Toronto mom left corporate job to create international snack brand with her sisters

Nearly 10 years ago, three moms and sisters created a healthy snack brand that they’ve built into an international empire.

Rawcology primarily deals in granola, and also makes healthy snacks like granola snack bites and coconut chips. It all began with CEO Tara Tomulka’s realization that not only her snacks, but also her life and wellness, were in a rut.

“I found myself in a rut in my corporate job, suffering from anxiety and really just felt awful. I always loved food and turned to nutrition to feel better, and it was life changing,” Tomulka tells YourCityWithIN.com.

“I went back to school to become a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and Practitioner, taught plant based cooking courses at George Brown, ran cooking workshops out of my condo, and through that process recognized there was a massive lack of nourishing, easy packaged foods available and became determined to create something that is functionally beneficial.”

To create something nourishing and beneficial, Rawcology started by taking things away from their products, like inflammatory seed oils, processed sweeteners and allergens such as nuts, dairy, gluten and soy. The idea is that Rawcology products look out for your wellbeing just the way a sister would, which is fitting as Tara runs Rawcology with her family members Megan and Laura.

“Having my older sister and sister-in-law join me in building this purpose driven business was very natural. My sister has always been very supportive and jumped in helping with a lot of the nitty gritty box building and stickering in that first year,” says Tomulka.

“I think we are all drawn to the idea that we can create something that positively impacts other people’s lives, is better for the planet and has us motivated to truly change our food system for the betterment of everyone’s health and wellbeing.”

Not only do the Rawcology founders bond over being sisters in the same family, but also over the fact that they’re all moms.

“Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship isn’t easy, but supporting each other through it makes us stronger,” says Tomulka.

“As women, and especially as moms, balancing the demands of family life while running a business often feels challenging. There’s a constant pressure to do it all, which can easily lead to burnout if you’re not careful. What’s helped us is leaning on each other, being honest about our limits, and setting clear boundaries between work and home, but the reality is, it’s something we’re still working on. Most importantly, we’ve learned that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness, and that success doesn’t have to follow anyone else’s definition but our own.”

The sisters started out selling Rawcology to local Ontario health food stores, and the business has now ballooned to availability at over 1,200 retailers across North America.

“It feels like we’ve lived 10 lives through this and at the same time as if we just got started yesterday. The business and scaling manufacturing is a huge feat, and something that has taken incredible grit, perseverance and determination to do,” says Tomulka.

“The process is so dependent on finding the right people, having a ‘can do’ attitude and being ready and open-minded to learn.”

Still, even with the world’s best “can do” spirit, building an international brand doesn’t happen without having a few moments where you just can’t even.

“Like any family, we’ve definitely had our moments. Being so closely connected both personally and professionally means the lines can easily blur. One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is to keep business talk at work and be present as a family when we’re together outside the office,” says Tomulka.

“Staying open, honest, and willing to be vulnerable with each other has helped us grow, not just as business partners, but as sisters too.”

Rawcology’s growth continues, with the brand slated to launch in a new region in the West Coast area around July, and plans to launch a new sub brand around August. Stay up to date on all the details by following Rawcology’s social media.