Back To The Roots Launches First U.S. Grown, 100% Stoneground Breakfast Cereal

Three-Ingredient, Innovatively Packaged Organic Stoneground Flakes Poised to Disrupt Traditional Cereal Category

News provided by

Mar 17, 2015, 02:20 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., March 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Back to the Roots today announces the launch of Organic Stoneground Flakes ($4.99/11 oz.), the first U.S. grown, 100% stoneground cereal on the market that is made from only three simple ingredients, but still packs a powerful nutritional punch. Made from organic, non-GMO 100% stoneground whole wheat from California, sea salt from the San Francisco Bay and a touch of organic cane sugar from Florida, the Stoneground Flakes are low in sugar (5g) and high in protein (6g), fiber (5g) and whole grains (40g). Also debuting this spring as a part of their 'ready to eat' line are Back to the Roots' Organic Breakfast Toppers ($5.99/8 servings), delicious blends of fruits, nuts and seeds that are the perfect complement to the Stoneground Flakes, and Organic Stoneground Crisps ($1.99/1 oz.), single-serve snacks made from the same trio of wholesome ingredients. All three Back to the Roots products are available at select Whole Foods and Costco locations and nationwide on Amazon Prime and at www.backtotheroots.com.

Back To The Roots Launches First U.S. Grown, 100% Stoneground Breakfast Cereal

"Our guiding mission is to "undo" food, to return it to its simplest, most pure form, states Back to the Roots co-founders Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez. "We believe that food should come from a kitchen, not a lab, and we wanted to provide a wholesome alternative to the options currently lining store shelves. With the Organic Stoneground Flakes we created a simpler, delicious, and more nutritious cereal packaged in innovative, fun and sustainable packaging."

Back to the Roots' Stoneground Flakes provide a better-for-you, better tasting choice for the breakfast table. While industry standards require that whole wheat products need only contain 51% "whole wheat flour," Back to the Roots' Stoneground Flakes are made from 100% stoneground wheat that keeps the entire wheat kernel intact during the milling process, preserving all the nutrients of the grain that nature intended. And because all nutrients have been retained, the Stoneground Flakes are higher in protein and fiber than other cereals on the market without protein or fiber additives, which is the industry norm. The cereal is just as remarkable for what it does not contain: chemicals, preservatives, additives, artificial flavors, sweeteners or coloring. But as good as the Stoneground Flakes sound, they taste even better – toasty with a hint of sweetness and a satisfying texture and crunch.

Underscoring Back to the Roots' commitment to sustainability, the Organic Stoneground Flakes cereal is also the first food product on grocery store shelves to list not only the ingredients of its cereal, but of its packaging as well, detailing the type of paper, lining and ink used. Designed using a vibrant primary color palette with definite kid appeal, the recyclable carton is shaped to resemble a gabled barn and includes fun barnyard imagery. By eliminating the conventional bag-in-box, the cereal is not only easy to open, pour and seal, but also has a ten-month shelf life. The carton also reduces packaging by using 18% less paper and 25% less plastic compared to traditional cereal packaging. To further reinforce the natural simplicity of the product, the Stoneground Flakes carton not only lists the percentages of the ingredients, but actually includes a link to the recipe for the cereal should consumers wish to make the flakes at home.

Back to the Roots also offers a trio of tasty Organic Breakfast Toppers, nutritious combinations of organic seeds, fruits, and nuts that are ideal complements to customize the Stoneground Flakes or to sprinkle onto oatmeal or yogurt. Varieties include Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, and Buckwheat; Dates, Coconut and Chia Seeds; and Blueberries, Almonds and Buckwheat. Like the Organic Stoneground Flakes, the Organic Breakfast Toppers are housed in colorful reusable, recyclable and stackable cylindrical containers.

While delicious when eaten as a breakfast cereal, the Organic Stoneground Flakes are equally irresistible without milk as a convenient, single-serving snack, so Back to the Roots also offers Organic Stoneground Crisps ($1.99), convenient 100 calorie, 1 ounce bags that are perfect for grazing on the go. The Crisps are packaged in eco-friendly, compostable films made from wood fibers.

Back to the Roots Organic Stoneground Flakes (SRP $4.99/11oz), Organic Breakfast Toppers (SRP $5.99/8 servings) and Organic Stoneground Crisps (SRP $1.99/1oz) can be purchased at select Whole Foods and Costco stores and are available nationwide on Amazon Prime and www.backtotheroots.com.

ABOUT BACK TO THE ROOTS

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 "ready to grow" and "ready to eat" 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.