First product for New York-based business is all-natural, raw-vegan snack bars
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Essie Hayes is a New York City attorney looking for a radical career change.
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Instead of providing consulting services for contracts and government investigations, Hayes is shifting toward her true passion: food.
"Especially chocolate," she adds with a smile.
Hayes is not into junk food, though. Far from it. In order to steer clear of a family history of diabetes and find a solution to an annoying onset of adult acne, she has adopted a healthier lifestyle that includes all-natural foods. Then, in the midst of career uncertainty last October, she decided to follow her passion for the culinary arts, creating her own business, Raw Planet Foods.
The company's first product is Raw Luv Bar (www.rawluvbar.com), a healthy snack bar made of all-natural, gluten-free, raw-vegan ingredients like cocoa, nuts and dried fruit along with chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds. There is no added oil or sweeteners.
"I created Raw Luv Bar in my kitchen at home because I wanted to make a healthy snack for my mother and me," explains Hayes. "Mom and I are both chocolate lovers but my goal was to make the bars both delicious and highly nutritious."
She gave them out to friends and associates in the New York area, and the homemade snack bars were a big hit. Hayes then got a little bolder, handing out samples on the street and approaching retailers.
"The feedback was very strong," Hayes says. "I began contacting other businesses and within two weeks, I had requests from retailers all over NYC."
So now she is faced with a rather pleasant dilemma: Everyone loves her raw-vegan energy bars and she has dozens of potential distributors – but Hayes does not have the wherewithal to meet demand. For starters, she needs to invest in equipment capable of filling large orders and could use some up-front capital to purchase ingredients in bulk.
In order to raise the necessary funds, Hayes has launched a campaign. Her goal is $6,500.
Those wishing to make a contribution can visit her Indiegogo page at www.indiegogo.com/projects/launch-raw-luv-bar. Each contributor receives perks such as snack bar samplers, a full supply of bars as well as a vote on the development of the new flavor. Donations of $100 or more also include an invite to a NYC tasting party.
Contact:
Essie Hayes
Raw Luv Bar – Energy Snack
347-856-9760
Email
rawluvbar.com