We recently connected with Narell Vasquez and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Narell, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At Full of Beans Kitchen, our mission is clear: we want to make beans a breakfast staple. After integrating beans as my primary protein source, I experienced transformative health benefits—improved digestion, better skin, enhanced muscle tone, and improved gut health. This personal health transformation sparked a question: Why aren’t beans as integral to the American diet as they are in regions where people live the longest?

Living in the U.S., I realized the obstacles were two main challenges. Firstly, our fast-paced lifestyle doesn’t always allow time to cook beans from scratch—a process often perceived as time-consuming. Secondly, many people lack the knowledge or culinary tradition of incorporating beans into their daily meals.

Motivated by my experiences and these insights, I founded Full of Beans Kitchen with a clear mission: to introduce beans into the American diet, starting with the most important meal of the day—breakfast. Our fava bean pancake and waffle mix is designed to provide a quick, nutritious, and delicious way to enjoy the numerous benefits of beans. It’s about making nutrient-packed eating accessible, enjoyable, and integral to everyday life. By doing so, we’re not just changing eating habits; we’re also aiming to enhance overall well-being and highlight the sustainability of fava beans. Fava beans are a sustainable choice because they enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen and require less water than other crops.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Narell Vasquez, and I am the founder of Full of Beans Kitchen. My journey into the food industry started after I moved to the U.S. and encountered a variety of over-processed products. I found myself craving more natural foods and even had to change my dog’s diet to fresh food after he got sick from the processed food he was consuming. These experiences sparked my desire to be part of the change in the U.S. food system.

Driven by this motivation, I spent three years in an ESL school learning English before deciding to pursue a degree in Food and Sustainability. This journey culminated in the launch of my first product just a month before my graduation. Additionally, I earned a certification in Food Product Development from Cornell University as part of a New York State program for food entrepreneurs, in which I was selected to participate. This achievement, along with the final product launch created by me after more than two years of development, stands as one of my proudest moments.

Our first product is a pancake and waffle mix made from fava beans. It is naturally high in protein, iron, and potassium, super low in sugar, and free from preservatives or artificial ingredients. What you read on the label is exactly what you get—no natural flavors added. Our mix also caters to various dietary needs, being vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-free. It has a delightful smell, great texture, and many people find it hard to believe it’s made from beans—just add water!

What sets Full of Beans Kitchen apart from our competitors is our mission to introduce beans for breakfast, paired with our commitment to nutrition, sustainability, and clean ingredients.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about us. We hope to inspire you to make beans a delicious part of your daily life, as the longest-living populations do.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I started Full of Beans Kitchen with $20,000, which was part of the inheritance from the sale of a house my parents owned. From my share, $10,000 went towards legal fees to change my status, enabling me to legally start a business in the U.S. The remaining funds came from my personal savings, accumulated while working on campus and from loans taken in Ecuador, my home country.

Later, my business partner, who fully believes in our mission, invested all his savings into this venture as well. Despite both of us having zero experience in startups, we have been doing a good job navigating the challenges. It has not been an easy road, as most grants are typically awarded to U.S. citizens, which disqualifies us, and most loans are not available to me either. However, I firmly believe in God and His provision. While we haven’t received significant funding, we have received resources that have allowed Full of Beans to keep moving forward.

We were fortunate to partner with an incredibly talented marketing agency that delivered exceptional branding and packaging. Last year, we won the Startup CPG Shelfie Award in the breakfast category, where more than 600 brands applied. This achievement opened the doors to our first grocery chain in Texas. This year, we were invited to exhibit as part of Cornell Agritech at the Fancy Food Show, creating numerous opportunities with press, buyers, and distributors.

We have been learning to use our resources as efficiently as possible, and so far, it has been working. Through perseverance, faith, and strategic use of our limited resources, we continue to make progress and grow Full of Beans Kitchen.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the belief that it was better to keep my plans private. When the desire to start Full of Beans Kitchen was born, I firmly believed that it was better if nobody knew about it. I knew this dream was bigger than myself, and I didn’t feel strong enough to announce it to the world. I didn’t want anyone talking me out of this. Most people didn’t know what I was doing until I launched, and I did it so quietly that even after I announced it, most people didn’t notice.

I thought that after I launched, I would get sales. Everyone says that starting a business is hard and that you won’t easily have sales, but I didn’t think this would be my case. Little did I know how much money I would need for marketing campaigns if I didn’t put myself out there and share the process. Consequently, 2023 was one of the hardest years I have experienced.

What I learned from this is that in this era, where social media is so accessible, sharing the process is vital. If you are a startup with limited resources, this is a must. I had to learn this the hard way. I can’t go back to when I launched, but I will definitely be sharing more about the behind-the-scenes and the progress of Full of Beans Kitchen on our social media platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fullofbeanskitchen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullofbeanskitchen/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/96930052/admin/dashboard/