I first learned about livelihood hand-harvesting rice in Thailand. I learned the art of connection by selling the most beautiful lettuce at the Ferry Building Farmers’ Market, and courage came through launching a jam line for McEvoy Ranch.

I continue to learn each day by being surrounded by inspiring clients and I continue to garner experience by way of doing. As a Richter Research Grantee and Ford Foundation Fellow, I’ve travelled around the world to execute research on values-based markets. This knowledge has gone into creating products that were featured in the debut of Martha Stewart’s American Made Shop, Food & Wine Magazine, Oprah’s list of favorite things, and other coveted channels.

I founded Ellen Rawley Creative & Strategy in 2016 and since then have secured over $500,000 in grant funding for budding food businesses, formulated countless products, and even represented an olive oil ranch’s beauty brand on national television. My work has been recognized through speaking engagements with the Stonebarns Center for Agriculture, the Food Craft Institute, and the California State Grange.

MY CALLING

I’m interested in building a more intimate connection between makers, users, and the land.

When people are directly connected to those who make the things that fill their homes and stomachs they become part of the act of creation. They become more than consumers - those that take and use. They begin to understand themselves as generative beings who are independent from extractive & destructive systems.

I’m passionate about expanding the meaning of the term “sustainable product” to include the financial sustainability of the people growing and making our goods. While I struggle with working within a capitalist system that needs to be truly overhauled, I accept that putting more money in the hands of people who are legitimately stewarding the land is a better path forward (and better matters as we work towards long-term shifts).

Relationship-based marketplaces encourage deeper understanding of our neighbors and our natural habitat. Living with the seasons makes us humble to our human frailty. Understanding what it really takes to grow our food increases our gratitude.

I see constant evidence that connection is our innate state and that given the opportunity, people will choose to purchase products that connect them to real people and real places. I’m enlivened by a future in which more people meet their everyday needs with products that honor the land and those that work with it.  

My clients have a deep understanding of the product they make. They want to be known as “the best maker of…” and care about things like integrity, regenerative systems, and authenticity (even if that word makes them cringe a bit).

My clients couple their passion with a desire to make the money-side work. They might not know how to achieve profitability – heck, the idea might even make them feel uncomfortable - but they do feel it’s a goal worth pursuing.

My clients have (or want to have) a long-term vision. They want to still be making what they make in five years. When I ask them why they want to grow, they talk about things like paying their employees better wages and being able to source from more small farmers. Their desire for growth isn’t insatiable, it’s purposeful.

MARKETS MY CLIENTS SELL THROUGH:

Grocery, Specialty, Direct to Consumer, Online, Farmers’ Markets, Television, Spa, and Food Service