Back To The Roots

This rapidly growing startup is changing the way people view their relationship with food.

- Neil Zevnik

It all started with a random factoid in a business ethics class at the University of California, Berkeley: Mushrooms can be grown in coffee grounds. Then came buckets of coffee grounds with mushrooms sprouting wildly, cluttering up a frat house kitchen during Spring Break. Soon thereafter those mushrooms were on the menu at Alice Waters’ legendary restaurant Chez Panisse.

Fast-forward to today, and the result is Back To The Roots, a wildly successful start-up that aims to change the way the next generation views and experiences its relationship to everyday foods. Founded by two eager and dedicated Berkeley grads, this company is introducing families to the sources of their food and providing a template for healthier eating, especially in under served and low-income communities.