As a Colorado resident you have probably heard of The Women’s Bean Project, and maybe even seen the long slender bags of bean soup mixes at local grocery stores like King Soopers or Safeway and specialty shops like Tony’s Meat Market or the Peppercorn. You may have even purchased a package or two assuming some of the proceeds would “go to a good cause.”  And you probably assume from the name that they help women in some way. The truth is they are MUCH more than just soup. The Women’s Bean Project is a local non-profit that has changed the lives of hundreds of women and is introducing new products with rapid fire.
What’s Behind the Soup – A Social Enterprise
Jossy Eyre founded the Women’s Bean Project in 1989 as a result of her volunteer work at a day shelter for homeless women. Eyre saw that while the shelter kept women safe, it could not help them make lasting changes in their lives. What they needed was a way to break the cycle of unemployment, poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, abusive relationships, teenage pregnancy, lack of self-esteem and a myriad of other patterns that plagues their lives. So, Eyre bought $500 worth of beans and put two homeless women to work. Income from the sales allowed her to pay the women a steady wage as they worked in a safe, accepting environment and developed the skills and abilities needed to get and keep a job. Over the years the efforts have snowballed – the more products they sell, the more women they can employ, the more products they can make, the more then can sell and so forth. Twenty-two years later they have a more than $2 million operating budget and a formulaic 8-month program that teaches basic job readiness and life skills to 60-70 women a year through work in their on-site business.
To learn more about the Women Bean Project program CLICK HERE.
Success Stories from the Bean
The proof is in the pudding, or shall we say the soup, with 78% of graduates securing jobs, 66% keeping employment at 6 month check-in, 80% showed improved self-esteem and interpersonal skills, and displayed increased ability to set goals and manage finances. 80% also eliminated employment barriers like housing and transportation. With the Women’s Bean Project as a stepping stone toward success, the women will be able to support themselves and their families, and create stronger role models for future generations.
CLICK HERE for  just a couple of their tremendous success stories.


Soup Was Just the Beginning
The Women’s Bean Project began with a simple bean soup but has evolved into a gourmet and specialty food producer with products ranging from organic soup mixes to cookie/bread mixes to spices/rubs and salsas. These fine products are in 450 retailers across the country. Click here to find a dealer near you
And, in Fall 2009 they successfully launched a line of handmade jewelry. Working in conjunction with female jewelry designers, the Program Participants learn the basic skills of jewelry-making to create beautiful, limited edition pieces. This new line of business gives Women’s Bean Project the opportunity to change more lives by employing more women and teaching them the job readiness and life skills need to move toward self-sufficiency. Check out the Fall 2011 jewelry collection.
They have also recently gotten on the gluten-free bandwagon with the release of their delicious Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix. You will NOT miss the gluten in this tasty treat.
And last but not least, the Women’s Bean Project is proud to announce their first new soup in over a decade – The Giada DeLaurentiis Lentil Soup! It will be available online within the next couple days.
For more information about Women’s Bean Project please visit: www.womensbeanproject.com