Unbox Inbox is a weekly newsletter packed with packaging inspiration and observations
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A Bean Deep Dive
Another week, another rabbit hole, and this one is all about beans. The “magical fruit,” the pantry staple, the humble ingredient that is a fixture of every culture. I’ve been waiting for someone to make a request for a newsletter subject, and last week Stefania Culafic requested beans so here we are! But also, beans have been on the brain because I can’t stop ordering frijoles borrachos from a taco place near me. I’ve been meaning to recreate them at home, but I irrationally (or rationally) refuse to until I procure some beans of the Rancho Gordo variety. If you exist in the same food enthusiast bubble as me, you know they’re the best. When I lived in Chicago I gifted myself 20 pounds of them, and before I worked my way through them all I moved to Brooklyn. You better believe I shipped those babies cross-country and made room for them in my microscopic Brooklyn studio. As you might expect, the bean category is a broad one (*unintentional bean joke*). There are canned beans, dried beans, baked beans, refried beans, and recently, a lot pickled or marinated beans sold in pouches. I included all of them in this issue–all of the ones that I liked or appreciated the packaging design of that is. If I missed anything, you know I want to hear.
PS, welcome to all of the new subscribers this week–I’m so happy you’re here (thank you Substack for including me in Substack Reads last week!). I’ve had the best time perusing the comments from The Mustard Issue–you all share the same enthusiasm I do for this subject matter and it’s such a joy to nerd out on it together. I hope you enjoy this bean issue!
1. Beans for the person who decided to make chili in the middle of nowhere and knows Walmart has their back
Here’s the thing. Sorting these beans by the style of design or form factor was really challenging. As you might expect, there’s not a ton of creative innovation happening in the bean space (there is some, and we’ll get there). So this is the “you can find them almost anywhere” bean category. Some of the designs cue Mexican cooking, some Italian cooking, and some British cooking (putting on toast). I mainly included Bush’s because I cracked up that the can says “Chick Peas,” and I love when Heinz spells beans with a “z.” The type on the Annalisa can is perfect, and same for the entire vibe of Ranch Style Beans. The Camellia bag hits that sweet spot of looking old but feeling fresh, and the dutch oven illustration with a window on the Casserole bag makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Also, I enjoyed every moment of arranging these bean cans in rainbow order, if you were wondering.
2. Beans for the person who grew up on recipes from The Moosewood Cookbook
If the above reference means nothing to you, your parents probably let you eat fruit roll ups and lunchables as a kid. These are the beans you find at your favorite overpriced crunchy co-op or neighborhood shoppy shop. They look “healthier” than the beans above, but they’re still just beans. Some are organic, and some want you to think they are. Some are in cans, and some make me see why most beans are not packaged in glass jars. I appreciate Jack’s Quality’s use of an eco-friendly carton and colorful design–I became aware of them because they popped out at me on shelf. And of course Rancho Gordo is here, who keeps things simple and timeless. When your product is great, does design really matter?
3. Beans for the person who has never cared for beans but is trying to because everyone keeps talking about how great they are
It feels like all new CPG brands and products these days are born out of one of the following: a restaurant capitalizing on its brand awareness (Carbone pasta sauce, Momofuku noodles), someone taking something unhealthy and making it “better for you” (Oolipop soft drinks, Chubby Snacks PB&Js), or seeing a tired category with minimal innovation and filling in the white space (Graza olive oil, Fishwife tinned fish). The below brands fall into the last category, and many of them are solving something for the consumer. Don’t have time to soak your beans and slow cook a batch? Grab a pouch of already-seasoned beans that can be ready in 60 seconds. Or better yet, an incredibly well-designed can from Heyday Canning Co. It feels like there’s a movement to make beans less humble (my way of avoiding saying make beans sexy), and it’s working. I bought a can of Heyday because I liked how it looked. It sat in my pantry for five months before I finally opened it and realized the product was great too. Multiple brands are focusing on pickled lupini beans as a snack, and I’m still trying to figure out why. My theory is someone went on a trip to Italy and thought they might be able to market the traditional food to Americans with some good branding and packaging. If you know something I don’t, please spill.
Chatterbox
I thought it might be fun to take a stab at these questions myself this week. Whenever I find myself in line at the checkout counter, I can’t help but try to understand the person in front of me based on what they’ve laid out on the conveyor belt. What recipe are they buying the ingredients for? Do they live alone, or are they shopping for their family? Do they always buy that brand of ice cream, or is this their first time trying it? What someone consumes says so much about who they are, and in many ways, who they want to be. So let this be my way of letting you get to know me, without having to write an awkward bio about myself (the worst).
What are 3-5 items that are always stocked in your home?
Why are you loyal to those brands or products?
I don’t know if one can be addicted to cacao, but if you can, I am. Caffeine doesn’t agree with me anymore, so I’ve replaced my beloved coffee ritual with drinking what I jokingly call a potion every morning. I’ve tried every brand under the sun, and this one is simply the best. It’s a comically large brick of 100% cacao that I chop with a chef’s knife and mix with almond milk–it’s effectively hot chocolate. I also love them because they’re local to me in the Hudson Valley.
No brand of sauerkraut compares to Hawthorne Valley. Every time I recycle one of their empty jars, I wonder how many I’ve gone through in this lifetime. When I briefly moved away from NY a couple years ago, it was one of the things I missed most (being deadly serious). I buy their turmeric SKU the most, but all of them are good. I drink the leftover juice from the jar and sometimes mix it with seltzer, which my friends tell me is very serial killer-y.
