Category:
Innovation in Packaging Design or Function
Uncanny Refried Black Beans

About The Sofi™ Awards
The sofi™ Award Winners and Finalists represent the best of the best in specialty food and beverages. “sofi” stands for specialty outstanding food innovation. This year’s finalists were selected from 1,885 entries from members of the Specialty Food Association. A national panel of specialty food experts selected 109 finalists across 30 awards categories.

Site: http://www.specialtyfood.com/sofi/finalists/2013/

Sherbrooke Capital 5th Annual Entrepeurship Awards 3-09-2-13

Sherbrooke Capital, a leading investor in companies that promote healthy, active and sustainable lifestyles, hosted its 5th Annual Entrepreneurship Awards in Anaheim, California during the weekend of Natural Products ExpoWest, the world’s largest natural products trade show that drew nearly 63,000 attendees and more than 2,500 exhibitors. Awards were given to emerging companies demonstrating superior innovation.

In the early stage category, the award was given to The Better Bean Company (www.betterbeanco.com), a Portland, Oregon based natural products company that sells premium refrigerated beans in a ready-to-eat format. The company has set out to revolutionize the bean category with its products that are made with high quality, all natural, vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO verified ingredients and are freshly prepared with flavor and texture that rival the best restaurant or home cooked recipes. The Better Bean Company currently offers Rethought Red Beans, Uncanny Refried Black Beans, Wholly Chipotle Bean Dip, Cuban Black Beans and Three Sisters Chili. All products are sold in unique BPA-free plastic, “one-seal” containers which utilize significantly less resources to produce and result in a 30% reduction in carbon footprint.

Sherbrooke Capital 5th Annual Entrepeurship Awards 3-09-213 http://sherbrookecapital.com/#/home/

Non GMO Project Verified

*PORTLAND, Ore. — January 14, 2013 – The Better Bean Company and its five varieties of “rethought” refrigerated beans will now add Non-GMO Project Verification to their label. The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only third-party verification for non-GMO food and products. This endorsement represents The Better Bean Company’s ongoing commitment to use all natural ingredients sourced from regional farmers. Co-owners Keith and Hannah Kullberg created a new category of premium beans that are found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. The beans feature organic and Food Alliance-certified beans slow cooked by hand (not just boiled), sautéed in Oregon-grown, cold-pressed high-oleic safflower oil and packaged to seal in the fresh flavors. All the ingredients are natural, gluten-free, soy-free and vegan. “We have rethought the idea that ready-to-eat beans need to come from a can,” says Keith.

“We have been working with the Non-GMO Project for the past year to pursue verification and labeling for all our products,” says Keith. “We knew from the beginning that we wanted our products to be verified by the Non-GMO Project. Consumers trust this third-party verification seal and it supports our commitment to all-natural non-GMO ingredient sourcing.” GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA for bacteria, viruses and other animals and plants. These experimental combinations of genes cross the natural species barrier and have not been proven safe. All Better Bean products will display the Non-GMO Project seal by March 2013.

Sustainable “One-Seal” Technology
The Better Bean Company’s unique packaging is eco-friendly, and the containers are fully recyclable (#5 plastic), BPA-free and microwave-safe. The eye-catching colors and graphics ensure the beans pop off the grocery shelf. “People are not used to buying beans in the refrigerated aisle next to the hummus,” says Keith. “We have rethought the idea that beans need to come from a can.” Most importantly, the company chose the new “one-seal” technology for its sustainable properties. Widely used throughout Europe, this system integrates the typical extra layer of plastic into the lid and represents a 30% reduction in carbon footprint. The lid is firmly sealed into place with heat and pressure, creating a food-safety barrier that peels off easily.

About Better Bean Company
Better Bean offers the first-of-its-kind refrigerated beans sustainably produced and packaged and ready to eat or heat for a quick dinner or snack. Flavors include Rethought Red Beans, Uncanny Refried Black Beans, Cuban Black Beans, Wholly Chipotle Bean Dip and Three Sisters Chili. The Better Bean product line was named a top pick among new vegan products at Natural Products Expo West in 2012. Find Better Beans at select grocers including Whole Foods Market, New Seasons, Wegman’s and more. Each flavor is available in a 14-ounce re-sealable deli tub and retails for $3.79-$3.99 MSRP. For more information, recipes and a store locator, visit www.betterbeanco.com. Follow us on Twitter @BetterBeanCo and Facebook.com/betterbean.

About the Non-GMO Project
The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers and providing verified non-GMO choices. Learn more about the Non-GMO Project at www.nongmoproject.org. To get the latest non-GMO news and updates, follow the Non-GMO Project on Facebook at facebook.com/nongmoproject and on Twitter at twitter.com/nongmoproject.

