Producer

Know Your Roots Pickles (Formerly Healthy by Design) was established in 2016 by Lesley Mortimer, an enthusiastic gardener and hobby chef. It began as a way to preserve surplus vegetables from our Urban Farm in Arvada, Colorado, which we sold at small farmers' markets. We started fermenting the leftover produce and selling the fermented creations at the market. After Colorado expanded its Cottage Food Laws to include pickled vegetables with a pH of 4.6 or less, we began selling pickled vegetables and experienced a significant increase in demand. By 2017, we were selling more pickled vegetables than fresh ones. In 2018, due to health concerns, we moved to a smaller home with a small garden in Broomfield. We decided to focus on supporting local farms, starting a wholesale business, and continuing to sell our products at farmers' markets.

We use local organic produce, high-quality vinegar, Himalayan Sea Salt, and in a select few of our products we use local sweeteners such as Colorado Honey. Since 2018, our business has grown steadily, we have won 2 Good Food Awards for our Kimchi Pickles (2023) and Honey Lemon Rosemary Golden Beets (2024). Know Your Roots Pickles also received the Slow Food "Snail of Approval" from both the Boulder County and Denver Chapters. You can find our pickled products at the Boulder and Longmont Farmers' markets and in several small independent grocery stores and shops in Colorado and Nationwide.