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james
rawsome
food sourcing
aajonus
los angeles
[2010]
[Aajonus]
I got banned. I'm not allowed to go to Rawsome.
James wasn't part owner of the lot; I could say and I did. I wrote him a notice. I said, "You have no authority cuz I'm the one who runs Rawsome clubs and all the other clubs under the right to choose healthy food. If you read the contract, I'm in. You cannot ban me right from the members club. I am the main member". I said, "But it is your lot and you own it, and you can ban me from the lot", but he tried to ban all the members who were involved in helping me get all the evidence. What does that tell you?
[Attendee]
He's guilty.
[Aajonus]
Yeah. So, I told him he cannot ban these people. If he wants to restrict them from going to the property and he can't revoke their membership because he's not in charge of the membership, I am.
So, he has to deliver the food for them to pick up somewhere.
[Attendee]
Really? Wow.
[Aajonus]
So, I told him that. Yeah. We'll see how he honors it, but I sent it to his attorney too. This guy is way out the line, way out the line.
Okay. You have a question?
[Attendee]
US wellness meats?
[Aajonus]
Great. John's very good. Took me two years to get him to go to good quality and not freeze it.
[Attendee]
So, you still buy the cheese and everything else from Rawsome?
[Aajonus]
I get everything from Rawsome but the chicken and the eggs.
Well, I went there last Wednesday and just freaked everybody out. I walked in, James shot out, just walked out. So, then I got, you know, the letter from his attorney.
[Attendee #2]
Acted really strange the other day when he delivered to use. Just as quiet as as can be, he's not normally like that.
[Aajonus]
Well, he doesn't want anybody attacking him about that. He was expecting people to talk about the issue.
[Attendee #2]
It was really funny.
[Aajonus]
He was apprehensive what he was gonna tell people.
[Attendee #3]
Can anybody start another club?
[Aajonus]
We already have one already almost. They bought the refrigerators, we're just trying to line up the farmers to ship stuff, and that one should be opened in two weeks, and then that will be in Tujunga. And then there's another one that should open up in Echo Park within a month and a half.
[Attendee #3]
What's the name?
[Aajonus]
Ra Healthy Foods. RA, like the sun God Ra. Ra Healthy Foods.
There there'll be a website. Should be up in a week.
[Attendee #3]
How far is Tujunga?
[Aajonus]
Tujunga is in the valley.
[Attendee #3]
That's worse for us then.
[Aajonus]
Well, that's on the other side of Los Angeles.
Echo Parks closer, just left of downtown. So, there'll be two that open up nd I really don't know that building and safety, I don't think they're going to give James a permit for any of those buildings on there cause he didn't do it ahead of time.
[Attendee #3]
He'll get closed down?
[Aajonus]
He'll get closed down, so he's gotta move it somewhere else and that's what I told him. And the attorney told him it first, a land developer. Move it, get it into Santa Monica where we're not gonna be hassled.
They get it from Rawsome, once every two weeks, is it?
[Attendee #3]
Yeah, but once they close.
[Aajonus]
What you do is order what you need and come on the same truck, then somebody has to go up to get it.
[Attendee]
Yeah, but I'm saying bypass that couldn't we have somewhere San Diego?
[Aajonus]
I know what I'm saying is the same truck.
[Attendee]
Just stop off here?
[Aajonus]
No, not stop up here.
You'll have to go to LA; he won't come here. Even for Rawsome, they have to go downtown and pick up all that food. It doesn't get delivered to Rossum and Venice, they have to go downtown and at a certain distribution warehouse to unpack it, to unload it, and put it on their trucks, and then take it from downtown to here.
You'd have to do the same thing with a van or something.
You'll have to work it out through the through whoever's working it there. But John Reid will be running that one, and you just send him your order or fax it or whatever, and he won't have to do much work. He'll just have to meet them when it comes in. That way you won't have the higher markup. Meet them up in Los Angeles downtown.
You're gonna have to transfer onto a truck to bring it down here, and that's gonna cost you a bloody fortune. You're talking about food that has to stay refrigerated, has to be handled a certain way.
[Attendee]
There's not enough demand, the demand is so small.
[Attendee #?]
Yeah. We only order maybe a $1000+
[Attendee]
Yeah. We're lucky if we get $1200.
[Aajonus]
I spend $300, $350 a week just for my own food.
[Attendee]
Joe's half of that order. He orders, $400, $500, $600.
[Attendee #?]
I know, but that's how things get started. Rawsome didn't start out that way.
[Aajonus]
I mean, start off in a garage, just selling the raw milk.
[Attendee #?]
Exactly.
More people know about it.
