Founder update: The price of beans and the future of food
Hi PB community,
Food is having a moment on the national stage. President Trump promises affordability, while RFK Jr. vows to take on chemically intensive agriculture under his MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) agenda. At PB, we value both accessibility and planetary health – but there’s no easy path forward. Transforming agriculture takes a radical rethink, and like everyone else, we’re navigating a tough reality – the very commitments that improve the environment can drive up food costs, making affordability harder to achieve.
This got me thinking about how I decided to price our beans and the range of feedback I’ve received. From the start, my goal was to make our beans as affordable as possible while ensuring fair pay to our incredible farmers and covering costs like packaging and shipping. Despite thin margins, I believed we’d become more efficient as we grew (we did, thanks to all your support!). But as our audience expanded, so did the reactions. $9 per lb for dried beans?! You’ve got to be kidding me.
I get it. Beans have long been considered a budget staple, and for some, our model feels unfamiliar. As our community well knows, producing small batches with care costs more – especially when sourcing in a way that challenges the status quo. And when farmers take on additional practices – like improving soil health, reducing inputs, or prioritizing biodiversity – it requires more time, resources, and investment, which inevitably impacts cost.
At times, I’ve told myself, this isn’t my audience. But the comments still sting, because at the core, I want everyone to have access to our beans. The truth is, food pricing is shaped by a web of factors.
Americans spend less of their income on food than any other country, yet affordability is still a struggle. The real issue isn’t just food prices – it’s the full picture: housing, healthcare, childcare. And on the production side of things, farmers are making decisions within their own complex web of factors – balancing long-standing practices, profitability, market conditions, environmental realities, and access to funding and resources.
In the past, I’ve discussed how our current system relies so heavily on shoppers “voting with their forks” and retailer-driven certifications to push for better practices. But these alone can’t offset the costs for farmers going beyond their baseline efforts and making investments in environmental improvements. Bridging this gap requires a more nuanced approach – one that considers both top-down policies and cultural shifts.
Running PB has taught me that there’s no perfect balance – only ongoing recalibration. But what I do know is that food grown with care should be within reach.
As a brand, we’ll keep telling the full story, staying transparent, and navigating these challenges alongside you. And as for the bigger picture, I’ll be watching closely as policies take shape, advocating for solutions that truly recognize how layered and interconnected this all is.
Thanks for being here,
Lesley