I got the lip balm as a free sample during a Black Friday promo last year, and it has eclipsed my love for my old favorite lip balm, Kosas LipFuel. I’m convinced a lot of lip balms actually make your lips drier, but this one makes them so soft and moisturized without feeling gloopy or sticky.
Fluoride toothpaste gives me rashes on my face (perioral dermatitis to be specific), and this is the best fluoride-free, “natural” toothpaste that leaves my mouth feeling like I actually brushed my teeth. I can’t say the same for most every other non-Big Toothpaste brand I’ve tried.
A few years ago I worked with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner to figure out some health things, and she got me hooked on Trace Minerals. Health benefits aside, I like the way they make water taste. Call me crazy, but they make it a little milky, in a good way (and I think drinking milk is gross so that says a lot).
What was the last thing you bought because it stood out to you on the shelf?
I stopped in Stella’s Fine Market last weekend looking for Calabrian chili paste, and instead walked out with my first Seed + Mill squeeze bottle (spicy because it was all they had). I talk about squeeze bottles for condiments frequently in this letter, and this is a very well designed one, with a superb product in it to boot. I also impulse bought a box of Hazelnut Praline Date Better, even though I could easily make them myself for a fraction of the price. But mine wouldn’t come in that beautiful box, which is currently sitting unopened on my desk.
What was the last thing you bought because someone you know recommended it?
To answer this question in an extremely mundane way, a Casper king mattress from Costco. My partner and I recently concluded that as two humans over 6 feet, a queen wasn’t going to cut it anymore (especially with a forcefully snuggly pug thrown into the mix). My group chat of high school friends had the most recs for Casper, and because researching mattresses is comically overwhelming these days, I was glad to have a well-vetted personal rec.
What was the last thing you bought because of an algorithm?
A few weeks ago I had the itch to go to Copenhagen, and settled for the results of my YouTube search “Copenhagen travel guide.” It sent me down the rabbit hole of watching a college student’s study abroad vlogs (don’t judge me, they’re very well done), and one of her videos was sponsored by CASETiFY. I got this laptop case because I recently bought a new MacBook and I’m one of those people who leaves all the plastic films on for as long as possible. I think this is a more socially acceptable way of scratching that itch.
Favorite place to shop irl?
I really don’t enjoy shopping irl much, unless it’s groceries in which case see you in a few hours. Since moving to the Hudson Valley I’ve really missed the city/suburban comforts of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, but I’ve been enjoying the process of vetting new grocery stores. Adam’s has been at the top for a while (their hot soup bar is unrivaled), and I recently discovered Market 32 which is a perfect middle-of-the-road grocery store (some might call it a fancy Price Chopper). There’s also a place called Zakka Joy not too far from me that is my Hello Kitty-obsessed 7th grade self’s dream come true.
Favorite place to shop online?
I used to compulsively check The RealReal app and buy all of my clothes there, and sometimes I still buy the odd thing. These days I don’t regularly visit many sites for the purpose of shopping. My sister is about to have her first kid, so I got her some insanely cute shit from Mini Rodini. I also recently spent way too long finding a new journal that would motivate me to get back into journaling, and became obsessed with everything High Tide DTLA sells, especially all things Penco.
Someone is visiting where you live for a day, what are 3 musts?
If you’re visiting me in the Hudson Valley we’re going to spend a lot of time in the car. Dinner one night will be at Brushland, which always feels like being a guest at your coolest friend’s dinner party. We will go out of our way to stop at Rossi’s in Poughkeepsie, purveyors of the best sandwiches anywhere (closely followed by Rosie’s and Quinnie’s). One day’s adventures will center around visiting either the Kingston, Beacon, or Hudson farmer’s market. And in an effort to not make everything about eating, we’ll go on a scenic walk at the Ashokan Rail Trail, Chadwick Lake, or Mohonk Preserve. If a good band is playing at one of my favorite small music venues, Colony or Levon Helm, that is a must too. (I now see this question is hard to keep to just 3 things)
For more rants, ramblings and recs, you can follow me here. I’m also a freelance designer and art director, if you want to work together.
Packing Peanuts
(Those loose leftover pieces at the bottom of the box)
Was this iconic Bean® necklace a status symbol at your middle/high school too? A chic bean barrette. Dr. Pepper baked beans or root beer baked beans? These green baby lima beans look like candy. Black Bean Grocery has beautiful design and sells…hair care products. I need to know if Heinz paid for this placement in Maude Apatow’s AD apartment tour: “I do love some baked beans, always have those in the closet.” Closet? Skip to 3:10 if you want to investigate. If you don’t live by Erewhon (or want to spend $20/lb on a salad) you can recreate *that* salad. I inevitably make this every time I return home from a visit to LA. Perfect Shell Beans from one of my favorite cookbooks. “The key is to obsessively watch them as they cook over low heat.” No pressure. Words that instantly compel me to make a recipe: “The chicken fat showered down all over those beans, giving them life. But because there were not enough beans to fill our big roasting pan, they weren't totally submerged in chicken juices or fat. So they got crispy.”
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I need to try Rancho Gordo, pronto!
Another delightful read on a subject dear to my heart due to having, as I mentioned after your Mustard missive, a dad who worked for HJ Heinz Co. If you like your beans with a 'z' you would have loved the Heinz Baked Beans advertising jingle from the 70s which rang, "Don't be mean with the beans mum, beans means Heinz!" which appeared in print form as: 'Beanz Meanz Heinz!'