Lentiful’s microwavable lentils come in flavors like cinnamon apple and Mexican green chile. (Courtesy Lentiful)
Before the pandemic, Ben Bacon wasn’t much of a lentils guy.
“I never thought twice about lentils, but I thought they were really good, and they’re high in protein and high in fiber,” he said, recalling a time when his wife, Brooke, whipped up a batch during the early days of quarantine.
Ben Bacon
“All of those things hit me, and I said, ‘This should be a bigger thing.’”
In late 2022, just 18 months later, Bacon launched a microwavable line of the ancient legume.
Lentiful, his Broomfield-based company, says it has made the cooking process easier. Add water, zap it and flavors like cinnamon apple or Mexican green chile are ready in minutes.
“We’re taking that 30-to-45-minute process down to a 1-minute microwave,” he said.
Bacon hopes the convenience will make the legume more popular in the American diet. Though it is a staple in many Mediterranean and western Asian countries, less than eight percent of Americans eat lentils on a regular basis.
He said a substantial amount of his customers treat Lentiful as a quick, desk-side snack at the office.
“Everyone knows they’re good for you, but no one knows how to make them,” he said.
By the end of this year, Lentiful will be stocked in Whole Foods stores across the country. Bacon also said Lentiful expects to sell on Amazon by mid-year, and is also in talks to line the shelves of other nationwide retailers.
“That will just unlock this whole other channel,” he said of Amazon. “There’s lots of momentum behind the brand.”
But that wasn’t always the plan.
He originally started selling direct-to-consumer through Lentiful’s website. In 2023, its first calendar year in business, the company broke even. Roughly 95 percent of its $500,000 revenue came from e-commerce.
Bacon, a former marketing consultant for Cusa Tea & Coffee in Boulder and Red Clay Hot Sauce in Charleston, South Carolina, said he only advertised through Facebook and relied largely on word of mouth.
But as the lentils gained online traction, bigger retailers like Walmart, Wegmans and Whole Foods came calling.
Last year, Lentiful answered the phone.
When he started, the business was selling 32,000 cups per quarter. Today, it slings 80,000 a month.
“We went from zero stores to over 1,000 in a few months,” he said, noting most were regional and that 70 percent of 2024’s $2 million revenue still came from DTC sales.
He was initially hesitant to add that aspect.
“Online is pretty straightforward if you have good economics and know what you’re doing, but on-shelf is very expensive,” he said. “So I thought we would be online only.”
He said investing in the supply chains needed to boost inventory proved costly. He also said shelf fees, paying for price labels and a trial-and-error promotions process hurt Lentiful’s balance sheet.
Though the business was profitable for several months in 2024, it ended in the red.
But this year, with less overhead and a better understanding of how to market the product, Bacon said the company will be profitable. He expects online and retail to each compose half of the $4 million in revenue he’s projecting for 2025.
“I was very cautious to dive into brick and mortar sales because in the short term there are very high fees to be on the shelf,” he said. “But it’s a concept that customers get quickly, and we see very high repurchase rates.”
Much of Lentiful’s growth came after Bacon won an April pitch competition held last year by Naturally Colorado, a nonprofit focused on the state’s food industry
In the coming months, he will return to the competition, which is accepting applications through Friday, as a coach. He will help prepare contestants for their presentations at this year’s competition on April 2.
“If I can share any of my secrets, I will happily,” he said.
He said the connections he formed within Boulder, where Naturally Colorado holds the competition, helped him find manufacturing and distributing partners during the last year.
He noted the strong community, which includes brands like Purely Elizabeth granola and Justin’s Nut Butter, as a boon as well.
“It’s a cheat code starting in Boulder,” he said.
Lentiful’s microwavable lentils come in flavors like cinnamon apple and Mexican green chile. (Courtesy Lentiful)
Before the pandemic, Ben Bacon wasn’t much of a lentils guy.
“I never thought twice about lentils, but I thought they were really good, and they’re high in protein and high in fiber,” he said, recalling a time when his wife, Brooke, whipped up a batch during the early days of quarantine.
Ben Bacon
“All of those things hit me, and I said, ‘This should be a bigger thing.’”
In late 2022, just 18 months later, Bacon launched a microwavable line of the ancient legume.
Lentiful, his Broomfield-based company, says it has made the cooking process easier. Add water, zap it and flavors like cinnamon apple or Mexican green chile are ready in minutes.
“We’re taking that 30-to-45-minute process down to a 1-minute microwave,” he said.
Bacon hopes the convenience will make the legume more popular in the American diet. Though it is a staple in many Mediterranean and western Asian countries, less than eight percent of Americans eat lentils on a regular basis.
He said a substantial amount of his customers treat Lentiful as a quick, desk-side snack at the office.
“Everyone knows they’re good for you, but no one knows how to make them,” he said.
By the end of this year, Lentiful will be stocked in Whole Foods stores across the country. Bacon also said Lentiful expects to sell on Amazon by mid-year, and is also in talks to line the shelves of other nationwide retailers.
“That will just unlock this whole other channel,” he said of Amazon. “There’s lots of momentum behind the brand.”
But that wasn’t always the plan.
He originally started selling direct-to-consumer through Lentiful’s website. In 2023, its first calendar year in business, the company broke even. Roughly 95 percent of its $500,000 revenue came from e-commerce.
Bacon, a former marketing consultant for Cusa Tea & Coffee in Boulder and Red Clay Hot Sauce in Charleston, South Carolina, said he only advertised through Facebook and relied largely on word of mouth.
But as the lentils gained online traction, bigger retailers like Walmart, Wegmans and Whole Foods came calling.
Last year, Lentiful answered the phone.
When he started, the business was selling 32,000 cups per quarter. Today, it slings 80,000 a month.
“We went from zero stores to over 1,000 in a few months,” he said, noting most were regional and that 70 percent of 2024’s $2 million revenue still came from DTC sales.
He was initially hesitant to add that aspect.
“Online is pretty straightforward if you have good economics and know what you’re doing, but on-shelf is very expensive,” he said. “So I thought we would be online only.”
He said investing in the supply chains needed to boost inventory proved costly. He also said shelf fees, paying for price labels and a trial-and-error promotions process hurt Lentiful’s balance sheet.
Though the business was profitable for several months in 2024, it ended in the red.
But this year, with less overhead and a better understanding of how to market the product, Bacon said the company will be profitable. He expects online and retail to each compose half of the $4 million in revenue he’s projecting for 2025.
“I was very cautious to dive into brick and mortar sales because in the short term there are very high fees to be on the shelf,” he said. “But it’s a concept that customers get quickly, and we see very high repurchase rates.”
Much of Lentiful’s growth came after Bacon won an April pitch competition held last year by Naturally Colorado, a nonprofit focused on the state’s food industry
In the coming months, he will return to the competition, which is accepting applications through Friday, as a coach. He will help prepare contestants for their presentations at this year’s competition on April 2.
“If I can share any of my secrets, I will happily,” he said.
He said the connections he formed within Boulder, where Naturally Colorado holds the competition, helped him find manufacturing and distributing partners during the last year.
He noted the strong community, which includes brands like Purely Elizabeth granola and Justin’s Nut Butter, as a boon as well.
“It’s a cheat code starting in Boulder,” he said.
