Miami | Pinto Beans

Brazil Buys Pinto Beans

Bom dia! (That means good morning in Portuguese!)

Como você está? (how are you?)

Dry Pinto beans is doing grrrrrreeeeeat!!! Thanks for asking! It’s been quite a season for the pinto bean lovers out there, things started off a bit rocky with prices scrubbing the floor for the first few months…..But now – things are more like:

I got ants in my pants

And I need to dance

Come on

– James Brown

So there you have it in three simple lines. The pinto bean market has had it’s up’s, down’s, and up’s again. Prices are back to higher levels and growers can appreciate that. There’s bean a good steady flow of pinto bean exports into the Caribbean markets and America’s this year. Consumers kept consuming beans in all forms from traditional cooked beans to healthy familiar snacks like “Beanitos”, to tortillas made of beans or pulses. Yup, the International Year of Pulses #IYP2016 has really bean positive from every angle. Gotta love it when things go to plan and the future looks bright.

You want to know what we see when we look out there in this beautiful #beanbig world? We see people everywhere eating the foods they love (like beans) and that are good for their bodies. We see new USA dry edible bean export markets reaching out as far as the eye can see. From Colombia to Cuba, and now coming to a theater near you in Brazil. Yes sir, things are gonna get popping like Orville Redenbacher on a Saturday night.

Brazil’s national bean is the Carioca bean, and this year bad weather disrupted the Carioca bean supply tremendously. Supply and demand physics shot Carioca prices up with the power of a rocket to the point where the average price in reals (Brazil’s currency) has reached $1.35 per pound. Anyone who knows anything about Brazil knows THIS IS the bean variety the Brazilian people can’t live without! Seriously! No joke! Not kidding! Not even playing! Ever. Got it?

Brazilians have it rough lately with a disastrous bean crop, outbreak of Zika, the Petrobras scandal, a presidential impeachment, and preparing for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. To make a long story short, Brazil now has a major shortage of Carioca beans and the Brazilian government has allowed imports from a list of bean growing countries; which includes the United States of America (Gotta love that part).

THIS IS REALLY EXCITING STUFF PEOPLE! The reason this is so exciting is the Carioca bean variety is extremely similar to USA pinto beans. The look, feel, and taste is very recognizable in both types of bean varieties. This has presented an opportunity for the US dry edible bean industry to export beans to Brazil.

If the Brazilian public accepts USA pinto bean values and accepts it’s taste versus their own national Carioca bean variety- then anything is possible. Now here’s the funny bit… The word “pinto” in Portuguese means pecker! Which might be a reason why pinto beans sales haven’t had much success in Brazil previously. Can you imagine the average Brazilian consumer in their local supermarket shopping for beans and glancing over at the newly imported USA package labeled schlong beans? You could see why the name would probably stunt sales growth.

The Brazilian government & food importers have had quite a task coming up with a new name to market pinto beans which would cross over well in Portuguese. We do think they have managed to figure out a good name for pintos in Brazil. The new name will refer to the capital city of the State of Sao Paulo Brazil.

Now for the real exciting part! Drum roll please!……… Dry Pinto Beans like to say thank you to Captain Nick and the dedicated pinto bean growers in North Dakota for helping us export the first containers this season of United States pinto beans from North Dakota to Brazil! Way to go everyone!!!

Brazil importers made their purchase of:

2015-2016 US#1 F.Garcia Brand Limited Harvest Slow Dark Pinto Beans 100lbs.