A Little Bit About Us
Chef Matthew Daniels and Jane Howard Crutchfield started Triangle Raw Foods out of a mutual love for health and good food. We love providing organic, gluten-free, vegan raw food options to our community. We use as many local, organic ingredients as possible, and really value the importance of supporting our local economy.
The Project
Triangle Raw Foods started on May 2, 2011 as a weekly raw food delivery service, known back then as Triangle Raw Foodists. We also sold prepackaged food out of the back of a van! In early 2012, we finally got an actual food truck. The food truck has been a huge part of our growth, but we are ready to grow into something even bigger and more amazing! Our long-term goal is to be able to serve freshly prepared raw food meals in a small cafe setting.
Before we can do that, we'll need to build and equip a commercial kitchen. The cost for a full cafe would be upwards of $40,000, so we are just starting with the basics for now. With our own kitchen, we'll be able to keep doing what we do, but also have the potential for future growth. It will be a place where you can stop in for a quick bite or grab food to go. We will host pop-up dinners and teach raw food prep classes.
While we have been growing as a business over the last 2 years, we feel that our customers are ready for something more, and we are outgrowing the shared kitchen we currently use. We are now providing food to other local markets, such as LoMoMarket, Bean Traders Coffee, Cocoa Cinnamon, and soon Whole Foods Market in Durham, so kitchen time really is starting to be a necessity!
We love The Cookery, and it has been a HUGE asset in our growth since we began in 2011, but it's time for a more permanent location where our roots can grow deeper. Another great benefit of having our own kitchen is that it will be completely GLUTEN-FREE and VEGAN!
We recently did a Pop-Up Restaurant and got a small feel for what it would be like to have a cafe, and we LOVED it! We also received good feedback from the community (http://www.wral.com/triangle-raw-foods-brings-healthy-cuisine-to-you/12391067/)
We can not do this without the help of our supporters, though. As a very small business, we really only make enough money to make ends meet. We could wait until we can afford it ourselves, but our friends and customers have encouraged us to at least give this a shot. If it works out, awesome; if not, we'll continue on the road we are currently on :)
Why We Chose Crowdfunding vs. Bank Loans
As two people with less than perfect credit histories (based on poor financial decisions and mistakes we made when we were younger), getting loans from banks is pretty much out of the question.
Also, organic prepared raw food can be very costly and time-consuming to make, and we don't want to charge a fortune for it just so we can make money to pay back big loans. We want to charge just enough to cover the food cost and our time/labor.
What We Need & What You Get
What your money will go towards:
- Equipment: commercial dehydrators, commercial food processors, high speed blenders, refrigeration, counter tops, sinks, immersion heaters, dishwasher, etc
- Building the space: materials, plumbing, electricity, permits, getting everything to health code
- Other essential stuff: tables, chairs, dishes, etc
What you will get from it:
Besides getting an awesome place to come enjoy a fresh raw food meal or raw food to go, you will be a huge part of helping to create the Triangle's VERY FIRST all raw prep kitchen and small cafe! With Durham recently being named "The Tastiest Town in the South," it just seems fitting that it should also have something like this!
Plus, there are some other great perks for being a supporter! We want you to have the opportunity to get back what you give, so we are offering discounts as rewards. That way, you have the potential to make your money back in the form of savings! It's win-win for everyone!!!
Other Ways You Can Help
We very much understand that it just isn't possible for some people to make donations for stuff like this, but there are other ways you can help!
Help us get the word out! That really is the most helpful thing of all!
We appreciate you guys SO MUCH! Without you, none of this would be possible!
