It’s been said that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, and Back to the Roots is proving it by transforming waste into a sustainable food business. Through hard work, their company has grown from a “seed” to a business that is making a mark in the gardening sector.
Back to the Roots founders Nikhil Arora and Alejandro “Alex” Vélez have had big dreams ever since they started their business. The pair met by chance, when a few insightful words from their professor caught their attention.
“We were sitting in this business ethics class a few months before graduation,” Nikhil said. “And we hear a professor bring up this one sentence in this lecture about sustainability, that gourmet mushrooms could potentially grow on recycled coffee grounds. After that class, two crazy kids thought that was kind of cool. [We independently] emailed that professor for more information, and that put us on this incredible journey.”
Fast forward nearly a decade, and Back to the Roots has propelled itself on a large-growth trajectory from a small business to a medium-sized one. But despite their success, the pair still functions as if they are the small startup they were years ago.
We feel like we’re still a small business. Like we’re still just scratching the surface. We say we are on our warmup lap.
Listen to episode five of Amazon’s This is Small Business podcast to hear how Back to the Roots is working with their investors to grow, and how they’re trying to keep a small business mentality while they continue to expand.
Listen and subscribe to This is Small Business anywhere you get your podcasts.
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