Profile: Callie England of Rawxies
Published February 28th, 2014 at 3:04 PM
Callie England is the owner of Rawxies, a healthy food startup located in the east bottoms in Kansas City, Mo. She attended the Kansas City Art Institute before going full-time with her business.
Tell me a little about yourself. Who is Callie England?
“I’m hot pink, high heels and rhinestones; Green smoothies, goji berries and electric cars. Basically, I’m a girl with a coastal mentality and a Midwestern life.”
You describe yourself as the Chief Possibilities Officer at Rawxies. What is Rawxies and what does your role mean?
“Rawxies is a healthy lifestyle food brand that manufacturers raw, vegan and gluten-free snack items. We’re both nationally awarded and distributed and located right here in Kansas City. My role as Chief Possibilities Officer means I make dreaming of what’s possible, possible! But really, it’s just a fancy way of saying ‘I do everything!’”
What is one of the biggest challenges in your part of the food industry today?
“Cost, Hands down. I’ll never forget an episode of ‘Shark Tank’ where Barbara, before investing in a food company, said ‘I’ve invested in just about every single industry there is, but at the end of the day, food manufacturing may be the most costly.’ Such cost is driven by competition and manufacturing overhead. Healthy food is on the rise, and people see the opportunity to capitalize. If you want to compete, you better be able to shell out the cash!”
You took your business to California for a while but later returned to Kansas City. Why?
“I took Rawxies to California to get my foot in the door of a very competitive marketplace. Moreover, to leverage a heightened awareness of raw, vegan and gluten-free foods, to prove there was demand and/or want for my product. After proving such a demand, I moved my company back to Kansas City to capitalize on a growing gluten-free trend in the Midwest. Plus, I missed my friends and family!”
What do you think is important for the reader to know about yourself and your company?
“Rawxies is not just for vegans and/or people eating gluten-free. Most people are surprised at how delicious our products actually are and find themselves snacking on our cookies and crunches while still maintaining a standard American diet, or SAD. My goal is to transition those SAD eaters one snack at a time.”
What do you think the future has in store for the local entrepreneurial community?
“I’m excited to see the entrepreneurial community here in Kansas City continue to grow. While tech is clearly leading the way, I’m hopeful to see more consumer good companies pop up in Kansas City in the next year.” 