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Meet Nathan Jackson of Nate’s Raw Harvest in Far North Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Jackson.

Nathan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey started at 17 when I realized that my physique and overall health was something I could change for the better. I took on some of my dad’s old iron weights and went to work on my fitness and education. Health and fitness quickly became a way of life for me and eventually turned into a degree in Exercise Science from the University of Texas at Arlington. I studied nutrition and holistic health on the side and quickly discovered the power of food for healing as well as a love for cooking and using the highest quality ingredients.

I began my career as a personal trainer at the Premier Club in Dallas back in 2005. I worked with the residents in the surrounding areas (Highland Park, University Park, SMU, Lakewood, etc.) and learned a great deal about success from many of my clients, which fueled the drive for starting my own successful business.

I began making foods using old, traditional techniques such as lacto-fermenting vegetables, sourdough cultures, bone stocks, sprouting, and pre-soaking grains and nuts. In 2010, I brought my first batch of sprouted, organic nuts with some cinnamon and cayenne to the gym as a snack and shared them with my clients and educated them on the process involved and all of the incredible health benefits. I received great encouragement from my them, and with that, I spent the next six months researching how to start a business, learning all the legalities of making a food product, getting labels and a website designed, finding equipment and ingredient suppliers, etc. After investing all of my savings and passion for better health and food, I founded Nate’s Raw Harvest in 2010.

Taking on the challenge of running a company, balancing my “9-5” and being a father, I diligently worked at getting myself out there and educating everyone I could about the importance of nutrition and sprouted snacks. By March of 2011, I was in my first Whole Foods Market in Lakewood where I spent my weekend’s sampling and talking to customers. I grew store by store for the next two years and added a few farmer’s markets along the way.

The demands of personal training, fatherhood, and my company led me to eventually go all or nothing into Nate’s Raw Harvest, and, in 2014, I quit training and went all in. Like anyone starting a company from the ground up, there were immense struggles and learning curves and a few times where I questioned whether it was the right move. Thankfully, the universe sent my now wife, Christina, who supported me enough to allow me to fully focus on Nate’s Raw Harvest. With her help, I grew the brand and was able to make a living with just my company, within four months! I will never underestimate the power of a good partner and owe much of my current success to her.

We experienced many ups and downs with our little company, but within a few more years we had a successful online business selling to customers all over the country. We are now staples at the Coppell and McKinney Farmer’s Markets and carried in all 14 Whole Foods Market locations in the DFW area. We are very blessed to be able to work for ourselves and take care of our family of five.

We take pride in our work and hand-make each Nate’s Raw Harvest product with the health, and well-being of our customers in mind. We continue to expand and grow, while diligently providing the best possible products to all our customers who have helped support us through the years.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think our road had a few potholes, a few closed roads, and even a collapsed bridge or two! The last ten years brought on quite a few challenges including unemployment soon after the company launched, learning the delicate art of diplomacy and negotiating within the commercial grocery industry, building and relocating commercial kitchens, four years of sampling products on the weekends at grocery stores, raising my first son as a divorced dad for the first five years, having two more sons along the way, 7-day work weeks, and deciding whether to invest in the company in order to grow or improve my family’s quality of life. There’s never an easy answer and you never know what’s ahead.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We make sprouted, organic, gluten-free snacks. Our process includes taking organic nuts and seeds through a 4-day sprouting process consisting of a 12-hour soak in a Celtic saltwater solution and then gently dehydrating them at low temperatures for over three days. The whole process increases the bio-availability and digestibility of the nuts, gives them a light, crisp texture, and leaves them completely raw and alive. We then take the nuts and seeds and make different mixes, trail mixes, brownies, and nut butters out of them. We even make baked goods and baking mixes. Our entire company (even the baked goods) are organic, gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, grain-free, soy-free and processed sugar-free. What sets us apart from other competitors is that my wife and I personally hand-make every single one of our products so that we can ensure the highest quality product possible for our customers.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Dallas and the surrounding area is a great place for anyone interested in making healthy food products. There are more than enough grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and customers looking to support REAL food and a return to our traditional roots through nutrition. I believe one of the few, but major obstacles many upcoming food-based companies face is a lack of attractive funding options and a lack of commercial real estate that supports commercial food production.

Pricing:

  • 2.5oz snack size 3.99
  • 7oz bag 9.99
  • 1lb bag 19.99

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Nate’s Raw Harvest and Costa Christ Photography

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