Founder update: Reflecting on the farms that aren't here anymore

Hi PB community,

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve shared some thoughts on grocery shopping with my values in mind (here and here), but it felt like something was missing. Then it hit me: by concentrating on what’s right in front of us, we often overlook what’s not here anymore.

In the past 50 years, the food industry has undergone so many changes from technology, urbanization, globalization, and consolidation – impacting both food prices and the diversity of farms that grow our food.

I’ve seen these changes first-hand throughout my career. My graduate thesis focused on the disappearing medium-sized farms in New England, which don’t benefit from the economies of scale that large farms do and can’t necessarily rely on farmers’ markets like small farms can. Ironically, it’s often the medium-sized farms that are best positioned to drive change.

My first job after graduation was with the non-profit Red Tomato, where we created markets for these farms through aggregation, branding, storytelling, and offering regional supply programs to retailers. The importance of this work has stayed with me ever since.

I created Primary Beans to create space for the types of farms I want to see thrive over the next 50 years. Our work is especially validated when I hear stories straight from our family of farmers. 

Chris Capaul who grows our Baby Butter remembers the days when California was the butter bean capital of the world (Orange County friends, your place of residence was known as Beanville!). In Chris’s area of Sacramento Valley, only three bean farms remain out of hundreds, and infrastructure and marketing outlets are more limited than ever before. Chris has been able to continue growing beans thanks to healthy rotations and high yields, exports to Japan, and specialty outlets like Primary Beans.

The same story holds true for farms across the country. To survive, these farmers need niche markets, diversification, and differentiation. They must be incredibly resourceful and resilient. To thrive as a farmer like Chris today is nothing short of a miracle, if you ask me!

It’s these alternative approaches to sourcing food and challenging the status quo that can stop and even reverse the shift toward consolidation and homogeneity. If you’re open to making some changes, embracing curiosity and taking action is essential. To get started, consider setting some goals for the rest of the summer. Here’s my current list:

1. Buy ingredients for at least two dinners each week from my local farmers’ market, along with extra produce to use throughout the week.

2. Plan ahead to order pantry staples online, so I can avoid defaulting to run-of-the-mill options during grocery trips.

3. Incorporate one new vegetable or fruit into a family meal each week and make it a point to talk about it.

4. Write down three questions about products during my next grocery visit and research the answers when I get home.

5. Dedicate time on Sundays to prepare snacks (like veggie chips and granola bars) for my toddler that can replace packaged items – and invite him to help, even if it means a mess!

Because what’s the alternative? I personally want a future where the landscape is dotted with thriving small and medium-sized family farms, offering a rich variety of choices. Creating a brand that highlights the hard work of these innovative farmers, provides flavorful, nutritious beans for your pantries, and fosters a community committed to systemic change in our food system is truly an honor.

Thank you for being here,

Lesley