Merchant of the Month – Back To The Roots

Back in 2012, we began processing for a merchant that we met at the San Francisco Green Festival. At the time, Oakland-based Back to the Roots founders Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora had discovered a use for discarded coffee grounds by seeding oyster mushrooms in innovative packaging for sale at major retailers, like Whole Foods. Their business was not only a resounding success, but Alex and Nikhil became “poster boys” for the sustainable marketplace, receiving accolades and awards across the country from Forbes Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Martha Stewart, Bloomberg, and many others. The company was even chosen to meet with President Obama for recognition as an influential small business. They have never rested on their laurels, though, having developed a number of creative and sustainable foods – including this year’s introduction of the most yummy and simply made organic cereals, named Stoneground Flakes, as well as three tasty cereal toppers. We featured BTTR a few years ago, but feel compelled to again call attention to their continued innovation and commitment to doing good work in the world. And did we mention that they are also a B Corp? Fantastic!

Please note: while Dharma was a Registered B Corp at the time of this posting, it no longer is.