“If my point of reference for beans was canned red kidneys from a pizzeria salad bar, I would have a hard time getting excited about heirloom beans,” Rancho Gordo founder Steve Sando told FoodNavigator-USA.
The umbrella term “heirloom beans” is a broad sweep defining the diverse flavors and textures it describes, but according to Sando, there was one goal in breeding the many varieties and species that ties them together: “They were bred generations ago to be delicious. The goal was to make them taste as good as they possibly could, not to make them more convenient for canning machine.”
As the American consumer’s taste palette becomes more sophisticated and hyper-connectivity drives up demand for new food experiences, Rancho Gordo’s heirloom bean operation is generating media attention, from The Los Angeles Times to The Wall Street Journal to Bon Appetit.
The products
There are 30 different types of beans listed on Rancho Gordo’s website, each with a unique story. There are the Mayocoba beans, for example, described as “creamy and versatile,” originating from Peru and popular all over in Mexico, especially in the state of Jalisco.
Some beans have even more storied pasts—a thin-skinned cannellini that the company stocks is named after Italian cooking heroine, Marcella Hazan, who encouraged the company to grow it in California out of the Italian Sorana seedstock (the bean’s story was profiled in The New York Times earlier this year).
Though many of the beans are cultivated stateside, Rancho Gordo works with Mexican smallholder farmers who are growing heirloom varieties through an effort called The Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Project. "By consuming these products, we're creating a market that actually encourages people to preserve their local traditions," the company's website said.
Though many of the beans are grown stateside, Rancho Gordo works with smallholder farmers in Mexico who have been growing heirloom varieties through a program called The Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Project. "By consuming these products, we're creating a market that actually encourages people to preserve their local traditions," the company said on its website.
The website moonlights as the company’s online store. The average price of a one pound bag for any type is $5.95, more than double the average price of dried commodity beans found in mainstream stores. They also sell chiles, sauces, powders, and gift sets.
It’s not an entirely online operation—Rancho Gordo’s goods can be found in smaller brick-and mortar specialty shops across the nation, such as Forager’s in New York.
What’s the appeal?
A Mintel report released in May revealed that Americans are developing a taste for “ancient” and “super,” a sign of the mass expedition in search of alternatives to the ingredients that have been widely available so far.
Paired with a trend and increasing awareness for pulses, Rancho Gordo’s offerings hit the right spot. “[Heirloom beans] really are worth saving because modern commodity beans can't compete,” he said. “I understand the need for cheap, easy to grow, high yielding beans but heirloom beans aren't competing with bargain legumes. If anything, they're probably competing with meat.”
How about nutrition content? “I'm not qualified to talk about nutrition (ever!) but the flavor is the key,” he said. “I'm a confirmed omnivore but I prefer my heirloom beans made with just a little olive oil, some garlic and some onions with water. No stock, no bones, no hamhock. Just pure heirloom bean flavor and texture. It's eye opening.”