A Lincolnshire canning factory has canned the first ever baked beans from haricot beans modified for the British climate. A multi-year genetic modification process made them suitable for local soil and climate.

The first harvest took place in September 2023 on a Lincolnshire county farm, with Princes factory getting the initial consignment.

This is good news as Britons consume 2 million tins of baked beans daily and rely on North American, Chinese and Ethiopian haricot bean deliveries.

Analysts think that these new choice beans will help keep the UK self-sufficient, cut imports and reduce ferrying expense. For instance, the UK’s main canned bean importer ships in 50,000 metric tonnes of the beans annually from North America.

12 Years in Production

The breakthrough has not been a smooth journey though, as researchers have had to wait 12 years improving the seeds. 

These inaugural UK baked beans are by Professor Eric Houb from the Crop Centre arm of the Warwick University’s School of Life Sciences. He says that he named the three varieties he helped develop Godiva (blonde beans), Capulet (white beans) and Olivia (black beans).

Andrew Ward, a shire farmer has the honour of being the first ever to grow them on his farm with success. In 2022, a non-commercial field trial to grow the new beans hit a snag after an abrupt heatwave. 

Since then, many companies have been marketing local fava beans as baked beans in cans. The exception is Princes, a factory that specializes in canned bean production for local food brands. The company landed the real UK’s baked beans from Andrew’s farm and felt “very proud” for the distinction.

Warwick University researchers have now assigned the commercialization model to the specialist firm, Agrii. The company will help trial the beans further and develop a full growing model suitable to Britain’s agricultural system.

The lengthy development period has ensured that the beans are natural, and contain high amino acid and dietary fiber content. 

When will the baked beans hit UK stores?

According to Andrew Ward, the public won’t see much of the beans in stores as yet for the bulk of the harvest has gone into replenishing planting stocks.

The first canned consignment was just a test run and the best crop is bound to come in the next season. 

Perhaps this haricot bean novelty will save customers from the occasional price hikes for baked beans. In end 2022, canned beans from key brands in the UK spiked by 12% due to shortage. Currently, most supermarkets sell 400 grams at £4 per kg.