Startup Story
Chocolate lovers will know that there is nothing quite like the taste and aroma of cacao in its purest form, and its health properties are well documented. Now, vegan consumers, as well as chocolate afficionados in South Africa, can experience the fabulous taste of Rrraw, a new vegan, organic and sugar free chocolate brand, founded by entrepreneur Ana Maria Panait, that is exciting tastebuds.
LoA found out more about this great new entry into the raw vegan chocolate marketplace.
What does your company do?
The company produces raw, vegan, organic and delicious chocolate, all sugar-free. A special treat, packaging-free (Naked and Rrraw). Consumers’ reaction is always amazement at how good vegan chocolate can be. When chocolate is raw, it means that the beans were processed at low intensity heat, so the product maintains the healthy properties of cacao, such as antioxidants and magnesium. It was not called Food of the Gods for nothing!
“The Rrraw product is homemade, has no sugar and no preservatives, it is both vegan and raw, and on top of that, NAKED!”
What inspired you to start your company?
I have always been a chocoholic, and on my trips around the world I have sampled and tasted some delicious chocolatey treats (I am looking at you, Caribbean chocolate tea!). I have also lived in Cote d'Ivoire for 2 years, on the same road as a cacao roasting factory, where on Fridays, roasting day, the neighbourhood filled up with the smell of chocolate. Naturally I became very interested in the whole supply chain and production process of chocolate, and visited communities of cacao growers in both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. After doing tasting sessions and sampling around, I decided that store-bought chocolate won't do for me anymore - I needed something fresh, unprocessed, sugar-free, as close to the taste of cacao as possible. Something I could indulge in without guilt. This is how Rrraw, the chocolate company made in Africa, was born.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
The Rrraw product is homemade, has no sugar and no preservatives, it is both vegan and raw, and on top of that, NAKED! The concept is for an on-the-go treat, a great side to coffee or a great ending to a delicious meal, and the chocolate has no packaging. Re-usable jars are available for gifting or for transportation.
Tell us a little about your team
This is a one-woman dream for now: the business started a few months ago, and it is trading at markets in the Johannesburg area (Vegan market, Victoria Yards market, Melrose Arch market). I have a background in marketing and corporate audit, working in both global and local/regional roles in South Africa or French West Africa
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I have travelled a third of the world so far, and half of Africa. On my journey, I have been exposed to so many other ways of being and making an impact, so many business models from small scale to really large, that I have been inspired by the women I met along the way to start my own entrepreneurial journey. I do not come from an entrepreneurial background, but I do have the strong business school of marketing that a global corporate offers.
“I hope that our Rrraw products will inspire a conversation on what is in our food, as well as challenge the need for packaging for the products we consume. I hope it will inspire other entrepreneurs to start offering "naked" products.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
I am looking to place the chocolate in coffee shops in the Johannesburg area, in restaurants and health shops. I hope that our Rrraw products will inspire a conversation on what is in our food, as well as challenge the need for packaging for the products we consume. I hope it will inspire other entrepreneurs to start offering "naked" products. I am sure consumers will follow, once the products are on the market. Separately, I am looking for women-owned suppliers of raw materials (organic cacao butter and organic, raw cacao paste) from West Africa, as I want to create a truly African product.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
The diversity of people I get to interact with, how fast it is to go from idea to implementation, to trialling it out and getting feedback from consumers.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Start somewhere, anywhere. You will never be 100% ready, and you will most likely have to adjust the product anyway. Listen to those around you (other market vendors, consumers) and see what seems to be the needs or the gaps that the product can fill.
Contact
EMAIL ana.panait@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it….
As the world increasingly becomes aware of the benefits of eating a vegan, plant based diet, and making conscious buying decisions when it comes to healthy eating, it is good to see new and delicious raw products coming onto the market. For all pure, raw chocolate lovers in South Africa, help is at hand in the shape of Rrraw chocolates. Ana Panait is not only passionate about the products she is creating for her customers, but she is also treading lightly on the planet with her brand, using no environmentally unfriendly packaging. Ana is genuinely turning her passion into a business filled with great chocolates, a love and respect for the environment, and the knowledge to celebrate one of the African continent’s most valuable commodities, cacao. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa