Camellia Beans

What Camellia Beans does

Camellia Beans, operated by L. H. Hayward & Co., LLC, is a fourth-generation, family-owned packaged food company founded in 1923 and headquartered in the New Orleans/Harahan, Louisiana metro. The company produces, packages, and distributes a portfolio of dry beans, peas, and lentils — including red kidney, black, navy, pinto, great northern, lima, garbanzo, crowder peas, field peas, blackeye peas, lady cream peas, split peas and lentils — under the proprietary "Hayward Standard" quality benchmark, which the company states exceeds top USDA requirements. The product surface has been extended with a "Beans for 2" single-/two-serving convenience line (refreshed in 2024), a "Flavor Infusion" seasoning-and-bean pairing line launched in 2024, and cross-merchandised sister brands D'Agostino Pasta and Gulf Coast Blenders (acquired 2019 and 2018 respectively).

The business operates a multi-channel go-to-market: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at shop.camelliabrand.com (selling packaged beans, Beans for 2, Flavor Infusion, gift/subscription boxes and licensed branded merchandise), a dedicated foodservice/wholesale portal at foodservice.camelliabrand.com for case-pack supply to restaurants and operators (including Mother's, Mandina's, Joey K's, Acme Oyster House, Blue Oak BBQ, and Popeye's), and broad U.S. grocery retail distribution via a "Where to Buy" locator covering chains such as Walmart, Kroger, HEB, Publix, Winn-Dixie, and Rouses. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set at the retail level by individual stores; revenue derives from unit sales of shelf-stable packaged goods, DTC transactions, foodservice case sales, and licensed merchandise royalties. The company is privately held under founding-family ownership, with no disclosed institutional investors, no funding rounds, no public filings, and a lean headcount of 11-50 employees.

Name

Camellia Beans

Legal name

L. H. Hayward & Co., LLC

Website

https://camelliabrand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Camellia Beans is a 100-year-old, fourth-generation family-owned packaged-food company (L. H. Hayward & Co., LLC) that produces, packages, and distributes dry beans, peas, and lentils under the "Hayward Standard" to U.S. consumers via grocery retail, DTC e-commerce, and foodservice channels, alongside sister brands D'Agostino Pasta and Gulf Coast Blenders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Dry Beans / Shelf-Stable Legumes

NAICS

General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers (42441), General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers (424410), Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Gourmet Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAI)

Keywords

• Packaged dry beans
• Shelf-stable legumes
• Southern field peas
• Foodservice bean supply
• New Orleans pantry staples

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail packaged bean sales: Core revenue from sale of branded shelf-stable dry beans, peas, lentils, and pasta through grocery/retail channels across the U.S. One-time hardware-style unit sales at consumer price points.
2. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce: Sales via the company's own storefront at shop.camelliabrand.com (beans, Beans for 2, Flavor Infusion pouches, gift boxes/subscriptions, and branded merch), capturing full margin and first-party customer data.
3. Foodservice / wholesale: B2B revenue from restaurants and foodservice operators (e.g., Mother's, Mandina's, Blue Oak BBQ, Joey K's, Acme) and a dedicated foodservice.camelliabrand.com portal supplying case-pack dry beans to operators.
4. Licensing / co-branded merchandise: Revenue from licensed Camellia Brand apparel and gifts (tees, hats, mugs) sold via the online merch shop, leveraging the registered Camellia Brand trademark.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Camellia Brand, a registered trademark of L. H. Hayward & Co., LLC, produces, packages, and distributes a portfolio of dry beans, peas, lentils, and rice under the proprietary "Hayward Standard" quality benchmark. The company sells primarily through U.S. grocery retail, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop, a dedicated foodservice portal, and via its sister brands Dagostino Pasta and Gulf Coast Blenders.

Product overview

Camellia Brand (a registered trademark of L. H. Hayward & Co., LLC, founded in 1923 in New Orleans) is a packaged-food brand rather than a software platform: its single unified product offering is a portfolio of dry legumes, organized around a core 'Dry Beans, Peas & Lentils' master line — comprising Red Kidney, Black, Navy (Pea), Pinto, Great Northern, Garbanzo, Large Lima, Baby Lima, Green Baby Lima, Crowder Peas, Field Peas, Blackeye Peas, Lady Cream Peas, Yellow Split Peas, Green Split Peas, and Lentils, all bagged and sold under the proprietary 'Hayward Standard' quality benchmark. On top of that core line, Camellia offers three layered product modules: (1) the 'Beans For 2' convenience/SKU line with refreshed packaging aimed at small households; (2) the 'Flavor Infusion' seasoning-and-bean pairing add-on line (e.g., Red Bean Flavor Infusion, Cajun White Bean Flavor Infusion); and (3) the 'Dagostino Pasta' sister-brand module (dagostinopastas.com) for pasta pairings. Beyond edible products, the brand sells 'Bean Merch' (tees, hats, mugs, gifts) and a pantry bundle ('The Full Suite') through shop.camelliabrand.com, supported by a recipe library, blog, cooking tips, user-story submission ('Spill the Beans'), and the curated 'Red Beans Done Right' content destination.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gulf Coast Blenders: Fry batters, seasonings & spices — a sister brand within the L. H. Hayward & Co. family of brands.
• Dagostino Pasta

