Meet Alice Benedetto, RN

 
Founder · CEO · Natural Foods Chef · Mom

 

In 2004, registered nurse and single mom Alice Benedetto found herself incredibly frustrated as she walked down the grocery aisles in a grocery store aisle. Every snack her son reached for was loaded with sugar. It was then that Alice knew there had to be a better solution.

So she went home and made something better.

Armed with her mixing bowl, a dedication to health, and a New York City grit, Alice found a way. She began making vegan snacks in her kitchen from nuts, fruits, and seeds, and word quickly got out that there was a delicious way to eat nutritious food. Kids began ditching their sugary snacks in favor of Alice's treats and the neighborhood parents kept asking about this magical snack that was keeping their kids away from sugar.

That's how Raw Rev was born.

Twenty-two years later the formula is the same: real ingredients, honest nutrition, nothing hidden. Because for Alice "raw" has always been more than a word. It's an attitude. A refusal to compromise. A belief that healthy and delicious were never supposed to be opposites.

Raw Rev isn't just a brand. Raw Rev is Alice.

The Expertise Behind Every Bar

Twenty-two years of expertise in every bar.

Registered Nurse (RN)

Clinically trained to evaluate nutrition, read research, and put patient outcomes first. That same discipline goes into every Raw Rev formulation decision.

Natural Foods Chef

Formally trained in the mid-90s raw food movement — before clean eating was a category. Her food philosophy was formed long before Raw Rev existed.

Mom First

Raw Rev started because her own kids needed a better snack. If she wouldn't put it in a lunchbox, it doesn't make the cut. That standard hasn't changed.

NYC Made

Built from a home kitchen in New York. The grit, directness, and refusal to compromise stayed in the recipe.

In Her Own Words

Alice answers the questions that matter — about food, nutrition, motherhood, and building something real.

As a nurse, I couldn't unsee what I was learning about food and the body. I was working with patients dealing with diabetes, heart disease, and wounds that would not heal, and I kept coming back to the same thing: processed food was a major factor preventing my patients from getting better.

I knew that what a person puts into their body is incredibly important, like using the correct gasoline for a car. I realized it was best to eat as close to nature as possible.

So when I stood in the snack aisle for myself or my family, I read labels differently. I wasn't just looking at calories — I was looking at ingredients.

There were no Whole Foods Markets in the NYC suburbs at the time, just smaller mom and pop health food stores, which meant a lot of driving and planning ahead. So I started making my own at home with ingredients I trusted.

His favorite snack was a pitted date stuffed with peanut butter.

I pay attention to the first one or two ingredients. Most people go straight to calories, protein, or sugar — but I know that ingredients are listed in order of weight, so those first one or two ingredients tell you what you are really eating.

If I see ingredients like glucose syrup, which is highly processed, or wheat flour, which can be problematic for those with gluten intolerance, I immediately put the product back.

If the first ingredients are real, recognizable foods — you are starting in a much better place.

Birthday parties were the biggest challenge for my school age kids — and there were so many, well over 20 a year.

My son was also sensitive to certain additives, especially in things like ice cream from the ice cream truck and commercially made cakes. He wanted to be part of it like every other kid, and I always wanted him to have that experience too, but didn't want him to get sick. It was just about finding balance between enjoyment in the moment and how he would feel afterward.

What I heard, very clearly and repeatedly, was that people love our bars because they taste like real food. I also learned something I hadn't fully appreciated before: many customers associate stevia-like sweeteners with an artificial taste. I honestly had no idea how strongly that perception shaped their experience.

That moment taught me that improvement isn't just technical — it's deeply personal. If a product is part of someone's life, even small changes matter in a big way.

We listened, and it reminded me that sometimes the best decision is to respect what customers already love.