U.S. Dry Bean Council Hosts Third Annual BeanCon in Medellín, Colombia

March 3, 2023 — The U.S. Dry Bean Council (USDBC) hosted their global beanstravaganza, BeanCon23, February 15-17, 2023, in Medellín, Colombia. In its third year, first in-person, the conference has seen tremendous growth, and this year brought together more than 200 industry stakeholders from around the world, representing 20+ countries. BeanCon23 is a three-day educational and networking conference focused on bean innovation, trends and the future of the food. 16 industry professionals shared engaging messages related to a variety of dry bean topics, including supply and demand, sustainability, marketing and innovation.

BeanCon is a unique event designed to bring together global luminaries in the world of dry edible beans, united by the goal of increasing global dry bean consumption. To do this, “we must address the myths that hold back consumption growth, show global consumers how to make beans taste incredible and provide fact based scientific information on all the ways beans contribute to our health and longevity. We need to continue to speak about and demonstrate how beans are climate smart, sustainable and help us protect our planet and our future,” noted Rebecca Bratter, Executive Director of USDBC.

Conference sessions included “The Nutrition Revolution: How Bean Advocates Can Enact Change,” “Stirring the Pot: Addressing Myths About Beans” and “See it to Bean-Lieve It:Preview the New Product Innovation Pipeline.” To view the full list of speakers from the conference and their bios, click here.

“BeanCon23 proved to be an exciting conference for the growth of dry beans and the professionals involved in the future of food,” said Bratter. “This is a phenomenal time for us, and we are thrilled to see the progress our industry is making to increase the awareness, sustainability and innovation of dry beans.”

About United States Dry Bean Council

USDBC represents global trade interests of the U.S. dry bean industry, promoting international market development and providing information to consumers, health professionals, buyers, suppliers and the media around the world about the good taste, nutritional value and versatility of beans. USDBC funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Services.