Products and services

• Dry Beans, Peas & Lentils The flagship Camellia Brand dried-legume portfolio: a comprehensive range of bagged dry beans, peas, and lentils marketed under the "Hayward Standard" quality benchmark and sold through grocery retail and the DTC e-commerce shop. Includes signature red kidney beans plus black, navy, pinto, Great Northern, large lima, baby lima, green baby lima, garbanzo, crowder peas, field peas, blackeye peas, lady cream peas, yellow and green split peas, and lentils.
• Beans For 2 Smaller-portion, single-/two-serving bean-and-seasoning kits marketed as "New Look, Same Bold Flavor," aimed at small households and quick weeknight cooking, sold under a refreshed package design through the Camellia Brand shop.
• Flavor Infusion Pre-portioned seasoning-and-bean pairing pouches (e.g., Red Bean Flavor Infusion, Cajun White Bean Flavor Infusion) that layer Creole/Cajun seasoning onto a specific Camellia bean variety to simplify cooking and shorten prep time.
• Dagostino Pasta A Louisiana pasta brand carried in the Camellia Brand navigation and shop, positioned as the recommended pasta pairing for bean dishes such as the Creamy White Bean & Leek Fettuccine Alfredo.
• Bean Merch Licensed Camellia Brand lifestyle merchandise — tees, hats, mugs, and gifts sold through shop.camelliabrand.com to extend brand affinity beyond the grocery aisle.
• The Full Suite (Pantry Refresh bundle) A "Pantry Refresh" bundle sold through shop.camelliabrand.com that packages the full Camellia Brand range as a single stock-up offering for the home pantry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving yields: 1 lb Camellia dry beans = 5–6 cups cooked beans, drained
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Gulf Coast BlenderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand under L.H. Hayward & Co., LLC producing fry batters, seasonings and spices (gulfcoastblenders.com). Operates as a family-of-brands alongside Camellia Brand Beans and Dagostino Pasta, sharing HR, distribution, and the Harahan, LA address.
• Dagostino PastacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand under L.H. Hayward & Co., LLC selling premium pasta (dagostinopastas.com). Sold on the Camellia site as a product category and featured in joint recipes (e.g., Creamy White Bean & Leek Fettuccine Alfredo).
• Krewe of Red BeansflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCamellia is the official sponsor of the Krewe of Red Beans, supplying all the beans used in the Lundi Gras parade and member costume-making. The Krewe was started by Devin DeWulf in 2008; Camellia prominently co-promotes the parade, the spinoff Krewe of Dead Beans, and The Feijão + Green Beans Parade.
• Bent MediaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWeb/digital agency credited as "Site by Bent Media" in the Camellia Brand website footer (bentmedia.com); responsible for site build and ongoing digital presence.
• LinkedIn (job board)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCareers "See Job Openings" CTA links to Camellia Brand's LinkedIn jobs page (linkedin.com/company/camelliabrand/jobs), using LinkedIn as the primary applicant tracking/recruitment channel.
• Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Krewe of Red Beans decorates its Beanmobile at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans; the museum hosts Camellia-aligned cultural programming and exhibits, providing a co-branded community touchpoint.
• The Care Lodge (Meridian, MS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNews Restaurant (2020 Camellia Beans Giveaway winner) donated 100 of the 200 lbs of Camellia Brand beans received to The Care Lodge, a shelter for battered women in Meridian, MS, extending Camellia's community-impact footprint via its giveaway program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bob's Red Mill: Heritage U.S. dry-goods brand selling bagged beans, lentils, peas, grains, and baking products through grocery and DTC; closest direct peer to Camellia in terms of premium dry-bean/legume positioning, whole-foods quality story, and recipe-driven content marketing.
• Hurst Beans: U.S. dry-bean brand with a long heritage (since 1931) selling bagged beans, peas, lentils, and the 'HamBeens' seasoning/bean combination packs — a direct comparable to Camellia's core dry beans plus the 'Flavor Infusion' seasoning-pairing concept.
• Bush's Best: Largest U.S. branded bean company (Bush Brothers & Company) selling dry and canned beans across U.S. grocery; directly comparable shelf-stable bean portfolio to Camellia, but operates at much larger national scale and includes baked/canned beans.
• Iberia Foods: New Orleans-based, family-run dry-goods company selling bagged beans, rice, peas, and lentils across U.S. grocery; directly competes with Camellia in the same Gulf Coast and Spanish/Creole dry-bean categories and shares the same regional foodservice channels.
• Goya Foods: Largest Hispanic-owned U.S. food company with a broad dry/canned bean and pantry portfolio; competes with Camellia for the same U.S. shelf-stable bean occasion and pantry budget, especially in the Gulf Coast and Latin bean varieties (black, pinto, garbanzo).
• Faribault Foods: U.S. packaged-food company whose brands include dry/canned beans (e.g., Kuner, Dunham's) and soups competing in the same shelf-stable bean category at national grocery scale.

Others

• 365 by Whole Foods Market: Private-label dry beans, lentils, and pantry staples sold through Whole Foods; competes with Camellia for the natural/organic dry-bean shopper but as a retailer-owned label rather than a brand-equity competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Barilla: Global pasta and pantry leader; competes with Camellia's sister brand Dagostino Pasta and increasingly shares the dry-pantry shelf, making it a portfolio-level peer for the L.H. Hayward family of brands.
• Progresso (General Mills): Major U.S. soup and pantry brand owned by General Mills; competes with Camellia via legume-based soups and ready-to-eat bean meals, overlapping on the same pantry occasion but with a broader ready-meal portfolio rather than dry beans as the focus.
• McCormick & Company: Global spice, seasoning, and flavor-solutions leader; comparable to Camellia at the portfolio level via the Flavor Infusion / seasoning-pairing concept and Gulf Coast Blenders sister brand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/camelliabeans
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-95mv4AyAA_8f1N-gCvvyg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CamelliaBeans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/camelliabrand
• Instagraminstagram.com/camelliabeans
• Pinterestpinterest.com/CamelliaBeans

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Camellia Beans