I don’t know about you but I don’t think I would have believed we’d be starting a dry food company together had someone told me that a year ago.

I know! Or more like 40 years ago! That’s how far back we go. Crazy. And even though you’re in Seattle and I’m in New York, we connected over a desire to do something sustainable and pared back. Beans are not only awesome in their own right, with huge cultural significance and health benefits, but they're also kind of this ideal metaphor for our desire to slow down and live a more conscious life.

Exactly. You can’t get much more elemental than beans. But really, our journey began long before our conversations about beans. It started after reading We Are The Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer, a book you had recommended. That’s when our connection with food changed. And (I think) that’s what planted the seed for Beanstory.

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That book hit me hard! It literally changed the way I live. Foer makes the case that we need to eat less meat (and eggs and dairy) to heal the planet. I was taken with the idea that every day, we vote with our forks. I started eating A LOT more beans after reading that book!

Me too! I’d been feeling panicked about the climate crisis and was trying to reduce my footprint but wasn’t feeling my efforts were really making any difference. I read Foer’s book and distinctly remember knowing my relationship with food had changed forever. That connection of how our food choices have an environmental impact ignited something in me.

So here we are. Ultimately, our intention with Beanstory is to get closer to the source of our food so that we can take small steps to create bigger change. It sounded easy enough, right? Connect with farmers and go from there. 

Ha. Right. Such a simple idea is remarkably complex behind the scenes. There are farms and processors and cleaners and distributors. There are usually so many layers between us and what we eat!

Exactly. We wanted to pare that all back and connect directly with the actual people growing our actual food. More than that, we wanted to make sure that the way our beans were grown wasn’t contributing to this mess that we’re in. So going organic (in practice, beyond label) was non-negotiable for us.

I have to say, connecting with our farming partners has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey. I have such profound admiration for those who grow our food and do so in accordance with nature—unyielding to what’s easiest and with uncompromising respect for the land. I want to uplift their stories (and food) and share them with everyone!

I like the sound of that! And I think that brings us back to the beginning of our story and the book that helped shape our journey. Foer writes about how hard it is to eat consciously and about the power social networks can have on the outcome of our lives. So I like that beanstory is our small part to make conscious eating and living a little easier and to create community between anyone looking for a way to make a difference.

Here’s to that and to beans! They truly are magical!