Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit
Photography by Dan Kuras
Every hike has a great story; perhaps it is the grueling ascent up a rocky peak, or maybe the meditative, cleansing powers of a walk along the ocean. As a hiking docent for a San Luis Obispo environmental non-profit, I’ve spent an appreciable amount of time discovering the contours of the county’s iconic hiking trails. Having traversed endless miles of unique pathways, I came to the natural realization that sustained movement requires fuel and not all hiking food is created equal out on the trail. In the same way a mountain peak emerges between a clearing in the trees, I discovered a satiating snack produced right in my own backyard: WellBean energy bars.
“It’s a sustaining food, not a rush of sugar and calories. You’re getting a sustaining balance of food in your system,” Patty Czach, one of the founders of WellBean, explains.
Packaged in shiny gold material with a label that has a charming homemade quality, these treats aren’t the typical cookie dough-flavored ones found on grocery store shelves. Its guilt-free ingredients are dates, yellow peas, cashews, raisins, unsweetened cacao chips and vanilla bean — that’s it. Simplicity is what makes WellBean perfect for hitting the trails. The ingredients are thoughtfully selected to keep you full longer while preventing the ebbs and flows of a sugar rush.
“If you want sustained energy for hiking or pre-working, I think it’s a great option,” co-creator Caroline Israel says.
Though Patty and Caroline both appreciate the wholesome nature of their bars, these transplants from Texas and Arkansas, respectively, are in all other respects cut from two different cloths. Caroline describes herself as a childless, vegan hippie while Patty is a mother with a more traditional career as an accountant. They share a desire to live a healthy lifestyle, starting with the food they consume. But it wasn’t always that way.
Years ago, before WellBean came to be, Caroline became deeply engrossed in a healthier lifestyle after discovering a book on “high nutrient eating.” Meanwhile, Patty was dealing with the effects of her family genes, which left her predisposed to health problems stemming from a diet high in animal products.
“I was wanting to be more vegan or vegetarian, but struggling with making that full commitment because I am not the only one in the home,” Patty explains. “So when my digestive is- sues started kicking in, Caroline said I need to eat more beans and fiber.”
Knowing her friend’s prowess in the kitchen, Patty persistently nudged Caroline to turn her hobby of baking delicious, healthy, bean-based treats into a business — but it wouldn’t happen right away. Caroline is laid back (so is Patty, though she will plainly deny that characterization), so the thought of starting a business was overwhelming. After all, the leap from hobby to business takes more than a simple taste for baked goods. Ultimately, the duo discovered the secret ingredient to turning Caroline’s baking creations into a business, what they coyly describe as “this.” Are you confused? Don’t be. Caroline and Patty can’t tell us because “this” is their trade secret. But let me tell you: “This” is working.
WellBean can’t be compared to most mainstream protein bars, which often include whey protein, soy protein isolate or other unpronounceable compounds. Natural, easily identifiable ingredients are cold-pressed into WellBean products. When Caroline finally gave in to Patty’s persistence, the two promised to provide customers a bar composed of healthy, delicious, whole food ingredients — no fillers, unnecessary sugars or oils (or as Caroline says in her charming Arkansas accent, “ooowwhhhlll”) to simply enhance flavor or increase shelf life.
Asked to name their favorite product in the WellBean line, Patty and Caroline proclaim in unison, “the chocolate chip cookie dough nuggets!”
In an age when sugar rules, these women admit their naturally sweetened, whole food products may be somewhat of an acquired taste for those unfamiliar with the supermarket’s produce aisle. But when you’re out on the trail, WellBean’s Almond Fudge Brownie bar is sure to power you further than any bar with sugar alcohols could dare.
Since their debut at a 2018 women’s business fair, WellBean has shifted into a predominantly online business that serves customers nationwide. Caroline and Patty are still having fun in the kitchen testing new flavors to rotate into their lineup of one seasonal flavor and nine standard flavors, including sunflower fig, peanut butter crunch and chocolate chip walnut. “I love working with new flavors; it’s so fun,” Caroline says excitedly.
With each new flavor, their promise to use only whole foods holds true. Even more impressive is how, despite the four-month shelf life of their bars, Caroline and Patty still make each batch by hand.
“We want to keep self-producing, so there are some limitations,” says Patty. “We’re still in the grassroots phase, but if we get bigger, we will either need to add another person or add a piece of equipment. We will have to balance that out when we get to that level.”
Some new flavors are in the works but the duo won’t spill the beans on what they are just yet. After all, one of them may just be part of your next great hiking story.
