The gRAWnola team is a dynamic, passionate group of friends who share a common goal. Our company was founded on the idea that really good food can and should be really good for you! Our Holistic Chef Ken Immer found his calling when he started combining his love of delicious foods with techniques and ingredients that actually make your body work and feel better. In order to share this amazing product with the rest of the world, a team of people inspired by this synergy has come together... let's meet them!
Former butcher/charcutière turned ‘ecstatic living activist’ dropped traditional French cuisine for a yoga mat, and everything in his life changed. This is where he found his purpose. Having spent many years steeped in the culture of sensual pleasure that is the restaurant industry, he was not about to give up the amazing satisfaction that delicious food can offer. However, his newfound zeal for health and wellness was seeming to dictate that obsession was about to end. Discovering that most of the vegetarian/health food readily available to consumers was mediocre at best- and very foreign to most people- Ken decided there must be a better way, and it must somehow be related to the entire body and soul connection. After many, many hours in the kitchen experimenting with all sorts of new ingredients and techniques, poring over books which in the past were relegated only to ‘special dietary needs’ and ‘tree huggers’, Ken actually found that he could use his fundamental knowledge of cuisine to dissect these recipes and extract the essence of robust health, and apply his skill in preparation so as to preserve flavor and texture while maintaining nutritional integrity. This plant-based diet he was working with surrounded him with fresh ingredients, which eventually drew him to the raw food movement and ultimately gave birth to the gRAWnola bar-which is at the core of the new cuisine he was establishing. The creation of this delight was proof enough that there is a whole universe out there of healthy ingredients just waiting to be combined in new ways that allow you to continuously enjoy food while changing your body chemistry and improving your overall health. Ken’s cuisine speaks to you in ways that more ‘traditional’ foods do, by drawing from standard tastes and textures allowing the familiarity that we have of certain foods to remain while our bodies process that same food in a new way to digest and absorb the nutrients, creating an even deeper feeling of satisfaction than previously experienced. Chef Ken now cooks foods that are new to most of his friends and family, but are received in a way that is comforting instead of confronting. When he shares this knowledge with others, he recognizes the fact that everyone has certain limitations about what they are willing to do and feel comfortable changing. Chef Ken invites you to join him on your own journey to ultimate wellness, following your personal path by providing tools and direction that empower you to create your own healthy home kitchen! Chef Ken currently oversees production and day-to-day operations at the facility, he also is an adjunct instructor at The Culinary Institute of Charleston, teaches yoga one day per week at a local community center, and travels around the Southeast promoting gRAWnola and teaching cooking and lifestyle classes.
Mitch White spent the early part of his life preparing to play professional tennis. After attending Purdue University he moved to Charleston SC and spent 2 years on the tour before realizing that his calling was in coaching. He founded Topspin Unlimited, a tennis management company based in Washington DC, and spent the next part of his life immersed in helping people improve their lives and health through tennis. It was during this process Mitch recognized a newfound love for business and in 1998 sold Topspin. Between 1998 and 2005 after being involved in several successful businesses and many years of travel throughout Asia he founded Simon & White LLC, a consulting company which specializes in helping U.S. based businesses expand into Asia, with emphasis on South Korea. Marquee clients have included Carfax and Johnny Rockets. In 2009 Mitch was approached by his old friend Bobby Hendricks who was a partner in a company called gRAWnola. They were looking for someone with corporate experience and a background in growing small businesses. Mitch accepted their offer to become CEO for gRAWnola and immediately began to install professional structure and processes. Taking the hard work that Bobby and founder Ken Immer had already invested, Mitch helped turn the company into a strong regional presence in the South and attain a YOY growth rate of almost 350% in his first year as CEO. gRAWnola is currently in 13 states and in over 300 retail locations and this year Mitch is planning to take the company into the Mid-Atlantic and North East regions of the US. He has been a member of several prestigious organizations including YPO and Capital Clubs and has been a guest speaker on a variety of panels.
Mitch was born and raised in the Washington DC area, traveled the world after living in Charleston for several years, and had been back in DC since 1990. In early 2011 he left DC and once again calls Charleston home...
Meet Natalie Ensogna Shultz: She comes to us from the quaint little town of Winchester, Va. (that's about an hour outside of the DC area) and we feel very fortunate that she joined our growing team this past February of 2011. Her savvy business instincts, organizational skills and background in sales and marketing made her a natural choice to our team. She believes in order to be successful, first you must believe in what you do, because if you don't....who else will. Second, over deliver...people never expect it and always remember it. Third, everyone is selling something....so you had better be the best!
Natalie's very first job, at age 15years, was that of a humble Chick-Fil-A employee, this is where she first began learning all about outstanding customer service, partnering with an excellent product and working in a team environment. Natalie has managed an art gallery and studied under the mindful eye of a master potter eventually becoming a sculptor.....this is where she first began honing in on her marketing skills and thinking outside the box...using the left and right side of her brain simultaneously. Moving along quickly, she found her passion to be working with businesses from inception to a successful company. Last stop before gRAWnolaville was working for ABC melting her creative side with her business side perfecting her skills and quickly becoming the top Account Executive.
She is thrilled to call Charleston home now and looks forward to growing yet another successful business!
A graduate of the University of Delaware where he studied economics, interpersonal communication, and philosophy, Ben Marley loves life and helping people get the most out of it. With gRAWnola that means helping people value food more. In zealously serving the needs of our current and soon-to-be retailers and happy customers, his efforts are helping to launch gRAWnola to new heights, one healthy bite at a time. When not spreading the raw, yummy goodness, he ghostwrites books and enjoys kiteboarding. His favorite dinosaur is Thesaurus.
