Women’s Bean Project

I’m up for a good cause any day, but they need to do a better job with the quality of the product going out if their marketing strategy for raising funds is to provide a product incentive.
I contributed $ 15 for a $ 20 value amount through Groupon. Then I went onto the site, chose chocolate-​covered espresso beans and the Valentine’s day special bracelet. I went over the amount of the value on my certificate a bit, as well as paying for postage.
While the beans were just as good as any I’ve had before, the bracelet was not. It’s cute, but the first day I put it on, it fell off immediately. Then three more times that day. And this is *after* I had noticed, right away, that the links on the rings that open to connect to each other when being assembled were too loose, so I tightened each one myself. It soon became clear that the material these rings are made of, or how they are manufactured, is simply inferior and not strong enough to even hold onto itself.
I considered asking for a replacement, but they likely would have sent the same product again. It’s not how they women are putting the pieces of the bracelet together, it’s that it just can’t be expected to *stay* together, as the metal is so thin and flimsy that the rings are simply too weak to maintain integrity and NOT open up to release what they’re linked to, because those pieces are too thin and weak also. The only way to keep the links together would be to somehow glue or solder each one of them closed after being connected.
What’s disturbing is that SOMEone there has had to try wearing one of these bracelets, and would quickly discover what I did, that they fall right off. So why would they allow them to go out? Or how about some quality control inspection/​testing? This program is supposed to be providing training and real-​world experience, as well as supporting women to feel valued in the working world. How can you feel value when you know you’re mailing out an inferior product that someone will not be happy with? I believe it will serve to undermine their sense of integrity and value, and teach that it’s okay to sell something inferior just to make a buck.

Great cause. Great recipes. Great food and nutrition. Good on you for your support. Super duper good for your support.

I first came across the Women’s Bean Project a while ago while on a
Saturday walk with an organization that showed us all of the different nonprofit agencies out there in the immediate Denver area. My favorite was the Women’s Bean Project. This particular agency helps women get their lives restarted and gives them a chance to having a more meaningful life for themselves and sometimes their children. Often times the women that are in need are coming out of abusive relationships and/​or may be struggling with poverty.
So much of what the Bean Project does is make awesome soups and other dishes with beans with these putting out great merchandise to the general public. They have quite a few different kinds of soups to offer and it doesn’t stop there.
The Women’s Bean Project is a great concept and helps those who are in a great need of assistance.

Want to shop local, keep your pocketbook in check, and support a worthwhile cause at the same time? Oh, so glad you asked! Hit up the Women’s Bean Project and fulfill all three ideals at the same time.
My only regret is that I didn’t start shopping here eons ago. My guess is the end-​of-​year holidays is the busiest time for them, based on the flurry of activity I saw in the warehouse when I stopped by last week, although you can support them year round by shopping online or at King Soopers.
You can get edibles like cornbread and brownie mix, salsa and other dip mixes (garlic, dill), exotic flavored instant teas, their signature soup packets, coffee beans, chocolate-​dipped espresso beans, jelly beans, gift sets, and a lot more I can’t remember right now! They also sell tempting handmade jewelry as well. As someone who (in a past life) used to make a lot of jewelry by hand, I can tell you they are high quality and well-​made.
Women’s Bean is based in an old firehouse on Curtis street, which is super interesting to look at. Production happens downstairs, with the ‘showroom’ and shopping upstairs. You’ll likely see people assembling gift baskets and making jewelry. So, grab a basket, load up, and finish that holiday shopping!
P. S. Interested in volunteering? Check out their website and hit them up — they are always looking for help.

Tomorrow is shop local day in Denver. At Women’s Bean Project you would be doing two good deeds as this is a nonprofit business helping women learn life skills for «entry level jobs through their gourmet food production and handmade jewelry manufacturing business.» And it is a Denver based business.
This is the company that produces Toni’s layered 10 bean soup mix, the wonderful split pea soup mix, and many other mixes to prepare a great meal. I go to their store front and buy the 10 bean mix that is not layered for stocking stuffers; great discount for those oops with bean layering. And I will put together several mixes including a bread and a desert for a complete meal gift.
Last year, I brought neighbor Sam to the Women’s Bean Project to teach him about gift giving and helping others You can watch the women working and it gave him a warm fuzzy to give me one of their beautiful handmade necklaces; I wear it with pride as I know some woman made this necklace and felt a sense of accomplishment when she finished it.
You can shop online, buy the products at King Soopers, or stop by the renovated firehouse on Curtis to see a great organization creating better lives for women and their families.