'Bean Man' Bryan Sox and Wife Kim Have Been Growing and Drying Beans and Grains on Their Tennessee Farm Since 2009

By Jillian Dara | January 07, 2024

Bryan Sox (aka the Bean Man) and wife, Kim

When it comes to seasonal vegetables, dried beans don’t come to mind. They are hardly in the same category as a sun-ripened heirloom tomato. But, like any other locally grown fruit or vegetable, beans are harvested fresh in the pod and then dried. And this does make a difference, which is just one of the reasons Bryan Sox (Bean Man) and wife (Bean Girl) Kim, got into the business of growing them.

That, and their health. In 2009, Bryan and Kim began a backyard vegetable garden to provide them with healthier options for their diets; in 2010, they added pinto, red and black dry beans. According to Bryan, they always noticed that beans from the store seemed to turn out different in their consistency and taste. After some research, they discovered that in commercial dry bean farming, beans are harvested annually then placed in the back of the storage line, meaning the beans sold in the store could be as old as five or six years as processors move the oldest beans out first to packing houses, which sell the beans to the public. If you’ve ever tried to prepare beans that just won’t soften, they have probably gotten too old. Bean Man’s beans expand more during soaking and don’t get mushy, and consumers can taste the cleanliness.

The Bean Man's red beans.

Bryan and Kim started circulating their beans among friends to much praise, so eventually, in 2015, the couple purchased 28 acres of farmland in Coffee County, Tennessee to “make a dream come true.” After two years of preparation—the land was formerly used for cattle and conventional farming—construction and saving for the necessary equipment, Bean Man’s official operation began in 2017. The inaugural planting included six acres of pinto, red and black dry beans, and today includes great northern white, garbanzo and adzuki beans on 20 acres. While growing on a larger scale now, they still treat it as a personal operation and Bean Girl inspects every bean they sell. Plus, “We only sell our beans in the same season they were harvested,” emphasized Bryan.

They’ve also added alternative flours to their portfolio. Once again, this decision was motivated by personal reasons as the couple learned they were gluten-intolerant and began modifying their diets to remove foods like bread and pizza crust. They purchased a stone mill to make bean flour. Today, they have four stone mills that produce oat, almond, cassava, coconut, tapioca, rice and chickpea flour, and offer gluten-free and ready-to-mix products, including pancakes, pizza crusts, breads, soups, snacks and sweet treats. Shop all their products at their online store, which ships across the U.S., at their website.

Bryan and Kim currently sell their products at the Franklin Farmers Market year-round and the Murfreesboro Saturday Market from May through October, as well as pop-up markets in the Murfreesboro area throughout the year.

Can a dried bean be fresh?

Absolutely. Most beans sold in the store can be as old as five or six years as processors move the oldest beans out first to packing houses, which sell the beans to the public. If you’ve ever tried to prepare beans that just won’t soften, they have probably gotten too old. Bean Man’s beans are only sold the same season they’re harvested.