Unlocking Commercial Growth for Beans
The opportunity for beans to unlock commercial growth has never been stronger.
Consumer appetite for these fibre-rich, protein-dense, non-UPF foods is growing against the backdrop of rising food prices and living costs.
What's missing is deliberate commercial action to turn that momentum into sustained category growth over the long term.
This playbook - specifically aimed at people within commercial and buying teams - offers a commercial guide, built on insight from a retail audit and a curated industry workshop of UK retail, brands and manufacturing leaders, features a set of commercially grounded growth levers, and practical actions that businesses can use now.
Everything you need to know about the playbook
Unlocking Commercial Growth for Beans is a practical guide for retailers, food manufacturers, foodservice operators, caterers, wholesalers, product developers, commercial teams, marketers and category managers looking to grow bean sales and increase bean consumption across the UK.
Produced by The Food Foundation as part of the Bang In Some Beans campaign, the playbook brings together retail audit findings, consumer insight and industry expertise to explore how businesses can unlock commercial growth through beans. It provides practical recommendations across product development, category management, pricing, merchandising, promotion and consumer messaging.
Beans sit at the intersection of some of the biggest trends shaping food and drink today, including fibre, protein, health, affordability, convenience and food innovation. Yet despite growing consumer interest, the category remains underdeveloped in many retail and foodservice environments. This playbook explores how businesses can close that gap and turn consumer demand into sustained commercial growth.
The guide covers:
- How to increase bean sales in retail and foodservice
- Category growth strategies for beans, pulses and legumes
- Consumer barriers to buying more beans
- New product development opportunities
- Premiumisation and pricing strategies
- In-store merchandising and secondary placement
- Loyalty schemes, promotions and retail media
- Fibre and protein trends
- Food-to-go, chilled, frozen and convenience opportunities
- Effective messaging for mainstream consumers
- Practical actions for retailers, manufacturers and brands
Whether you are looking to develop new bean products, improve margins, build healthier ranges, respond to changing consumer demand, or understand the commercial opportunity for beans, this playbook provides evidence-based recommendations and actionable ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
This playbook is designed to answer questions such as:
How can retailers sell more beans?
How can food manufacturers increase bean consumption?
Why are beans becoming more popular?
What are the biggest growth opportunities for beans in the UK?
How can brands make beans more appealing to consumers?
How can beans help drive category growth?
What are the barriers preventing consumers from buying more beans?
How can businesses encourage people to eat more fibre?
How can beans be incorporated into convenience foods?
What opportunities exist for beans in ready meals?
What opportunities exist for beans in food-to-go?
How can supermarkets increase sales of pulses and legumes?
What is the commercial case for beans?
How can retailers use loyalty schemes to grow bean sales?
How should beans be marketed to mainstream consumers?
What messaging works best for beans?
How can businesses increase sales of healthy foods?
How can beans support health and wellness strategies?
What role do beans play in protein trends?
How can manufacturers reformulate products using beans?
How can businesses create premium bean products?
What are the best examples of bean innovation?
How can category managers build a stronger bean category?
How can retailers merchandise beans more effectively?
What are the most promising bean product formats?
How can businesses increase bean consumption without changing consumer behaviour?
How can beans be used to improve nutritional quality?
What are the commercial opportunities in chilled and frozen bean products?
How can businesses respond to growing demand for affordable, nutritious food?
What practical steps can retailers and manufacturers take to grow the bean category?
Who is this playbook for?
This resource is relevant to:
Retail buyers and category managers
Product developers and NPD teams
Food and drink manufacturers
Foodservice operators
Contract caterers
Wholesalers and distributors
Marketing teams
Retail media teams
Health and nutrition leads
Sustainability and ESG teams
Researchers, journalists and policymakers interested in food system innovation
If you're searching for ideas, evidence, strategies, case studies or practical solutions relating to beans, fibre, protein, healthy food sales, category growth, product innovation or consumer behaviour, this playbook provides a comprehensive starting point.
Meta description (SEO):
A practical guide for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice businesses looking to grow bean sales. Explore category growth, product innovation, consumer behaviour, merchandising, pricing, promotions, fibre, protein and healthy food strategies.
