Snack queen Evie makes Dragon eat his words
It feels good to prove him wrong Evie Waxman
SHE launched her healthy treats business four years ago after a trip to Australia, and it was a journey that took her all the way to Dragons’ Den.
Evie Waxman, founder of the Raw Bake Station in Timperley, walked into the Den at the weekend with her range of raw and vegan sweet snacks, and her effervescent pitch impressed all the Dragons, except one.
Entrepreneur Peter Jones was quick to deliver an ‘I’m out’ decision on the BBC show, which sees budding entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to five multimillionaires willing to invest their own cash.
But Evie, who walked out of the Den after two-and-a-half hours of filming with no deal, resolved that ‘you can’t please everyone.’ Peter commented that he didn’t see her products making it to the shelves of the ‘big boys,’ but just two months after filming Raw Bake Station launched into WH Smith Travel stores nationwide in airports, stations and hospitals and Evie is preparing to launch Raw Bake Station into a supermarket chain later this year.
“It feels good to prove him wrong,” said Evie, 25, who appeared on Sunday’s episode of the BBC Two show.
From her mum’s kitchen Evie took the creation of her vegan, sugar free, dairy free, grain free and gluten free snacks to a small unit in Timperley. She could be found selling her healthy alternative to sweet treats at Altrincham Market, as well as in Didsbury and the Northern Quarter.
“I’ve always been interested health and fitness and when I went travelling it expanded,” she explained.
“I picked up tips on trips in Australia. They were ahead in raw food and I had never come across that before, and when I came home at the age of 21 I started playing around in my mum’s kitchen.
“It started in my mum’s kitchen and selling my snacks on market stalls and juice bars across the north west.”
Evie came up with healthy versions of Snickers and Bounty bars, mint slices, fudge brownies and a new cookie range using all-natural ingredients.
She’s celebrating bagging her first international retailer in Germany for her ‘Crookies,’ selling more than 10,000 units in just six weeks.
Evie, who follows a plant-based lifestyle but still eats eggs, added: “There used to be a massive stigma around vegan food but now more people are health conscious.”