Rancho Gordo and the Value Prop of Beans

There’s a waitlist for beans with 29,000+ names on it.

Beans have seen a surge in popularity recently (#beantok), but one brand continues to stand apart.

Rancho Gordo has seen remarkable success selling its heirloom beans, grains, and specialty spices. With varieties like Royal Corona Bean (sold out), Black Garbanzo Bean, and Tuscan Red Bean (sold out), the brand has elevated the role of the humble bean in dishes and dining.

Steve Sando is the brains behind the beans at Rancho Gordo. He started the company 25 years ago, selling at farmer’s markets in California wine country. Thomas Keller of The French Laundry was a relatively early customer, adding the beans to his Michelin-star menu.

Today, the Rancho Gordo Bean Club, offering quarterly bean shipments plus other bean benefits, has 30,000 members — and 29,000 hoping to get an invite.

The Magical Fruit

Several trends in recent years have positioned beans for the spotlight. COVID and remote work drove a surge in slow-cooked meals at home. Today, rising grocery costs and demand for protein and fiber have driven consumers to incorporate more beans into their diet.  

Yet Rancho Gordo hasn’t embraced those shifts in its marketing and branding efforts as some other brands might.

In a recent PR opportunity with the Wall Street Journal, Sando leaned away from pro-bean trends and kept the focus on a more lasting value prop – great flavor.

Across all of Rancho Gordo’s marketing efforts, that focus on flavor is genuine. Clearly, Sando is a guy who just loves beans.

But that simplicity ties back to a deeper strategy. Here’s Sando in the WSJ:

“People say, ‘Oh, beans are having their moment.’ But moments pass. I don’t want that. I want to incorporate beans into the way we eat.”

Remember, Sando is selling heirloom beans – luxurious legumes that run $6 or $7 a bag. People might be buying more beans for many trending reasons. But if they’re going to buy Rancho Gordo beans, it has to be for flavor.

Sando and Rancho Gordo have relied on authentic, traditional marketing tactics to keep the focus on flavor and the potential of what great beans can be. Most marketing content (including that Wall Street Journal piece), include recipes and cooking tips.

That goes for Rancho Gordo’s newsletter, too, which boasts more than 400,000 subscribers. Sando still writes it himself with an email list that dates back to handwritten names collected at his farmer’s market stand.