So much can happen in a year.

 I didn't realize how much Brendan and I had accomplished recently until I started writing this article. Wow. Raven Roast had a busy year! New products, new packaging, new website... how we pulled all of this off in the span of 12 short months is a mystery to me. I am truly impressed with the audacity of our ambition. 2022 was so full of changes! Seriously, 2023, you can just calm down and relax- no need to compete.

Here is what is new for Raven Roast this past year.

So many new products!

Chaga Ramon and Chaga Mate!

After two years of recipe tweaking, ingredient sourcing, and label design, we finally got to share our two new Chaga Blends! And they do not disappoint. It is remarkable how similar to coffee they taste! Now available on our website in pouches and in stores in reusable tins.

Organic Dark Roast and Organic Aged Green Yerba Mate! 

Sometimes we come across an ingredient that is just so spectacular on it's own, it feels like a shame not to share it. We were always sneaking jars of yerba mate in from our ingredient stock to our home kitchen. We couldn't help but think that you all would enjoy it too! The Aged Green is my personal favorite. I don't know how, but it tastes almost creamy. It's just that smooth. Both are on sale now, so check them out in our shop!

What it took to get there.

With all of these new products came a lot of work. Label design, ingredient sourcing, writing and marketing all take a lot of time. Since we are such a small business, we do the majority of these things ourselves. Brendan sources all of our ingredients- a huge and constant job in this ever changing world market. Fuel prices go up and suddenly he has to think of a whole different way to ship in our supplies!

I plan and conceptualize all of our label designs. Then I oversee the talented individuals that we hire to execute those designs and turn them into product labels. I also write all the label copy myself...with a little help from Karen at Peak To Moon Creative. It's sure is good to have friends that know what they are doing! 

New Aesthetics and Innovations!

Printed bags and tins!

2022 was also the year we finally got big enough to order tins and pouches with our labels printed right on them! Believe it or not, we have been personally hand placing sticker labels on every one of our products for years. Usually at night, after the kids are asleep. Now we can just...zone out and watch our murder mysteries in peace.

Bulk jars for retailers!

Glass jars for "zero waste" refillery and bulk sections in health food stores! Our wholesale customers can order these jars...then order bulk bags to keep them full. We are always a fan of reducing waste!

New website!

We also launched our beautiful new website with the help of Peak to Moon Creative and Riley Innis Web Development. The new website has two separate sides - one for our direct-to-customer store and one for our wholesale accounts. It's so lovely that Raven Roast now has a home that reflects our brand and our personalities. 

Sorry for any trouble anyone had during this huge change. I truly hope we have found and conquered the last of the glitches. It's like we moved into a whole new house, and are still figuring out where to store the vacuum cleaner!

So many new stores!

There are now over 80 retailers carrying our products all over Canada! Check them all out on our "Stockist" list on Instagram Highlights. 

I'm that much closer to being done with our kitchen reno!

I finally tiled my kitchen countertop after talking about it for 5 years. Nothing to do with Raven Roast, but it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. You can see it peeking out from our Instagram and FB posts.

Thank you for all of your continued support of our little (but growing) family business. Here's to 2023 being a little more stable!

Rachelle and Brendan at Raven Roast Coffee Alternative