Who are the people behind HelfenFRM? A few weeks ago we launched our new platform to show support during the crisis and beyond. By now many enterprises, restaurants and traders in FrankfurtRheinMain have registered on it. We continue running and growing the platform. With this interview series we have started featuring local entrepreneurs and business owners, as we share valuable learnings. Today’s feature is 91 RAW from Frankfurt.

Who are you and what do you do at 91 RAW?

I am Lisa, founder of 91RAW and a forever optimist and visionary. What started as the desire to create a place which makes healthy food easily accessible to everyone and to spread awareness in how a conscious lifestyle can change not only your health and your body, but your whole life, became the birth place of 91RAW.

Here at 91RAW, you’re welcomed with open arms to join us on a journey towards awareness, consciousness and a holistic lifestyle. We offer everything delicious and high qualitatively, from vegan Smoothie Bowls and flexitarian Sandwiches and Wraps to slow pressed juices and over-night Chia Coco Pots.

We believe, that food can do so much more than just satisfying hunger. It can be invigorating, surprising, therapeutic and even healing. Sadly though, we often pretend that there is no room for healthy food in our busy schedules, so we tend towards conventional and quickly available food options. These can be classical fast foods, highly processed supermarket foods for on the go or the bar of chocolate which has survived two days straight on the office desk and will do for lunch. The choices we make out of a hurry mostly aren’t good for our body. The food we tend towards in these situations does not really fill us and make us feel even more tired and lethargic after consuming. At 91RAW, we move the term consciousness to the front, mainly regarding a healthy diet but not exclusively. We believe that transparency is key in the relationship with our customers. What you see is what you get, without any added artificial ingredients. We opened the doors to a healthy food place, but unknowingly created a lifestyle brand, that goes far beyond the food topic.

How did Corona affect you and which measures did you take? 

As we are still very new to the market, Corona hit us quite hard as a start-up. We had a noticeable increase in our customer numbers as well as our revenue from the beginning on, as people have appreciated our foods and have noticed the positive effects in how their bodies reacted to the lifestyle change, that was supported by the foods and drinks of 91RAW. But as people stopped stepping outside their homes because of COVID, the numbers went down and there was a big lack in revenue and customers.

We had to come up with a an idea, that filled the gap between our costs and our revenue so we set up a delivery service overnight and it blew our minds how (fast) it was welcomed by our clients. We even reached more people through the delivery now because a lot of them didn’t have the chance to visit the shop during our regular opening hours (as we are closed on weekends) before.

In the beginning, it was a huge challenge to coordinate the delivery service as we had so many orders and most of them would be placed at the very same time. We adapted very fast to the situation, set up our own online shop and I think this was our little miracle in between all those COVID bad news.

How can the community help you?

Sharing is caring. We love to see people enjoying our foods and drinks and its always so real and raw, when they are the ones, talking and posting about it – either way in real life or social media. So, I guess, spreading the love people have for our brand is always the easiest yet most effective way to support us. And, we love (!) feedback – especially if its constructive. Listening to people’s feedback is as important as to listen to our bodies for us; always with an open ear and good-natured heart.

What connects you to FrankfurtRheinMain?

The fact, that Frankfurt is the first city ever, where I feel like coming home. After growing up in Heidelberg, living in Costa Rica and San Diego and moving 11 times in total, Frankfurt is the very first city, where I feel like coming home. I have thought about it a million times, and I am pretty sure it’s this: the combination between very open-minded, driven + creative people and the demographic advantage of very short distances (which makes me feel like living in a small village).

Do you have a tip for young entrepreneurs? What was the most valuable advice you were given on your way?

All the things you don’t learn at school or university and that, sometimes, it’s better to go into situations and challenges without having a plan. A plan can be good at times, but most of the time it is just limiting. I’ve learned that people are more interested in the things you do and the concepts you come up with when you are involved wholeheartedly, without calculating every single step.

What’s the biggest game changer in your personal life, that you evolved during your time as an entrepreneur?

Since I have started 91RAW and my days have gotten longer and busier, I started waking up very early to be able to kick off the day at ease with my very holy morning routine. I feel that a balanced morning makes such a difference in how I feel during the day.

„Don’t consume before you create.“ With time I have learned that it is so important to be creative before I consume. With all the news, wonderful podcasts, the mass of input on social media followed by mails and messages on the phone can be easily overwhelming and interrupt our creative flow. For me, it’s essential to listen to myself first thing in the morning, to be creative and write my thoughts down, before I consume input from the outside world. I like waking up, having some me time with a big glass of hot lemon water, making myself a coffee and taking my supplements (which are organic coconut and turmeric capsules for glory skin during cold days and dry air), followed by walking my Frenchie Girl Lotte down the river. Listen to yourself first thing in the morning and believe and trust your own thoughts. I think this is crucial in learning to listen to yourself again.

More about HelfenFRM

Here you find our article about the launch.

And here you find the HelfenFRM Website!