Rancho Gordo!

A couple of weeks ago, Ms. Patricia and I took our 8th grade students to a Lunch-and-Learn series at Davidson College. We had the privilege of meeting and learning from the founder and CEO of Rancho Gordo, Steve Sando.

Steve was a delight to listen to. He shared how he got into agriculture simply by wanting fresh tomatoes and how that passion grew into supporting local farmers across Central California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, and Mexico, helping bring back native heirloom beans originally grown in those regions.

But that isn’t all! Since this was a Lunch-and-Learn, the meal featured a variety of beans he has worked with farmers to grow. And let me tell you—they were delicious.

The students enjoyed both the meal and hearing Steve speak, but what made the experience even more special was what happened after the event. He joined our table, and we were able to talk with him personally. We shared about our school, and he was blown away by how special it is to have a place that prioritizes nature, sustainability, and the power of that kind of education.

We talked about how our students regularly grow produce and other plants to share with our community. He mentioned that he would love to send us some beans to experiment with and see if we could grow them successfully here.

Knowing how busy he must be—working with farmers, running his business, and writing books—we were hopeful, but not necessarily expecting anything.

But wow, did he surprise us.

He sent each of our middle school students their own Rancho Gordo hat and heirloom bean cookbook, along with three pounds of beans for us to grow and enjoy.

We can’t wait to try growing them—and, of course, cooking and sharing them together.

If you’re a bean lover (or even if you aren’t yet!) and are looking for wonderful products from an even better company, check out Rancho Gordo.

-Ms. Emily