Amelia Christie-Miller didn’t always like beans. She avoided them outright. For the founder and CEO, now of a bean challenger brand, canned beans were “boring and dull”.
Christie-Miller, a young entrepreneur, is now “obsessed with beans” and Bold Bean Co, her new start-up, is making waves in the canning pulses aisle. Bold Bean Co, by introducing high-end beans into a category that was previously a “race to the bottom”, has introduced a whole new level of quality in bean products.
Bold Bean Co. shakes the traditional bean aisle
Christie-Miller founded Bold Bean Co in 2021. Ed Whelpton joined the team 18 months later. They now sell gourmet pulses across the UK and Ireland.
It has entered the baked bean segment as well, disrupting a long-established aisle, which was dominated by household brands like Heinz and Branston.
Bold Bean Co. has achieved great success in reshaping the traditional bean aisle – at home. Christie-Miller recalls that a few short years ago it was comical to try and shake off the stigma of flatulence. She says that there is a playful element to a brand’s attempt to make beans “cool”, when beans are traditionally regarded as “uncool”.
Christie-Miller didn’t think for a very long time that the bean market was worth disrupting. The founder’s first taste of heirloom butter beans came from a jar during an exchange program in Spain. The reaction of the founder is clear: “Oh, my god, this is something completely different.”
Christie-Miller began to see preserved beans differently. After being exposed to the gourmet version of beans, I no longer saw them as a canned food item.
Beans are not only available in tins anymore. Bold Bean Co. contributed PS4.8 million (EUR6.7m), or PS5.7m, to the growth of jarred bean sales in 2024.
Bold Bean Co’s sales in 2024 grew 259.5% compared with the segment growth of 20.3% year on year. The start-up saw a unit increase of 303.3%, while the overall category increased by 5.9%.
Bold Bean Co: what makes it different?
Bold Bean Co is unique in its packaging. Bold Bean Co sells their beans in glass jars rather than cans. The labels are bold and colourful, reading “Queen Butter Beans” or “Queen Chickpeas”.
Why Queen? Bold Bean Co chooses premium beans, which are hard to find on the shelf. Butter beans from the brand, for instance, are thinner in skin and have a creamier consistency than standard butter beans.
Bold Bean Co sources its varieties from climates that are best-suited for them. Butter beans are purchased from Poland, and chickpeas come from Mexico.
Christie-Miller says that the quality of a product is “fundamentally” dependent on how the raw materials are sourced. The processing is also important. Bold Bean Co takes a different approach. While many bean producers soak the beans in a can, Bold Bean Co discards the liquid. Bold Bean Co. discards the liquid that can be contaminated. The founder suggests that this step will help the consumer digest their beans better. It stops them from getting as much gas which is a major problem when eating beans.
Bold Bean Co.’s revenue is expected to grow by 259.5% between 2024 and 2025. Bold Bean Co (Image)
Christie-Miller suspects that the cooking time for this start-up is longer than any other brand on the market. We soak and cook the beans longer. We pay more for the beans, but they are worth it.
Do consumers care about bean quality?
Overall, bean quality has not been a concern for consumers. Bold Bean’s co-founder claims that the market is “commodified”, causing a race to the bottom. Why would customers care if the butter beans are from a premium variety or a newer harvest when players are focused on matching prices? Christie-Miller has a valid point.
No one ever suggested that they care about the quality of their products in this category.
Beans can they be a part of the trend for high protein?
Bold Bean Co could be a company that is just what the doctor ordered.
Bold Bean Co has the perfect product to satisfy both trends. Bold Bean Co’s founder Amelia Christie Miller says that shoppers see premium beans not only as an alternative to conventional meat but also as a means of enhancing their meals.
Bold Bean Co shoppers are moving away from imitation meat, according to data. Bold Bean Co is also popular among consumers who buy Tofoo Co, a tofu product.
The founder compares today’s bean aisle to that of the 30 year old coffee aisle, where finding single origin coffee used to be like searching for a needle in haystack. The specialty coffee aisle is a great example of a category that has been disrupted.
Bold Bean Co.: a threat to heritage bean brands?
Coffee that is more expensive will still be popular in the coffee aisle. The same goes for ordinary beans. Christie-Miller explains that they’re appealing to different customers. She adds, “We are not targeting the typical bean consumer.” We’re pursuing a different use.
Bold Bean Co.’s bestseller cookbook supports this strategy. Christie-Miller, the author, invites readers to make creamed jalapeno and corn salsa or a black bean and fennel salsa. The average bean-on-toast eater is unlikely to be the person who makes kimchi or black beans quesadillas.
The founder believes that legacy bean brands such as Heinz and Branston are not threatened by this.
Bold Bean Co could, on the other hand cause some concern among the larger brands. Bold Bean Co sells to major retailers Sainsbury’s Waitrose Tesco Morrisons. It also has a large customer base from independents.
Bold Bean Co’s Queen Butter Bean and Queen Chickpea products have the highest sales in Waitrose’s Canned Pulses section. Bold Bean Co is the top seller in Canned Pulses at supermarkets. For every PS3 that’s spent, PS1 goes to Bold Bean Co. Bold Bean Co is the first choice for one third of Sainsbury’s customers who are brand new to Canned Pulses. Half of shoppers return.
Bold Bean Co invites new customers to Canned Pulses. Bold Bean Co (Image)
Bold Bean Co will increase its efforts to reach more kitchens and shelves in the UK and Ireland. The company is also looking at Europe, with plans to expand in the Netherlands. This decision was influenced by the love of beans in this country, especially baked beans.
We’re focused on exporting. “There is still a lot to do in the UK. But we want to be successful.” It’s a well-thought out decision, and it is something we are focusing on.
