PENNSBURG, PA — What began as a personal passion in a Pennsburg home garage has flourished into a successful franchise business. Raw Replenish, founded by Kate Coleman, has grown from humble beginnings into a multistate juicing brand with five locations, demonstrating resilience and innovation in a competitive market.
A decade ago, Coleman’s enthusiasm for juicing led her to experiment with recipes in a 50-square-foot licensed space her husband built in their garage. “My husband was the not-so-lucky recipient of so many different failed recipes,” Coleman recalled. “It really was quite a process.”
She tested her creations with students in her YMCA fitness classes before opening her first commercial kitchen in Red Hill in 2016. By 2018, customers were requesting more than juice cleanses. “Smoothies and fruit bowls took off immediately,” Coleman said, prompting her to expand the menu to include popular items like avocado toast.
The growth of Raw Replenish has been rapid. After establishing a flagship location in Pennsburg, Coleman launched a second site in Souderton in 2021. Within six months, she began franchising. Today, three franchise locations in Montgomery County continue to complement the original Pennsburg café.
“It was a very, very rapid progression,” Coleman noted. “There have been so many failures in that time as well and lots of learning experiences.” Her SCORE TriCounty mentor, Stefan Laessig, played a pivotal role in turning those challenges into opportunities. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without his mentorship,” she said.
Laessig, a former business owner in the automotive sector, guided Coleman through financial fundamentals like pricing and profit-and-loss statements. “I was going off sheer passion and emotion and just creating recipes,” Coleman explained. “He really has been like having a teacher in my back pocket at all times. I call him for most everything.”
Laessig emphasized the importance of first building a profitable foundation. “The first key is you have to make the first location profitable,” he said. “We achieved that.” Over time, his role has shifted to serving as a sounding board for strategic decisions, reminding Coleman of the bigger picture amid the demands of day-to-day operations.
Beyond its business model, Raw Replenish differentiates itself with quality. The café’s smoothie bases are made fresh, not pre-scooped sorbets, and its smoothies avoid ice or water. “Our thickener is bananas or other frozen fruit,” Coleman explained, highlighting the company’s commitment to freshness.
Looking ahead, Coleman envisions opening additional corporate-owned locations by 2026, though it will require adjusting her hands-on involvement. “I’m still very much involved in the day-to-day,” she said. “If I do open other locations, I would have to kind of step away from what I’m doing at Pennsburg a little bit.”
From experimenting in a garage to managing a growing franchise, Coleman’s Raw Replenish embodies both determination and adaptability, setting an example for aspiring entrepreneurs.
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