In 2009, Back to the Roots was founded by college students-turned-entrepreneurs Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora upon a beautifully simple concept for urban mushroom farming. Since that time, Back to the Roots has evolved from a single product to a thriving business dedicated to the disruptive proposition of "un-doing food" and reconnecting families to it through the creation of fun, innovative and delicious Organic Cereals and Organic Indoor Gardening Kit products. In 2010, Back to the Roots launched its first product, the Organic Mushroom Farm ($19.99), which grows delicious organic mushrooms from a box of recycled plant-based soil in just 10 days. Their second product, the Water Garden ($59.99), a self-cleaning fish tank that grows fresh herbs and edible plants by condensing the features of large-scale aquaponics into a 3-gallon tank, debuted in 2013 and was funded by a Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly $250,000. Nikhil and Alejandro have been honored with several awards recognizing their efforts in sustainability and entrepreneurship including BusinessWeek's 'Top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25,' Inc.'s '30 Under 30' and Inc. 500, Forbes' '30 Under 30,' CNN's '10 Next Entrepreneur's to Watch,' and more. In addition, Back to the Roots was named a 2013 Martha Stewart Top Ten American Made honoree and were recognized by President Obama as Champions of Change.