About
Central Bean Company
Established in 1983 in Quincy Washington, Central Bean is an innovative family-owned company that has championed sustainable agriculture practices since its inception. For more than 40 years we have been on the cutting edge of agronomic innovation. Some of these, like no-till and minimal-till farming, are prevalent in our fields; others, like our unique Identity Preservation system, are clearly evident in our cleaning and packing operations.
One of the primary points that distinguish us from others is our Identity Preserved system (IP). Each grower's dry beans are stored in small bins and conditioned separately. This allows us to monitor the quality standards of each grower, each field, and even each load delivered for conditioning. This approach is singularly different from the way others handle dry beans. Other facilities store and condition from large tanks that contain beans mixed together from a multitude of growers. Because this system lacks accountability, nothing can be traced back to the source.
By contrast, our identity system allows customers to choose dry beans that match their quality standards criteria. Requirements can specify criteria such as appearance, foreign material, odors, size, consistency of size, splits, checked seed coats, soak time, cook time, and overall product appearance after cooking.
Whether our beans are destined for use in retail consumer packs, processors for the food service channel, or consumption, our products have the same high standards. Beans are conditioned over seven different machines to separate by size, density, and texture to create as consistent, foreign material-free products as possible.
Haricot Farms
Haricot Farms, an offshoot of Central Bean, was created for the Grebb family to explore sustainable growing practices and has successfully introduced several unique, environmentally friendly farming methods to Central Washington. No-till and minimum till farming, for instance provide less invasive forms of planting and harvesting. Because the soil is only minimally tilled, the natural beneficial nutrients and insects are preserved, producing healthier bean crops. With less soil erosion, the earth's precious nutrients stay right where they are needed, growing the best beans in the Pacific Northwest. Haricot Farms and Central Bean collaborate with several local growers to meet the ever-increasing demand for sustainably grown dry beans.
With their Food Alliance certification, The Grebb family farm has served as a model for sustainable farming practices throughout the country.
