Beans are a staple meal for Latinos. Now they are also jewelry

Through her Bean Jewelry Company, 25-year-old Los Angeles-based Latina entrepreneur Natalie Osorio elevates beans far past the classic “hay comida en la casa” staple. Her creations serve as a bold fashion statement that celebrates cultural heritage and artistic creativity. 

Since she was little, Osorio has been surrounded by her family’s love of innovation, which began with crocheting. “I grew up making things with my hands and being surrounded by that creativity,” she said. 

In spring of 2023, during a trip to one of Mexico's mercaditos, Osorio was mesmerized by the beautiful variety of beans that she had never seen before. That visit led her to explore a different type of creativity while also expressing her passion for her Mexican culture.

Osorio shared that being from Guadalajara, Mexico, pinto beans were a staple in her family’s traditional meals. To this day, she still enjoys pairing them with a piece of birote, a Mexican sourdough bread, cheese, and, of course, a cold bottle of Coca-Cola cannot be left out.

“I never thought there could be so many different types of beans, different colors and shapes, and that’s when I started thinking, if we eat them so much, why not wear them?” she said. “I thought it would be a super unique way to make something that’s such a big part of our food and our culture and turn it into something artistic that people could wear.”

When Osorio returned home, she began experimenting with the idea and created a bracelet with some pinto beans she found in her kitchen. After receiving compliments whenever she wore the piece on outings, she was inspired to continue experimenting with beans and expand her jewelry designs to earrings and necklace pieces.

What makes her jewelry stand out from traditional jewelry materials is that she doesn’t coat them with anything; they are completely 100% organic, natural bean pieces. She sun-dries each bean before carefully drilling holes into them, and then she strings them together to create her unique jewelry pieces.

Osorio told CALÓ News that even though her business journey started while she was attending college for criminal justice at Cal State LA, she became very passionate about being an entrepreneur. Although it was difficult to juggle it all, her parents have been her biggest support system and inspiration.

When Osorio first launched Bean Jewelry Company, she used pinto beans to create her jewelry. Today, she works with a wide variety of beans, such as ayocate morados, vaqueros, yellow eye, mung beans and more, sourcing them all from small businesses or picking them up during her regular trips to the market.

Osorio also shared that one of her biggest challenges in building her Bean Jewelry Company has been finding customers who appreciate such unique designs. However, from bean lovers to coffee fans, customers have discovered her creative pieces through Instagram, Etsy and other social media platforms.

She added that Latina representation in today’s political climate is crucial for her and that her jewelry can be worn even as a political fashion statement. “I think it's really important to express yourself, where you come from and also honor your roots,” Osorio said.

Osorio hopes that her customers or anyone who is interested in purchasing her bean pieces sees that beans could be more than just the food we eat. “I want people to see beans in a different way so that they can see how beautiful and artistic they can be,” she said. “I just hope that these pieces can also be seen in a fun way to celebrate where we come from.”

To check out her bean jewelry pieces, visit her Instagram page @beanjewelrycompany.