The Raw Carrot

What The Raw Carrot does

The Raw Carrot is a registered Canadian charity (#71588 9150 RR0001) and social enterprise founded in 2014 and headquartered in Paris, Ontario. It produces and sells handcrafted gourmet foods — frozen soups, granola (Granola for Good), and pancake/waffle mix (The Better Batter) — manufactured in small batches across six production kitchen sites in Ontario (Paris, Scarborough, Kitchener, Innerkip, Mount Forest) and Manitoba (Winnipeg). The core operational model pairs food production with supported employment for people facing barriers to traditional work, including individuals with disabilities and those on social assistance; the company has created 46 permanent part-time jobs and reports 80% of staff can better afford basic needs.

The company operates on a dual revenue model combining product sales and charitable donations. Distribution runs through four channels: an owned Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, ~25+ retail partner locations (grocery, specialty food, cafes, coffee shops, health/beauty spas), the Church Champion Program (congregations purchasing for members), and corporate workplace sales. Production technology is deliberately low-tech — small-batch cooking in church- and community-hosted kitchens — with no proprietary platforms; back-office tooling consists of Shopify, Stripe, Bloomerang donor CRM, and Google Analytics.

Growth is driven through the 'Launch A Site' social franchise program, which packages the operational playbook for communities to launch new Raw Carrot kitchens, effectively asset-light scaling via partner-hosted production sites. Strategic funding support comes from Catalyst Partners (flagship) and a set of corporate financial supporters (Harry Foster, Tenaquip, Charis, PPC, Meridian, Acts of Grace). The organization has no disclosed revenue figures, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no proprietary technology, positioning it as a mission-driven small enterprise rather than a venture-backed growth company.

Name

The Raw Carrot

Legal name

The Raw Carrot

Website

https://therawcarrot.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Raw Carrot is a Canadian charity-founded social enterprise that produces handcrafted soups, granola, and pancake mix across six kitchen sites, using food production revenue and donations to create supported employment for people facing barriers to traditional work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Enterprise Specialty Foods

NAICS

Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412), Dry Pasta, Dough, and Flour Mixes Manufacturing from Purchased Flour (311824)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing (RTE, hot cereals, granola) (AFAKABAA)

Keywords

• Social enterprise food
• Supported employment
• Handcrafted gourmet soup
• Small-batch granola
• Pancake and waffle mix

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Revenue from selling handcrafted food products including soups, granola, and pancake/waffle mix through retail stores, e-commerce, and church networks. Products are sold as one-time purchases with no recurring subscription component.
2. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting the social mission of creating supported employment. Donations are processed through Stripe and tax receipts are issued for registered Canadian charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Raw Carrot manufactures and sells handcrafted gourmet food products — frozen soups, granola, and pancake/waffle mix — produced in small batches at community kitchen sites across Canada. Production is organized as a supported-employment program that creates permanent part-time jobs for people facing barriers to traditional work, with each product purchase directly funding employment hours. Revenue is split between product sales through e-commerce, retail partners, church networks, and corporate workplaces, plus charitable donations supporting the social mission.

Product overview

The Raw Carrot is a social enterprise offering three core food products: Handcrafted Soups (small-batch frozen soups), Granola for Good (shelf-stable granola), and The Better Batter (pancake and waffle mix). All products are made in small batches using quality ingredients. The company operates through a social franchise model where each product line creates supported employment opportunities for people facing barriers to traditional work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seriously Good Soup (Handcrafted Soups)

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 servings of soup funds 1 hour of employment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationSecure payment processing provider used for donations and purchases. Enables PCI-compliant online transactions for the e-commerce store and donation processing.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the online store and order processing for The Raw Carrot's products.
• BloomerangcoreTechnology or IntegrationDonor management and email communications platform used to manage supporter relationships and newsletter communications.
• Paris Community ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched the first Raw Carrot kitchen site, providing supported employment for people facing barriers. Kitchen operates September to June.
• OneChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScarborough location launched by OneChurch provides supported employment opportunities in the Toronto area.
• MCCO (Mennonite Central Committee Ontario)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partner providing supported employment opportunities through Raw Carrot kitchen sites.
• Hope ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner hosting a Raw Carrot kitchen site for supported employment.
• Mount Forest United ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner in Mount Forest, Ontario providing supported employment through kitchen operations.
• Church Champion Program PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChurches that purchase and resell Raw Carrot products to their congregations, providing practical outreach and supporting inclusive employment.
• Retail PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGrocery stores, specialty food retailers, cafes, and corporate workplaces that carry Raw Carrot products on their shelves.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pacific Foods: Organic soup, broth, and plant-based beverage maker owned by Campbell's. Overlaps with The Raw Carrot's handcrafted soup positioning and shelf-stable/frozen retail channels but at much larger scale.
• Campbell Soup Company: Largest North American soup manufacturer with extensive grocery distribution. Represents the mass-market competitive backdrop against which The Raw Carrot's small-batch, mission-driven soup offering is differentiated.
• Bob Evans Foods: National frozen prepared-foods brand focused on breakfast/meal solutions in retail and foodservice. Comparable frozen, packaged consumer-foods distribution model though without a social-employment mission.
• Bear Naked Granola: Granola and snacking brand (a Kellogg's-owned label) selling small-batch-positioned products in the same category as Raw Carrot's 'Granola for Good', but at mainstream scale and without the social mission.
• Amy's Kitchen: Large-scale organic frozen prepared-meals and soup brand. Comparable core product (frozen soups, prepared entrées) but at vastly greater scale and through conventional retail distribution.

Direct peers

• Newman's Own: Food brand (soups, dressings, snacks) channeling 100% of profits to charity. Highly comparable business model: consumer food products where the social mission is the primary brand differentiator and driver of customer loyalty.
• Greyston Bakery: Yonkers, NY bakery operating a famous 'open hiring' social enterprise model that employs people facing barriers to work - directly comparable to The Raw Carrot's supported-employment mission and food production approach.
• Homeboy Industries: Los Angeles-based social enterprise offering supported employment to people with barriers, including food-related products and operations. Same hybrid model of mission-driven workforce and consumer food production.
• Hot Bread Kitchen: NYC nonprofit social enterprise that produces baked goods and prepared foods while training women and immigrants facing barriers to employment. Directly parallel workforce and small-batch food production model.

Emerging players

• Made by Hand Foods: British Columbia-based small-batch Canadian food producer of jams, syrups, and condiments. Comparable Canadian small-batch, retail-distributed CPG positioning and artisanal production ethos.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/therawcarrot
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/therawcarrot

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Raw Carrot