VBT 134: Interview with Rimi Dabhia of vegan snack company LoveRaw

In this episode I interview Rimi Dabhia, founder of vegan snack company LoveRaw in Cheshire, in the north of England.

Rimi left behind her career in investment banking and founded LoveRaw, which makes vegan, organic, natural chocolate snacks, in 2013 from her in-law’s home kitchen in Manchester with a budget of just £600.

In February 2018 she appeared on Dragon’s Den (the UK equivalent of Shark Tank). Despite receiving an offer of investment from renowned dragon Deborah Meaden, Rimi turned the deal down and launched a new category of Vegan Buttercup chocolate snacks.

Since walking away from the Dragon’s Deal offer, LoveRaw’s average monthly sales have grown by over 200% with a year-on-year growth rate of 98%.

Products are sold in major supermarkets and coffee shops across the UK, and are exported to more than 20 countries.

Rimi has achieved all this with two young children aged four and nine months.

In this interview Rimi discusses:

• How she scaled up the business from a home kitchen

• How and when she got into large retailers such as WholeFoods, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose

• Why she went on Dragon’s Den and behind-the-scenes details of what the experience was like

• Why she turned down a deal from her favorite dragon Deborah Meaden

• The impact Brexit is already having on her business

• The challenges of juggling being a mom and running a business, and how she’s managed to come up with a solution in the face of no work-life balance

• And much more

Visit the LoveRaw website

Brands mentioned in vegan business news highlights

AF&Co
V2Food

RESOURCES:

My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight

My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business

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