About Back to the Roots
Back to the Roots is a sustainable urban mushroom farm growing gourmet oyster mushrooms on 100% recycled coffee grounds. Co-founders Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez passed up jobs on Wall Street during their last semester at UC Berkeley to experiment with growing fresh mushrooms from recycled coffee grounds. Every week, Back to the Roots collects thousands of pounds of coffee from area coffee shops, diverting it from the landfill and instead using it to make fresh, local food. To date, Back to the Roots has collected more than 1 million pounds of coffee grounds, helped more than 10,000 kids learn about urban farming and sustainability through the One for One Facebook Campaign, and harvested over 150,000 pounds of fresh food. The company strives to make food personal again by educating consumers about the value of growing their own fresh, natural food.
B Corps embody the type of business that Back to the Roots stands for. Transparency, our customers, and wellbeing are at the core of our mission to make food personal again, and these ideals come before all else. Better business means better for everyone - those in charge, customers, and anyone affected. We have the power to influence change, and we need to use it for good. By joining the B Corps Community, we become a part of a larger network that's on the same mission we are.
The Change We Seek®
Back to the Roots wants to make food personal again, which means teaching the value of homegrown, fresh food. With the mushroom kit, anyone across the country can grow their own mushrooms on their kitchen counter and experience what it means to grow their own food. By using an urban waste stream to produce local, fresh food, the Mushroom Garden inspires people to think about where their food is coming from and what they can do with resources already in front of them!
What makes us a better company?
B Impact Report |
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Certified since:June 2012 |
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| Summary: | Company Score |
Average Score* |
Governance
GovernanceThe Governance section of the Assessment evaluates a company's accountability and transparency. The section focuses on the company's mission, stakeholder engagement, and overall transparency of the company's practices and policies. |
10 | |
Workers
WorkersThe Worker section of the survey assesses the company's relationship with its workforce. This section measures how the company treats its workers through compensation, benefits, training, and ownership opportunities provided to workers. It also focuses on the overall work environment within the company through management/worker communication, job flexibility and corporate culture, and worker health and safety practices. |
22 | |
Community
CommunityThe Community section of the survey assesses a company's impact on its community. The Community section evaluates a company's supplier relations, diversity, and involvement in the local community. The section also measures the company's practices and policies around community service and charitable giving. In addition, this section includes if a company's product or service is designed to solve a social issue, including access to basic services, health, education, economic opportunity, arts, and increasing the flow of capital to purpose-driven enterprises. |
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Environment
EnvironmentThe Environment section of the Assessment evaluates a company's environmental performance through its facilities; materials, resource, and energy use; and emissions. Where applicable, it also considers a company's transportation/distribution channels and environmental impact of its supply chain. This section also measures whether a company's products or services are designed to solve an environmental issue, including products that aid in the provision of renewable energy, conserve resources, reduce waste, promote land/wildlife conservation, prevent toxic/hazardous substance or pollution, or educate, measure, or consult to solve environmental problems. |
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| Overall B Score | 80 | |
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80 out of 200 is eligible for certification *Of all businesses that have completed the B Impact Assessment |
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Company Highlights:
Workers: Offers >30 paid vacation/personal days; Allows flex-time work schedules; Provides formal, thorough, consistent feedback to employees at least annually
Community: Prefers local suppliers; Requires specific environmental criteria from suppliers; Banks with a local independent institution; 100% owned by individuals from underrepresented populations; Offers paid time off for community service
Environment: Has composting as well as office-wide recycling program for paper, plastic, cardboard, glass & metal; Uses >5% renewable energy; Kits are made from 95% biodegradable or recycled materials