Walk down the snack aisle of any grocery store and most bags of chips will tell the same story. Potatoes grown in anonymous fields, harvested for quantity, and processed with little thought for where they came from. The farms behind them rarely get mentioned, and the soil they grew in is treated as little more than a medium for yield.
Roots decided to change that.
On their farm in Idaho, potatoes are not an afterthought. They are grown with the same care as a crop meant for the family table. That means focusing on how the soil is treated, how water is used, and how every decision in the field affects the generations that will farm it next. For Roots, a potato chip isn’t just a snack. It is proof that farming can be done differently.
Growing from the Ground Up
The land tells the first part of the story. Instead of relying on chemical shortcuts, Roots builds the health of its fields with cover crops: plants that return nutrients to the soil and protect it between harvests. Clover and other legumes replenish nitrogen naturally. Pollinator habitats line the fields, drawing bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects back into the landscape. And the tractors stay out of the ground as much as possible, because no-till farming keeps the soil structure intact, allowing it to hold carbon, retain moisture, and sustain the living ecosystem beneath the surface.
These choices are slower and harder than conventional methods. But they create something lasting: soil that grows stronger over time instead of weaker. When the land is alive, the crops grown on it are fuller, richer, and more flavorful. That difference shows up in every bag of Roots Chips.
Becoming the First of Its Kind
Roots is not just another chip company claiming to be “better for you.” They became the first snack brand to earn regenerative certification, a standard that recognizes farming practices proven to restore land rather than exhaust it. It is not an easy label to achieve, and it is not just for show. Every certified acre represents a promise kept: healthier soil, more biodiversity, and a farm system that puts renewal at the center of its work.
A Chip with a Purpose
The result of all this effort is still, at its core, a potato chip. Crisp. Salted. Familiar. But when you bite into one, you are tasting a farm that chose to care for its soil rather than strip it. You are tasting a field that welcomed back pollinators and held its water more wisely. You are tasting the difference of a farm that grows for the future, not just for the present.
That difference is subtle, but it matters.
A chip can still be fun food, a handful passed around a table or pulled out of a bag on a road trip. What Roots has done is make sure that moment of enjoyment also carries meaning. Every bag supports a system of farming that works with nature instead of against it.
The Story in the Soil
In the larger story of agriculture, snacks might seem like a small detail. But Roots proves that even the simplest foods can carry big ideas. They show that you don’t need to choose between delicious and responsible, between convenience and sustainability. With every crop of potatoes they pull from the ground, and every bag of chips they put on shelves, Roots demonstrates what it looks like to honor the soil and still create food that people love.
Because at the end of the day, a chip is never just a chip. It is the story of the farm behind it. And with Roots, that story is worth telling.
