Jacksonville Startup Hopes to Educate Arkansans About Vegan Lifestyle
by March 25, 2015 12:57 pm 284 views
A Jacksonville startup that hopes to educate Arkansans about the benefits of the vegan lifestyle was the key presenter at Wednesday’s edition of 1 Millions Cup at the Arkansas Venture Center in downtown Little Rock.
Kendalyn Mckisick and Natashia Burch told an audience of nearly 40 people that they decided to start That’s So Raw in a Jacksonville storefront nearly nine months ago out of the necessity to find food choices that help cure illness and disease, along with sharing their knowledge about vegan wellness – or the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products in food.
“Our number one goal is to cure illness and disease with food, share knowledge about benefits of real food, and help people reach their goals of overall health and wellness,” Burch said.
The 31-year old University of Arkansas at Little Rock liberal arts graduate told the audience that the biggest obstacle for early stage companies is educating people about exactly “what being vegan means.” She joked that when she tries to explain the benefits of raw vegan foods that people “seem to be scared of vegetables.”
“You should be afraid of meat that you don’t really know where it comes from,” said Burch, who is now pursuing her Masters of Arts degree in Applied Communications Studies.
In her 30-minute presentation, Burch says their business located at 423 Dupree St. in Jacksonville, inside the It’s All Good resale and salon shop, sells “grab-and-go” raw vegan food choices from local food markets, and also offers vegan catering services across Central Arkansas.
They also provide demos, teach vegan cooking classes at Little Rock’s Whole Foods Market and look for opportunities to speak and educate Arkansans about vegan and healthy food choices.
Burch added that currently some of the food startup’s best-selling items are gluten-free vegan desserts like cheesecakes, cookies and brownies. “People are looking for their healthy, sweet option that don’t have a lot of calories,” she said.
Mckisick, a self-taught chef and nutritionist, said Jacksonville vegan storefront also recently purchased the juicing operations of Garden Press, a Little Rock startup that creates cold-press juice and vegetable as an alternative to traditional pasteurized juices.
Mckisick said That’s So Raw plans to debut the juice business at the first Bernice Garden Farmer’s Market in downtown Little Rock next month, and later hopes to offer wholesale juice and vegan products to local businesses by the end of May.
The 24-year old vegan entrepreneur Mckisick stressed that That’s So Raw is not simply a vegan startup that sells raw food products and educates people about better physical and spiritual health, but calls it her life’s passion.
“We are vegans for ethical and environmental reasons, especially in regards to animal cruelty in the meat and dairy industry,” she said.
To learn more about That’s So Raw, visit their website here, or follow the local startup on Twitter. The local startup also has Facebook and Instagram sites under the That’s So Raw moniker.