We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Claire Howe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Claire, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

When I was in my early 20’s, I had a cubicle job I absolutely hated. One day, a friend and I went to lunch at a nearby Subway, and as I stood staring at the lunchmeat, neatly arranged behind plexiglass, I suddenly realized that I had absolutely no idea how (or from WHOM) it had gotten there. I went home that night and Googled “where does meat come from?” The next few moments fundamentally changed the course of my life. I sobbed as I watched video after video from inside factory farms and slaughterhouses, utterly horrified and stunned that this was the reality I had somehow avoided, or perhaps intentionally been shielded from, for so long. The next week I attended my first animal rights protest. Three months later, I had gone completely Vegan.

My advocacy journey took me to many unexpected places, including law school, a subsequent Animal Law LL.M. program in Portland, Oregon, and then a job as a Program Manager for a humane education organization. Through my work as a teacher, I started facilitating a few high school animal rights clubs in Portland, and before long realized that youth were terribly underrepresented in the mainstream animal rights movement. So in 2016, I set out to start a nonprofit focused on youth activism and leadership, what ultimately became “The Raven Corps”.

The Raven Corps has changed and evolved dramatically over the years, influenced by countless youth activists and adult allies, but two people absolutely cannot go without recognition: our phenomenally talented and passionate Youth Director, Cami Hoffman, and my relentlessly supportive husband, Jesse Zamora, who has a background in food and manufacturing (I’ll address why this is important in just a sec!)

Alongside “the Ravens”, we built a powerhouse total liberation organization, having evolved into a philosophy of Veganism that aims to end all oppressive systems and liberate all animals, humans and our natural world very much included. But not everyone appreciated this approach. At the start of 2024, we lost our primary donor for speaking up on behalf of Gaza. This was a soul-crushing blow, but not totally unexpected. We had long been frustrated by the mainstream movement’s single-issue approach to Vegan advocacy and even more so by the fact that a small handful of ultra-wealthy donors were the ones behind it.

So, armed with nothing but frustration and hope, Jesse and I founded “Cool Kids Snack Cakes” with the goal of supporting both ourselves and our work at The Raven Corps. I’ve always loved snack cakes. I grew up on Little Debbie, Dolly Madison, and Hostess. But when I went Vegan, I was devastated (truly!) that a Vegan snack cake line did not exist. And I’m very proud to say we’re the first to start one.

Claire, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Our premier product, Counter Crispies, are small-batch Vegan, gluten-free versions of the nostalgic crispy marshmallow treats I dare to say everyone loves. They’re utterly delicious! Our branding is an unabashed nod to our shared love for 80’s and 90’s nostalgia, and we carry four flavors: Trail-Mix-A-Lot, Ch-ch-churro!, The OG, and Peanut Butta Cup. We’re also launching “Saved by the Berry” soon!

We love our brand, and we adore our products. But what makes us most proud is the good that “snacking cool” can do. In addition to using ethically-sourced and entirely Vegan ingredients, our Crispies give back. Through our first limited edition flavor, “Sprinkle Love on 🇵🇸”, we’ve raised over $1200 for Plant the Land, a small mutual aid team in Gaza providing food relief to families. And, of course, our long term plan is to expand our product lines so that we can support our own organization as well as a new venture I recently started, “Vegans Against Fascism”, a decentralized network of Vegan activists who are building a movement rooted in liberation for ALL.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

At The Raven Corps, I met Cami Hoffman in 2018. We were still a baby nonprofit, and I will never forget the message I received on Instagram: Hello! I’m a teen activist from the San Diego area and would love to get more involved with The Raven Corps. How can I do this? I’ve been contemplating ways to get teens more involved with activist, so it’s great to see that a group like this exists!” I messaged them back, and the rest truly is our history. We not only became co-directors. We became family.

I met Jesse, my cofounder at Cool Kids Snack Cakes, in 2015. I went to a rockabilly show, and he was working the door. He let me in for free! When his shift was over, he came over to introduce himself, and I immediately took a liking to him. Two years later, we got married, and now we’re the proud owners of a baby business, Cool Kids Snack Cakes!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

We’re a very small team, but even still, I cannot stress enough how important it is to have clear, open lines of communication and to lean into your skill set. Sure, there are times when we need to do things we don’t enjoy or have experience with, but by “knowing our lanes” and communicating, we’re continuously improving our operations. I also think it’s hugely important to recognize each others’ hard work, give credit where it’s due, and relish every victory. Running a business is really hard – celebrating every milestone, regardless of how small it may seem, makes it a little easier.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://snackcool.com
• Instagram: https://www.coolkidssnackcakes.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560990597429