How Tara Tomulka Took a Leap of Faith With Rawcology

This week we had the pleasure of asking Tara a few questions on her journey starting Rawcology:

What is Rawcology?

Rawcology’s mission is to create revolutionary organic and nutritious plant-powered foods that can be enjoyed by all individuals regardless of dietary restrictions. Our line of coconut chips and granola are always raw, certified organic, plant-based, dairy free, gluten free, nut free, and refined sugar free. Our products are unlike any others on the market due to our bold and delicious flavours, including Smoky Cheeze, Rockin’ Ranch, Chocolate Cinnamon, Chocolate Chaga, and Matcha Latte. We also have a unique production process that dehydrates our snacks at low temperature to preserve nutrient quality and we are committed to using only the finest organic ingredients and superfoods for added nutrition. 

Since launching in June 2017, Rawcology products can be found in grocery stores, juice bars and gyms across Canada, including Bulk Barn, The Big Carrot, Ambrosia, Nature’s Emporium, Well.ca, NaturaMarket.ca, and many more. 

What made you decide to start a health food business?

When I was in business school, I knew one day I’d own my own business doing something unique and creative but didn’t know what it would be. After leaving a job in corporate communications and going back to holistic nutrition school, I became obsessed with learning about nutrition, raw foods and healthy cooking. I decided I wanted to create healthier food products with the best quality ingredients and superfoods that can be enjoyed by all individuals.

Read more about reasons to become an entrepreneur

When you were making your business official, what did you tackle first?

It’s interesting because I first started Rawcology as a blog and social media account, sharing my healthy recipes and leading raw food workshops. So the first steps were coming up with a brand name and defining what I wanted Rawcology to stand for. 

What has been your biggest success or earliest win as a health food business so far?

Our biggest win has been getting distribution of our coconut chips in over 280 Bulk Barn stores across Canada.

What has been your biggest challenge in running a consumer packaged goods business?

We manufacture all of our products in our own dedicated facility so the hardest part has been learning the manufacturing side of the business and scaling up. 

What does a typical day as an entrepreneur look like for you?

Every day is different but typically I start my day at 7am when I arrive at our production facility and wrap up between 6-6:30pm. My day involves meeting with our kitchen production staff to review goals for the day, invoicing and sending out orders, working on new product development and running the general operations of the business.

Was there anything you wish you knew before launching your business?

I’ve taken numerous business classes, including Starter Company Plus through the City of Toronto, since launching the business but I wish I had taken them prior to launching. What was extremely valuable was learning how to properly set up cash flows and breakeven points for the first two years of business. 

Are there any tips you would like to share with other business owners or future business owners?

There are going to be ups and downs in your business. Things aren’t going to go as planned but you can’t let the hard moments defeat you and it’s so important to celebrate the victories, big or small. You need to go all in on your business, it requires long hours to get a business off the ground but at the same time you need to take time for yourself each week so that you don’t burn out. Schedule in downtime each week for yourself. You might feel like you don’t have the time but self-care is crucial for restoring your strength and mindset.

Where can people find Rawcology?

Website: www.rawcology.com
Instagram: @rawcology

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