Women's Bean Project Review & Giveaway!

When I came across a company called the Women’s Bean Project, I was not only impressed by their items but by their philosophy as well. Women’s Bean Project is a social enterprise that was founded in 1989. Their mission is to help women break from the cycle of unemployment and poverty. The Women’s Bean Project believes in offering employment to women in this situation to teach them the skills they require to break the cycle. The Women’s Bean Project is taking a step, which will allow women to support themselves and their families. By showing these women it is possible to break the cycle, they are allowing them to become stronger role models in their communities. This can show future generations the power of hope and dedication.

After reading the story about how the Women’s Bean Project came to be, I was touched. It is so great to see a company working to benefit their communities instead of just their pockets. This world needs more companies that have the same type of philosophy; these are the ones that make the biggest difference!

All of the products sold by the Women’s Bean Project are prepared and packed individually by the women in their program. As told by the Women’s Bean Project, “With each purchase, you're helping women break the cycle of poverty and chronic unemployment.” This means the “more products [they] sell, the more women [they] can employ and benefit.”

You can find out more about how the Women’s Bean Project came to be and their wonderful story by reading their page titled ‘What We Do.’

Women’s Bean Project – ‘Transforming the Lives of Women.’

Review
Tamra (CEO of Women’s Bean Project) offered to send me a variety of their products so I could review my favorites and help spread the word about both their products and their program. A couple of weeks ago, you may have read my review of the ever so popular Cindy's Sinfully Chocolate Brownie Mix on my sister site, Everything 'In the Kitchen' Up Close. This time, I have chosen to review the Women's Bean Project's Dillicious Dill Dip Mix. Since I am a huge fan of dill and dip, I figured this would be an ideal choice! This is what the Women’s Bean Project website had to say about this dip mix: “This dip is so refreshing! Blend with 16 oz. of sour cream and dip in. Service with fresh vegetables or infuse in butter and use as a tasty complement to your favorite fish dish. All natural. No sugar or preservatives." In addition to the Dillicious Dill Dip Mix, the Women's Ben Project also offers others dips, such a PJ's smoking tomato dip mix and the Garlic and herb dip mix!

There are a few things I really enjoyed about the Dillicious Dill Dip Mix. First of all, I loved the flavour. Second of all, I was pleased with how easy it was to make. Lastly, I loved all the recipes that the Women's Bean Project includes with the packaging.

To make the dillicious dill dip, here is what the package suggests, "Mix package with 8 oz. of sour cream and 8 oz. of mayonnaise. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve." Because I love the taste of cream cheese and I feel it is a healthier option than sour cream and mayonnaise, I chose to use that instead. I used about 1/2 of a 250g tub of light Philadelphia cream cheese and mixed it with approximately 1/3 of the dillicious dill dip mix. It turned out great! I tried it when I first made it and after about 24 hours in the refrigerator. If you can't wait to try your dip mix, eating it right away will be just fine. However, if you leave it in the refrigerator for an hour (or longer) it will just add to the intensity of the flavour.

There was only one thing I'd change about the flavour of this dip. When I tasted it, it tasted like their was parsley in it (although it isn't mentioned in the ingredients list). Whatever the flavour was, it seemed to be about the same intensity of the dill, which caused the taste of the dill to be masked slightly. The second time I made this dip, I decided to add some fresh chopped dill to the dip. That made this great dip even better. Since I am a major dill lover, most people would probably find the dip the way it is, just fine. However, if you are like me and love dill, I suggest adding a bit of extra fresh or dried dill.

As mentioned previously, I also enjoyed all the different recipes that the Women's Bean Project included on the Dillicious Dill Dip Mix package. It is nice to know that I can do more with this mix than just make dip. Some of the recipes included, Infused Butter, Crispy Chicken Tenders Strips with Dill Dip, Salad Dressing, and as a dry rub for pork. In addition to these fabulous recipes, the Women's Bean Project also included ideas on how to present or serve this dip mix.

Finally, I really like the way the Women’s Bean Project packages this product. First of all, their packaging is great because they are 100% recyclable. Secondly, I love how each package has a reminder of one woman you helped in their project. Each package a space/flap, which has the signature of the woman who put together your product. On my package it said, "Lovingly Handmade by Jennifer. Thank you for supporting the Women’s Bean Project. This product has been assembled by participants of the Women’s Bean Project. We are a social enterprise that offers a transitional job in gourmet food manufacturing designed to provide immediate income, arrange support service to overcome barriers to employment, and teach the job readiness skills needed to get and keep a job. These tools empower women to create better lives for themselves, provide their families with hope, and contribute to a stronger community."

Overall, I remain completely impressed with both the Women's Bean Project and their products. I love the philosophy behind this company and it makes me happy to know that my purchase directly impacts another women's life. I can guarantee, the Women's Bean Project is a company that I will definitely order from in the future.

What can you win? One winner will receive a Soup and Cornbread bundle from Women’s Bean Project. This is their best-selling gift bundle!


To enter, Tell me the name of one other product from the Women’s Bean Project that you would love to try. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway. Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:
-Telling me the name of your favorite soup.
-Signing up for the Women’s Bean Project Newsletter. Please let me know which email address you used to sign up.
-Subscribing to my blog via email.
-Adding my button to your blog sidebar.
-Following me on Twitter (ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name.
-Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page) on Twitter. Please leave a link to your tweet. You can do this once a day.
-Blogging about this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and Women's Bean Project. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, April 18th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide!

Good Luck!