Jessica Rosen’s startup story began with difficult losses. She cofounded Raw Generation, which sells all-natural juices, after the deaths of her grandmothers. Their passings inspired her to learn more about health and nutrition, first by conducting research in her spare time and then as a student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. When she graduated in 2012, she teamed up with her serial entrepreneur father to turn her passion and newly acquired knowledge into a business.
They launched Raw Generation in August of that year, and grew it by offering deals on websites like Groupon, which expanded their customer base and elevated brand awareness. For the last 5 years, Rosen has focused solely on selling juices. But in the near future, Raw Generation will release a new line of vegan soups, giving customers more all-natural liquid-oriented diet options. “We’re coming up with new ideas, new flavors and new products that are going to help customers lose weight, have more energy and feel better.”
Growth was slow at first. Rosen and her father decided to bootstrap rather than pursue outside funding and avoided adding employees. But now that Raw Generation is turning a profit, Rosen has hired a team able to handle many of her operations duties, giving her the freedom to take time off whenever she wants or needs it. “Time off is so imperative for me,” she says, whether for vacations or simply to enjoy time at home. “My lifestyle is so much more comfortable now than when I started up.”