Idaho
Innovating in agriculture: Bare Beans brings ready-to-eat foods for this week’s Made in Idaho
RUPERT, Idaho — Magic Valley farmers and food producers are always innovating, making the region a “Mecca” for food production. Bare Beans in Rupert is one company that is bringing a fresh approach to a classic food staple
- Bare Beans produces cooked, ready-to-eat beans farmed in the Magic Valley.
- Unlike canned beans, Bare Beans have no liquid, preservatives, or additives.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Business is booming at Bare Beans in Rupert
“We go through about five of these a day,” Huff said.
Beans have been grown in Idaho as long as there’s been agriculture. And Huff’s husband has farmed them most of his life.
Huff founded Bare Beans in 2018, after looking for a product she could produce using her family’s agricultural commodities
“We simulate the whole scratch homemade process. We do a batch-made kettle-cooked bean that has a great quality, great taste, great smell, but we don’t have all the icky stuff that’s in a can,” Huff said.
The project was no overnight matter.
“Michelle has been in the food industry for like 20 years or so, and we keep seeing this term ‘value-added,’” said Bare Beans marketing director Beth Cofer. “And so when she knew there was something that her husband was already growing that she could revalue back to she thought of this and started talking about it and worked on it until she was able to perfect it into what it is today.”
After the research and development had been sorted out, they started product testing.
“We kind of did a little grassroots marketing and brought to school districts in the area and we just gave the beans away,” Huff said. “And we got some great feedback and we were like ‘Okay, we’re onto something here.’”
The process is just like you’d make beans from scratch at home — they soak beans in batches to rehydrate them, then cook them.
“After they’re done getting cooked, they get all the way out up here to the shakers up there,” Huff said. “They get pumped up there onto our shaker, and then they come down here and get packaged into our packaging.”
The beans are an ingredient in many products, and they distribute nationwide. And they’re revamping their retail product, so you should be seeing Bare Beans in your grocer’s aisles by late 2025.
“We’re just trying to get back to our the original way of rehydrating them all night, open batch kettle cooking, and getting back to the quality of good food,” Huff said.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (CBS2) — A joint investigation by the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Home Police Department has led to the arrest of a man accused of multiple sexual offenses in Elmore County and the city of Mountain Home.
An arrest warrant was issued on June 10, 2026, for Dillon Thorpe following an investigation conducted by Elmore County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Thorpe was taken into custody on June 11, 2026, on a warrant by the Idaho State Police.
Thorpe is charged with rape, child enticement, lewd conduct with a minor, and sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16.
Authorities said additional details about the investigation will not be released at this time because of the nature of the crimes and to protect the privacy of victims and witnesses.
Law enforcement believes there may be additional suspected victims and/or witnesses who have not yet been identified. Anyone with information or evidence relevant to the investigation is encouraged to contact the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office or the Mountain Home Police Department to make a report.
DENVER (KDVR) — Three Colorado motorcyclists died on Tuesday in northern Idaho after a pickup truck driver, also from Colorado, hit all three while trying to pass another vehicle, according to the Idaho State Police.
The crash happened at about 4 p.m. Tuesday outside the town of Kooskia on U.S. 12, police said. The pickup truck driver, identified as a 60-year-old Colorado Springs woman, was headed west on the highway when she crossed the double yellow line in a no-passing zone while trying to pass another vehicle.
She then collided head-on with the three motorcycles that were headed east on the highway.
The three motorcyclists died at the scene. The Idaho County Coroner identified the motorcyclists as: Ethan Powers, 35, of Timnath, Jeremy Coleman, 45 of Berthoud, and Nathan McCormick, 26, of Loveland.
The Colorado Fraternal Order of Police later identified Coleman and Powers as a sergeant and deputy with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and McCormick as Coleman’s son-in-law.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, coworkers, and the members of FOP Lodge 4 as they face the difficult days ahead,” the union said. “The law enforcement profession is built on service, sacrifice, and commitment to others. Sgt. Coleman and Deputy Powers dedicated their lives to protecting their community, and their impact will continue to be felt by those who had the privilege of serving alongside them.”
The truck driver was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation before being released then arrested. She was booked into the Idaho County Jail on probable cause for three counts of vehicular manslaughter, police said.
The following is a press release from the Idaho State Police:
The Idaho State Police (ISP) is investigating a three-fatality crash that occurred at approximately 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, on U.S. Highway 12 near milepost 113 east of Kooskia.
The preliminary investigation indicates a 2019 Ford F-150 was traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 12 when the driver attempted to pass another vehicle in a marked no-passing zone. The pickup crossed the double yellow centerline and collided with three motorcycles traveling eastbound.
The three motorcyclists sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
The 60-year-old female driver of the Ford, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. Following her release, she was arrested and booked into the Idaho County Jail on probable cause for three counts of vehicular manslaughter.
The Idaho County Coroner’s Office will identify the deceased and determine the cause and manner of death.
U.S. Highway 12 was closed for approximately six and one-half hours while emergency responders assisted at the scene and investigators processed evidence.
ISP was assisted by the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho County Coroner’s Office, the Idaho Transportation Department, and local fire and EMS personnel.
The crash remains under investigation.
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