Future of Food

In the world of value-added pulse products, innovation is rife. Increasingly, new companies are emerging that want to position pulses as healthy, ready-to-eat snacks. Superlupes is no exception.  

“What it’s really about for us is presenting this traditional and nutritious product as a go-to option for the health-savvy consumer,” explained founder Stephanie Robalino. “People don’t really know about lupini beans in the United States, so we’re working to change that.”

Superlupes sells packaged, flavored lupini beans that make a perfect nutrition-dense snack for the on-the-go consumer. This traditional food has been popular in the Mediterranean region for millennia - there’s even evidence of the pharaohs eating it - and Superlupes is now bringing this ancient delicacy to a niche consumer base in the U.S.

“The whole inspiration behind Superlupes was my family, especially my grandmother, who came over from Italy to New York City in the 1950’s. She was from Naples originally, and she would always have lupini beans around to snack on,” she said. “At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but when I got older, I thought ‘hey, these things are really good.’”

But for Robalino, it isn’t just about family heritage or personal taste - it’s about creating the perception that beans can be a fun and tasty snack.

“Beans aren’t really presented as fun or dynamic for the consumer, so that’s been a big hurdle. The product is great, but a lot of people don’t quite know what it is,” she continued. “So we’re doing a lot of work to change that, to let people know how great these things are.”

Superlupes sources its lupini beans from small growers in Italy, where the beans are brined, flavored, and brought to the U.S. for packaging and distribution. 

“As far as sourcing and production, there were a lot of boxes to check initially. We work with small growers, so the production is very artisanal. People have been growing lupini beans in Italy for the longest time, so the quality was there from the beginning, but it took time to build relationships. It would be great to have better communication throughout the supply chain.”

Robalino says that the market for Superlupes lupini beans is niche for now, but growing. The company has been working with small, independent grocery stores and other retailers, but it moves the bulk of its products through online sales.

“We’ve had some good results so far with the online store, especially since it's a niche product, and the most likely scenario is that it continues to be. But as far as health-conscious alternative snacks, it fits the profile of that niche very well. The protein content is very high, so it's great for post-workout snacking, plus it’s low in fat and carbs. It’s just a flat-out improvement on most snacks, health-wise.”

Robalino explains that her heritage and personal background contributed significantly to her decision to create Superlupes. 

“I’m Italian-Ecuadorian, so lupini beans were sort of a natural cross-cultural choice for me. In fact, at first I was thinking about going with a more South American branding style, but I ended up going with a more European-style packaging.”

“My grandmother lived on a totally Mediterranean diet, lots of olive oil, fish, and of course lupini beans. So seeing her live to the age of 96 off of a diet like that really made me understand the health benefits - and to want to bring those benefits to the customer.”

“My grandmother lived on a Mediterranean diet, lots of olive oil, fish, and lupini beans. Seeing her live to the age of 96 with a diet like that made me understand the health benefits - and to want to bring those benefits to the customer.”

“The texture of a lupini bean is sort of like edamame, but firmer and with a nuttier, more olive-like flavor. They’re about the size of a fava bean, and are marinated in olive oil and different spices and flavorings. We package them in single-serving snack packs for easy consumption.”

Robalino is confident that lupini beans will be a hit with consumers - the key, she believes, will be to make sure that consumers get the chance to try them. To that end, the Superlupes founder has spent the past year traversing the country, attending conferences and marketing shows.

“It isn’t just the quality of the product that’s important. It’s the consumer’s knowledge and appetite for trying new things. So for us, marketing is really important. I spend a lot of time building relationships, doing sampling and trials to position the product.”

“The way that beans are often presented to the consumer is just not very appetizing. Canned or raw just doesn’t have the same appeal, so we wanted to branch out from that. Plus the preparation component is sometimes unwieldy - people don’t have time to soak and boil or to brine or anything like that. We wanted something easy, convenient, and healthy.”

“A big advantage is that with the brining process, you get a very long shelf life. Superlupes products are shelf-stable, which makes them great for day trips, camping, and even charcuterie boards. Being Mediterranean, they go well with olives and cheese too.”

“Our philosophy is ‘no more bland beans’ - we want to make lupini beans something exciting and different, not just regular old beans. We’re trying to break the perception of beans as boring and routine.”

This philosophy has naturally led Superlupes to focus on online sales and small independent grocers, for now. Robalino’s plan is to build a customer base and then approach larger retailers. 

Superlupes also points to the fact that the pulse industry is rife with opportunities to bring value-added products to the consumer. If a branded, value-added product like Superlupe’s lupini beans can extract more value from the downstream end of the supply chain, everybody wins, from producers to processors to importers and traders.