It's been said that the Egyptians had temples dedicated to beans, worshipping them as a symbol of life.
The American bean story begins long before Columbus discovered America, with the American Indians as far south as Florida and as far north as the Red River Valley.
In fact, maize, squash and beans were probably all cultivated in North America centuries before Columbus saw his first field of beans.
North America presented a perfect climate for the successful cultivation of beans – plenty of rainfall and long, warm summers.
As a result, by the late 1800's, American bean production had begun in earnest. Initially centered in Michigan, by World War I the demand for bean products had attracted new growers in Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming.