*Non GMO Project “THE BETTER BEAN COMPANY EARNS NON-GMO PROJECT VERIFICATION FOR ITS ALL-NATURAL REFRIGERATED BEANS” Source Link.

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Editor’s Note: Better Bean Company will sample products at the San Francisco Green Festival – November 10-11, 2012 at BOOTH # 457. Stop by and taste our “rethought” beans!

Portland, OR (November 5, 2012) — When Better Bean founder Keith Kullberg turned his delicious thirty-year-old family recipe for refried beans into a business, he kept it all in the family, working with his daughter, Hannah, to make their family favorites available for all to enjoy. This new category of premium beans features organic and Food Alliance-certified beans slow-cooked by hand (not just boiled), sautéed in Oregon-grown, cold-pressed safflower oil and packaged to seal in the fresh flavors. “We have rethought the idea that beans need to come from a can,” says Kullberg.

Beans are Nature’s Power Food
“Beans are one of nature’s ultimate power foods,” says Kullberg. “They’re high in protein, antioxidants, fiber, minerals and folate.” Available in five distinctive flavors with ingredients ranging from tomatillos to organic red beans and fresh jalapenos, Better Beans are also gluten free, GMO-free and vegan. “There are no preservatives or additives in our beans,” says Kulberg, who sources his ingredients throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Flavors include:

• Rethought Red Beans sautéed with onion and tomatillo
• Uncanny Refried Black Beans sautéed with serrano and habanero
• Cuban Black Beans with sautéed onion and poblano pepper
• Three Sisters Chili with beans, corn, squash and ancho
• Wholly Chipotle Bean Dip (a chipotle lime bean spread)

Freshly Packed. Ready to Eat
Better Bean Company’s unique production process slow cooks the beans before packaging them to seal in their fresh, flavorful quality. “Our beans are just as healthy and delicious as homemade beans without all the preparation time,” says Kullberg. “We make it easy for consumers to eat the beans right from the package or use in a favorite bean recipe.” The fresh-packed beans are perfect for a quick snack and can be incorporated into meals. Each flavor is available in a 14-ounce resealable deli tub and retails for $3.79-$3.99 MSRP.

Re-Thought Packaging: Sustainable “One-Seal” Technology
The Better Bean Company’s unique packaging is eco-friendly, and the containers are fully recyclable (#5 plastic), BPA-free and microwave safe.  The eye-catching colors and graphics ensure the beans pop off the grocery shelf. “People are not used to buying beans in the refrigerated aisle next to the hummus,” says Kullberg. “We needed a package to make people pick up the product.” Most importantly, the company chose the new “one-seal” technology for its sustainable properties. Widely used in Europe, this system integrates the typical extra layer of plastic into the lid and represents a 30% reduction in carbon footprint. The lid is firmly sealed into place with heat and pressure, creating a food-safety barrier that peels off easily.

About Better Bean Company
Better Bean offers products for retail and food service outlets. The first-of-its-kind refrigerated beans are freshly packed and ready to eat and are available in 14-ounce packages in five varieties: Rethought Red Beans, Uncanny Refried Black Beans, Cuban Black Beans, Wholly Chipotle Bean Dip and Three Sisters Chili. Better Bean Company’s products are sold at select grocers throughout the United States. The Better Bean product line was named a top pick among new vegan products at Natural Products Expo West in 2012. For more information, recipes and a store locator, visit www.betterbeanco.com. Follow us on Twitter @BetterBeanCo and Facebook.

Media Contact | Lisa Hill PR | Lisa@lisahillpr.com | c: 503-730-8055 | o: 503-327-8328

*Photo/Story by Rika – http://veganmiam.com Aug. 10, 2012...

Photo by Packaging Digest, July 2012. http://www.packagingdigest.com/

The Better Bean Company, Portland, OR, positions its products as “all-natural, vegan, cholesterol-reducing, cancer-fighting, gluten-free, soy-free super foods.” Better Bean founder Keith Kullberg felt confident that his company had perfected the recipes for the bean line. The challenge then became to get consumers to notice the product. So Better Bean opted to revisit the round injection-molded monolayer polypropylene tub—which pretty much looked like everybody else’s tub—and redesign the packaging.

“With the old packaging no one noticed our product on the shelf. We even had difficulty finding it ourselves,” says Kullberg. So the primary objective of the package revamping project was to present a distinctive, high-shelf-impact container to showcase the premium-quality, locally grown line of deli-style beans, freshly packed for marketing in a refrigerated state. Read more…

*Rice, Judy. “Revamped packaging boosts beans’ marketing profile.” Packaging World, June 1, 2012. http://www.packworld.com/package-feature/convenience/revamped-packaging-boosts-beans-marketing-profile