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Farming landscape
Our Story

Built By Farmers,
for Farmers

Amelia in the field

"We empower small and mid-size farms to transform the world."

— Amelia, Founder

Our Roots

From farm struggle to farm solution

Hi, I'm Amelia! I run a rural farm in zone 4, and I founded Rooted in 2019 after struggling to run our local hub of growers using clunky Excel sheets, disjointed emails, and unscalable technology that wasn't built for farmers.

The idea for Rooted was born out of necessity. Like many farmers, I found myself spending more hours on administrative work than I did in the fields. The tools available were either too expensive, too complex, or simply not designed with the unique challenges of small-scale agriculture in mind.

Rooted was built on the premise that you shouldn't have to be a 1000-acre operation to have access to agricultural technology, and you shouldn't have to be running millions of dollars in volume to be able to afford great software.

We've come a long way since our early days, thanks in large part to our community of members. Today, Rooted reflects the needs and feedback of farms across the country, and we are proud to have built strong partnerships with leaders across the industry to continue building tools to transform your farm business.

Our Journey

From a Farm Tool to a Farm Movement

2019

The Seed is Planted

Rooted Farmers is founded after Amelia struggles to manage her rural farm hub using Excel and email.

The Seed is Planted

2020

Branching Out: Launching Nationwide

Rooted launched nationwide; Retail functionality introduced.

Branching Out: Launching Nationwide

2021

Expanding Functionality

New features introduced including: Seller invoicing, farmer and hub data analytics, off-platform payments (cash, check, Venmo), improved aggregation functionality for hubs, POS checkout.

Expanding Functionality

2022

Pricing Tool & Educational Partnerships

Launched features and collaborations: Shoppable profiles, hub receiving system, Rooted RangeTM Pricing Tool, partnerships with academic institutions to inform prototype for food, launched ‘Collectives 101’ course with The Gardener’s Workshop, hosted first Collective/Hub Educational Workshop.

Pricing Tool & Educational Partnerships

2023

Adding Pro Tools

Additional Pro analytics for growers, order messaging with buyers, harvest list labels, pack lists for sellers.

Adding Pro Tools

2024

Enhanced User Experience

Order Messaging 2.0, improved shopping cart experience, Buyers Analytics, Harvest/Pack Lists 2.0.

Enhanced User Experience

2025

Launching Rooted for Food

Expanded platform capability to support food sellers, multiple pickup addresses for fulfillment, CRM tool, order discounting, featured listings.

Launching Rooted for Food
Our Values

What Guides Everything We Do

Farmers First

Everything we build starts with the real needs of farms. We listen before we build, and test with real farmers.

Sustainable Growth

We believe in helping farms grow at a sustainable pace, both environmentally and economically.

Community-Minded

We're building more than software – we're fostering a community of growers who support each other.

Innovative Solutions

We're constantly evolving our platform based on feedback and new challenges facing local agriculture.

Accessibility

Great agricultural technology shouldn't be exclusively for giant operations – we make it accessible for farms of all sizes.

Environmental Stewardship

We support practices that protect and regenerate our soil, water, and ecosystems for generations to come.

Our Partners

We Value Our Partnerships

We don't do this work alone. We've built relationships with key partners over the years, and they inform and support how we grow. Our work with our partners helps guide the continued development of our platform to ensure we're developing solutions that meet your evolving needs!

Featured On

Listen to our story on The Flower Podcast

Hear Amelia share the full origin story, challenges faced along the way, and her vision for supporting local agriculture through technology.

Listen to the episode
Flower Podcast featuring Amelia
Our Impact

Growing Farms, Growing Communities

64%

Sellers in rural communities

Supporting small farms, rural economies, and underserved & at-risk communities with access to nutritious food.

90%

Farms using regenerative techniques

Prioritizing sustainability through reduced water use, a smaller carbon footprint, and regenerative agriculture.

92%

Growth in sales using Rooted

Our revenue model aligns with the success of our farmers. Unlike competitors, Rooted is incentivized to continue building innovative tools.

Meet The Team

The People Behind Rooted

Amelia Ihlo
Amelia Ihlo

Founder, Head Farmer, CEO

Andrea L'Heureux
Andrea L'Heureux

Social Media/Marketing, Backyard Grower

Annika Martell
Annika Martell

Finance & Operations Manager, Farmer

Carla Eberle
Carla Eberle

COO, Farmer in Training

Andy Rightmire
Andy Rightmire

Data Analyst and Grant Specialist, Farmer

Gaby Lee
Gaby Lee

Producer Lead, Farmer, Hub Manager

Kayla Carey
Kayla Carey

Customer Success, Farmer, Hub Manager

Ali Marchionne
Ali Marchionne

Photographer & Videographer

One connection at a time

Explore stories from the growers, hubs and buyers who are building a stronger local agricultural system.