Meet Chester: the founder turning his mum’s homemade granola into a national snack brand

• Business name: RAISE

• Industry: Healthy snacks

• Founded in: 2022

• Top business product: Business savings account

• Key learning: “Staying relevant is a challenge you don’t just overcome, it’s something you continue working on.”

Chester Robinson grew up on homemade granola, nuts and seeds: the kind of after-school snacks chosen by a health-conscious mum who believed good food should nourish you. From his dad, he picked up a different but equally important lesson: food should taste great.

Those two influences shaped the idea behind RAISE. Seeing a gap for snacks that could deliver real nutrition and real flavour in equal measure, Chester set out to create the products he’d always wanted to buy himself. 

He launched the business on a shoestring budget, using his mum’s living room as an early storeroom, and has gradually scaled into major retailers including Sainsbury’s and Ocado. 

Today, RAISE is built around one clear promise: big taste, without the trade-offs.

How did/does your personal story shape the brand and its products?

My mum was my reason for launching this brand. Her homemade granola inspired RAISE. She always encouraged eating healthy food: dried fruit, nuts, seeds, rice crackers, avocados and beans were my after school snacks. At the time I found it frustrating, but fast forward 10 years and I’m now a nut and seed fanatic. 

Then there’s my dad, who also played a big role in the genesis of RAISE. He always encouraged me to start a business and backed me to take risks. He passed away when I was 22. He wasn’t the healthiest man, despite my mum’s efforts. He loved a kebab, cured meats (I do too), and I don’t think he ever chose anything resembling a salad for lunch. But he taught me something just as important: never underestimate how much people love food that tastes great.

People struggle to find food that genuinely delivers on both health and taste. Products often promise one at the expense of the other. At the heart of RAISE is the desire to dovetail health and taste. Food is more than just fuel, it’s also about enjoyment. 

So, family definitely sits at the heart of RAISE. Lessons from mum and dad shape our ethos: to deliver big taste without the trade-offs. 

Launching a brand in a competitive retail environment can be daunting. What were the biggest challenges you faced in securing listings with Sainsbury’s, Ocado, and other retailers, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge is competing with more established brands who have the cash, shelf-space and consumer awareness to make you irrelevant. I’ve learned that staying relevant is a challenge you don’t just overcome, it’s something you continue working on. 

With a limited budget, we’ve had to be disciplined about where we focus our energy. For us, that’s always been the product first, constantly refining recipes, improving quality, and making small changes that add up over time. That focus has helped drive strong repeat purchase rates, which gives us confidence we can keep winning market share.

Now we’re putting more emphasis on branding. As a small brand, your packaging is your most cost-effective advert; it’s what stops shoppers in the aisle, and it tells your story before they even taste the product.

RAISE started in a very small way, even using your mum’s living room as a warehouse. How have you managed to scale from that early setup?

Yes, much to my mum’s delight! We now have two warehouses, but we’re focused on simplifying things, consolidating down to one warehouse and sending stock straight from the factory to customers. Fewer moving parts, lower costs, and a much more efficient way to scale.

How have your previous experiences in tech/marketing/entrepreneurship helped you build and market RAISE effectively?

I’ve always wanted to start a business, and my time in tech and marketing was really a means to that end. I worked in tech because it paid well and helped me save the money I needed to launch RAISE, and in marketing to learn how to build and grow a brand properly. Both gave me the skills and foundations I needed to turn the idea into a real business.

RAISE emphasises inclusivity, diversity, and community impact. How do you balance these social values with the commercial goals of growing a retail brand?

A snack brand is never going to save the world, but it can do its bit to help people. All businesses can reconcile chasing commercial goals with strong social value, you just have the equilibrium.

Looking back, what have been the most exciting milestones or moments of pride in your journey so far?

The journey’s the best part. A good example is the period before launch. I always thought seeing a pack on the shelf would be the most exciting moment. But as soon as it was there, my mind went straight to how we could make it better. In hindsight, the build-up was actually the most exciting bit. That’s where the real energy is: the growth, the problem-solving and the constant development of the business.

What financial products/services have supported the business’ growth and operations?

We do invoice factoring and we have a business savings account, both of which I highly recommend. Cash is king, and these things both help with that. 

What advice would you give to aspiring food and beverage entrepreneurs who want to turn a personal passion into a scalable, purpose-driven brand?

Just do it!