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Back to the Roots is founded in 2009 by young entrepreneurs Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora during their last semester at UC Berkeley. They product gourmet mushroom kits that grow in soil composed of 100% recycled coffee grounds.
In this interview, Co-Founder Nikhil Arora shares how their green business idea became a reality, from the early days of collecting used coffee grounds from local Berkeley coffee shops, to their partnerships with Peet’s Coffee and Whole Foods, to the $5 million business it is today.
He also talks about the evolution of their product design, and how their urgent ad in Craigslist turned their mountain sized heaps of coffee ground waste into a valuable sideline business in soil amendments.
As of 2011, the company has:
- Diverted and reused 1 million lbs of coffee grounds from the landfill
- Helped customers grow over 250,000 lbs of their own fresh mushrooms
- Sustained 10 school gardens through our nutritious soil amendment donations
- Created 21 urban, green-collar jobs in the West Oakland community
10% Off Back to the Roots Aquafarms
And Get Free Shipping Until X’mas – Use Discount Code AquaFarms-Entrep
Now what exactly is an AquaFarm, you may ask?
It’s basically a fish tank that grows herb. From a company that grows shrooms.
Here’s how it works. You get a 3 gallon fish tank. The nutrient-rich water from the tank gets pumped up to the plants in the growing tray. Basically fish fertilize the plants, and the plants filter the water for the fish. It’s an awesome symbiotic relationship. You can grow organic herbs like basil and wheatgrass with this closed-loop ecosystem in any kitchen or classroom! Guaranteed to fascinate children, and adults.
Mentioned in this Podcast
The Tropical MBA Podcast
Dynamite Circle
Where to find Nikhil and Alejandro
- Back to The Roots Website
- Facebook Page
- YouTube Channel
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In Gratitude
Eric Smith of Monster Beach Studio for creating our Entrepreneurs for a Change Theme Song
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Join the Movement of Changemaking Entrepreneurs
Lorna Li
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Working with Lorna has been an excellent experience! The level of detail and information that she has is enormous. As a speaker in the Green Business Entrepreneurs Summit I was amazed at the quality and the amount of information that Lorna has about the green economy and the green social media scene.
Lorna hired me as a blogger to assist in a link building campaign for a top national solar company. Lorna manged the remote team with deft efficiency. I was very impressed to see that within 90 days, the client ranked #1 for a highly competitive solar keyword.
Lorna is adept at creating media that tells the story of social entrepreneurs, in a way that not only promotes the business, but inspires other entrepreneurs to follow in their footsteps. Her insightful videos, audio podcasts, and digital products provide detailed, step by step guidance on how to become a profitable, purpose driven business.
