I am so glad to have Hannah Kullberg from Better Bean on my blog today! I first ran in to Hannah when I sampled her amazing beans at a vegetarian festival. And then I learned about the fabulous story behind this family company.
Otherwise known as the Bean Queen, Hannah lives, eats and dreams beans. Her father, Keith Kulberg (pictured above) brought his family fresh bean recipe to the bean market, selling it out of a tub rather than a can. He revolutionized the bean market! I don’t know if you have ever tasted these fabulous beans, but they certainly are leaps ahead of plain ole, canned beans.
As right-hand-(wo)man to her father, Hannah enjoys building all aspects of the Better Bean brand. She graduated from Vassar College, joined the company with her father in 2011 by helping usher the company through non-GMO verification, and advocated on the local food policy council.
Can you tell us a little bit about how Better Bean Company was born.
Truly Better Bean was born out of my father’s inspiration and my adamant support. When he was thinking about the idea of brining his 30-year old recipe to store shelves, he sent us an email once even proposing that Brooke and I just run it as a summer’s farmer’s market company – nothing more. My step mom couldn’t quite understand why her business consultant husband was trading in the suit for a kitchen smock. I was coming from studying food systems and working on an organic CSA farm, so I was super adamant about the idea of starting a food business as I saw it as a way we could impact change on the food system.
Truth be told though, I didn’t think I would be involved in the business long term or in a significant way at first, after college I had my eyes set on food policy. I took a job with an agriculture trade council and the following year was appointed a member of our local Food Policy Council. Once I saw the impact I was able to have via Better Bean’s coercing and formulation choices —- versus the ‘talking in circles’ on the policy council, I realized business could be my avenue to affect change.
That is why Better Bean is a mission driven company. We have a mission around beans specifically (to inspire people to eat more beans – because they are so dang healthy and sustainable to grow!) – but we also hope to impact families – making it easier for them to enjoy a meal together. Our family eats two meals a day together most days – and when my dad and I worked at home together we ate three meals a day together. We also hope to help people eat all natural – chemical free. This was actually a big revelation for me. After working on the farm I was so focused on people eating all local organic. When I got out into stores doing demos I saw what people were eating by what they were buying and I realized wow, people just need to start with eating chemical-free, fresh and more plant-based. There is just so much super processed shelf stable food full of additives plus a whole bunch of meat. This is why we are so sick – not because we are not eating local organic. That and all the sustainability benefits can come next. People need to retrain themselves, re-teach themselves to cook, retrain their pallets for low sodium.
The canned bean market has looked pretty much the same forever. And then you came along with a totally new product. What makes your beans so delicious?
Ah, well so many things!! We really do think about every step from where our beans are grown (and which bean varietals we are buying) to how they are cleaned, soaked, cooked and packaged. The top 2 keys to our flavor are: one, the beans are fresh, basically the same as home cooked beans put in a Tupperware; two, we skillet sauté our beans and make them in small batches with good ingredients. For the Cuban black beans we make a real soffrito, aka we caramelize onions with poblano peppers, coriander, oregano and garlic. For our refried beans, we actually refry them again, caramelizing all the flavors together and adding that umami taste. This process is actually referred to as the malliard reaction which is carbohydrates and proteins breaking down at higher temperatures and turning into hundreds of different flavor nodes. It is what happens to bread when it is toasted – or the magic that happens on the grill!
Are the beans available everywhere yet? How has the company grown? Any intriguing new plans?
They are not quite everywhere – we have some unfortunate pockets like NYC and Beantown (Boston) but we are working hard to get into more and more stores so that more people have access to our beans.
We have grown quickly and steadily at the same time, it has amazed me, but at the same time to have a viable food business you do need to be in as many stores at once so market, etc makes sense and brings the pay back.
Tell us a bit about you and your dad’s personal philosophy on food and nutrition?
I would say we have an evolving understanding of nutrition, just like the nation itself. And we recognize that everyone’s body is different, so they have different foods that are good for them.
Our family has always been naturally minded, my dad and mom never let us have artificial colors in particular. We ate fresh home cooked meals most nights. With the occasional cheat. Neither parent was particularly adamant about healthy eating but made sure we ate our salads and our vegetables.
I was strict vegetarian and then vegan for about 5 years. My sister and I went veg at the same time and at first our dad was not too receptive to the idea. Now years later, he is practically vegan himself converting to hemp milk and eating far less meat. He tells us all how much better he feels and how much weight he has lost with the changes.
I have come to realize that dairy, gluten and soy are not good for my body, but I do know – given my 0 blood type – that my body processes meats well. I still don’t eat them much for ethical and sustainability reasons. I think of myself as on a bean-paleo diet. Basically I eat mainly legumes, vegetables and some whole or ancient grains.
How do beans fit into all of this?
Before Better Bean, beans were a regular part of our diet – but we didn’t obsess over them. After researching beans and health I was just blown away by their nutritional power. Beans are just amazing – the most magical of foods in my mind! The more I read about beans the more & more I want to eat them! (and I already eat a lot of beans, since I have the most convenient and super tasty option at my finger tips – Better Beans). When I was eating a pretty normal diet + plus lots of beans (not doing smoothies every morning as I do now), I had an antioxidant reading done and I came up with a really high reading – this is because beans are super high in antioxidants, red beans having more than blueberries!
My dad loves beans for their deep cultural history. He honors the bean and the people who first cultivated them – and continue to cultivate them to this day. Beans have built civilizations and we believe they can be a part of saving ours.
Can you share your favorite bean product, and how you like to use beans at home?
My current favorite way to eat the beans is in breakfast burritos. I sauté baby kale greens with garlic powder and salt, I heat up the uncanny refried black beans (my fave) next to the greens. I remove both and put them on a plate. I then make scrambled eggs. I heat up a gluten-free flour tortilla and then wrap the three ingredients together!
But truthfully I eat them all the time in nearly everything. I mix the Cuban black beans into marinara sauce for over pasta. I mix them into veggie stir fries, I make soups, I make simple quesadillas for lunch. My 15-month old just eats the bean cold out of the tub. I fueled my recent pregnancy on beans, and West, my son, ended up being born a super healthy 10 pounds and has since grown like a weed! I really think beans were the key to my healthy diet as they contain a good source of protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, calcium plus are super high in antioxidants!
I’d love to share one of your favorite bean recipes using Better Beans with my readers.
Well, we have always eaten my dad’s beans in what we now call the “two minute taco”. When I was growing up we actually and strangely called them burritos. Whatever the name, my sister and I devoured them. I have been known to eat these tacos for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is something SUPER special about them! One of the keys to this recipe is to refry the beans yet again before using them in the taco, but it is not necessary. This is definitely an example of my dad’s cooking – he likes to cook with olive oil! The traditional recipe is with cheddar cheese, but I have been dairy-free myself and have used a few vegan cheeses that are great in these taco, including Follow Your Heart, Chao and Heidi Ho. I also recommend the chipotle beans with avocado.
Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Empty the tub of Better Beans into the hot oil. Refry beans until golden brown.
While the beans are refrying (don’t turn them too much!), prepare the veggie ingredients and grate the cheese.
Remove the beans from the heat. Add new oil to the pan, and heat on medium heat.
Coat each side of the corn tortilla with oil. Fry one side until bubbling, then flip to fry the other side. While the second side is frying, place a line of Better Beans. Sprinkle on grated cheese, green onions, tomatoes, tomatillo and hot sauces.
Fold tortilla, and continue to fry on each side until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese is melted. Serve hot!
