Colorado Bean Summit 2022

The following was previously and originally published on the Colorado Dry Beans website on March 8, 2022.

We were thrilled to host the first-ever Colorado Bean Summit in March 2022! The event was held at Metropolitan State University in Denver and sponsored by the Colorado Dry Bean Committee and Barber’s Farms.

To help us kick things off, Governor Jared Polis sent us a video sharing his passion for Colorado beans.

Let’s Talk Colorado Beans

We had several great presentations, including:

• Chelsea Didinger, Outreach Director and PhD Candidate – presented on helping consumers overcome barriers to bean intake so they can capitalize on all the human and environmental health benefits beans have to offer, all while supporting local sustainable food systems and savoring delicious versatile dishes
• Dr. Henry Thompson, Professor and Director of the Cancer Prevention Laboratory – spoke about the history of beans, their incredible diversity, and exciting recent research from around the world and in his lab about beans and their ability to help prevent chronic disease and promote gut health
• Dr. Elizabeth Fajardo and students, Department of Chicano/a Studies – read an excerpt from their new book (Frijoles, Elotes, y Chipotles, Oh My! & Other Tummy Tales), students shared their touching and funny bean stories, and they invited the audience to participate by also sharing beany memories

To read more of this article, please visit the Colorado Dry Beans website.