Pictured: Jordan Wenck, founder of Beanie Bites, shares her baking mixes at the downtown Sarasota Farmers market and Waterside Farmers Market. Provided photo.

“I have always been very into wellness,” says Jordan Wenck.

Chronic illness runs on both sides of her family—diabetes, multiple sclerosis and colitis. Wenck, a Sarasota native, originally went to school for marketing. After graduating with a master’s degree, she lived in big cities around the country working for major corporations like Coca-Cola and Puma. But she never forgot her passion for wellness. In 2019, she left corporate life and went back to school for a second master’s degree, this one in nutrition. With her newfound knowledge, she began working on creating a baking mix that would allow people to make baked goods that were as indulgent as they were nutritious. Thus, Beanie Bites were born.

“My goal is simple: to nourish our community with one delicious baked good at a time by turning beans (one of the world’s most powerful and sustainable foods) into craveable treats,” Wenck says.

Wenck has developed two mixes. Beanie Bites Original is made with ingredients including chickpea flour and is versatile enough to be used in waffles, pancakes, muffins, breads and cookies. Beanie Bites Chocolate Brownie Mix has a base that incorporates organic sprouted black bean flour and creates rich, fudgy brownies that are packed with nutrition and flavor. She has been selling her mixes at the Waterside Farmers Market in Lakewood Ranch since March, where she also sells delectable baked goods made with Beanie Bites mixes. This month she started selling mixes and baked goods at the downtown Sarasota Farmers Market as well. Her mixes are also available for sale on her website.

“I want to be the healthiest that I possibly can be, but one of my favorite ways to show love for people is through food,” Wenck says. “Beanie Bites is the culmination of how I treat myself and what I want to share with the world.”

Beanie Bites, beaniebites.co

Pictured: Jordan Wenck, founder of Beanie Bites, shares her baking mixes at the downtown Sarasota Farmers market and Waterside Farmers Market. Provided photo.