About Us

The Bean Institute™ is owned and managed by the Northarvest Bean Growers Association (NBGA), an entity created in 1976 as a cooperative effort between dry bean growers in North Dakota and Minnesota. The Northarvest region includes all of North Dakota and Minnesota — an area larger than England, Scotland and Wales combined.

In 1960, the number of farmers raising dry beans in the Northarvest region could be counted in single digits. Today, Northarvest Bean Growers Association is a leading producer and shipper of dry beans with thousands of farmers included in the cooperative.

Farmers in the Northarvest region grow a variety of dry beans in great abundance—including pinto, navy, black, dark red kidney, light red kidney, white kidney, Great northern, pink, small red, and cranberry beans—thanks to the locally unique combination of very productive soil, abundant rainfall, warm summer days, and cold cleansing winters.  

Northarvest provides a full range of services and funding to help producers and shippers supply the world with dry beans. Specifically, Northarvest does the following:

  • Helps fund export marketing initiatives, advertising, trade shows, public relations, and communications
  • Funds research to improve the quantity, variety, and quality of dry beans grown in the region

Northarvest is managed by a Board of producers and an Executive Director who focus on both production and marketing issues.  Nutrition education and marketing consultants manage the Bean Institute™ on behalf of Northarvest. 

The Bean Institute™ website is designed to provide nutrition, health, and culinary information and resources for four distinct audiences: consumers and home cooks; nutrition and health educators; culinary and foodservice professionals; and school nutrition professionals.