, low in water activity and do not depend on a process somebody has to supervise. Compared with an acidified sauce or a dairy product, getting permission to sell is straightforward.
The difficulty is physical, not legal
What makes this craft hard is that the product is a controlled crystal structure, and crystal structures are sensitive to temperature, to agitation, to humidity and to seed material you did not know was there. A batch can fail for reasons invisible at the time and obvious a day later.
It punishes approximation
Sugar work runs on temperature, and a few degrees is the difference between a chewy caramel and a hard one. Chocolate runs on tempering, and tempering is a procedure rather than a judgment. Both reward somebody who likes following a process precisely and frustrate somebody who cooks by feel.
It is seasonal in a way that matters
Confectionery sells disproportionately in a few weeks of the year, and chocolate in particular is bought as a gift. That shapes everything: cash flow, production planning, how much you make ahead, and how much of your year is spent preparing for a short window.
Humidity is a constant adversary
Most of these products pull water from the air, and a humid day genuinely changes how a batch behaves. Makers in damp climates work around it and the ones who do not know about it conclude their recipe is unreliable.
What this property covers
The crystal control that both halves of the craft depend on, the chocolate standards of identity, the failures with names, and the container decisions for the jarred end of the category. It does not teach pulling sugar or molding bars, which are learned by doing them.