Back in 2008, Devin De Wulf had an idea. He wanted to create a Mardi Gras-style krewe that celebrated the red bean and its impact on New Orleans. He invited some friends over and pitched the idea. Everyone loved it and the Krewe of Red Beans was born.
In the beginning, they would meet at De Wulf’s small New Orleans apartment and they would “bean” their suits. As the krewe grew, they began to meet up at a nearby bar that offered more space to spread out and craft their suits with the glue guns and containers of beans.
Before long, thousands of people would come out to celebrate Lundi Gras with the Krewe of Red Beans. In an email from De Wulf, he said “I began to understand how a bean parade could be used as a force for good.”
Always an idea man, De Wulf thought that the Krewe of Red Beans could be more than just a conventional marching group. One way that the Krewe could do more, was to have a place not just for them to call home, but also to be a community resource – a place not just for them, but a place for the community to share in.
Red Beans and Rice is a communal meal, right? It is meant for the community to come together and share in. It’s only fitting that the Krewe of Red Beans is there for the community and that has been De Wulf’s goal.
We all know that culture is New Orleans’s greatest treasure and he and the Krewe of Red Beans are not only working on preserving it, appreciating it, and celebrating it, but also making sure that it isn’t going anywhere.
He has created a variety of projects that have helped the New Orleans community. Here are just some:
- Feed the Second Line was created during the COVID-19 outbreak. This project raised money for groceries for the older culture bearers, employed musicians with gig work, and more. It raised over $300,000 worth of job opportunities and purchased over $168,000 worth of groceries.
- Hire a Mardi Gras Artist hired artists to create “house floats”. This raised over $330,000 for artists in New Orleans to survive during the shutdown.
- Bean Coin supported neighborhood bars by raising $50,000 in fronted money so they could stay open and stabilize their businesses.
- Fest Fest hired musicians to perform in backyards when the Jazz Fest was canceled and raised over $100,000.
For more information on the projects created by De Wulf and the Krewe of Red Beans you can visit this website: https://www.kreweofredbeans.org/projects-2.
What is Beanlandia?
With a couple of loans, De Wulf was able to purchase a 25,000-square-foot former furniture warehouse at the corner of Piety and Royal Street in the Bywater neighborhood. This new clubhouse was named Beanlandia.
In November 2023, Beanlandia officially opened. The building is located at 3300 Royal Street. Beanlandia is a community center, event space, cultural museum, and music venue. It will host a variety of programs and events along with live music, and more. There will be kid-programming, community-building events, and a way to invest back into the culture.
One such event is the weekly series called La Louisiane, which is curated by Grammy-award-winning musician Louis Michot. This series will celebrate and support the French-language music of Louisiana.
The main attraction is the Bean Museum. This one-of-a-kind museum will give the history of the Krewe of Red Beans, you can learn about the Lundi Gras parade, and see some of the best-made bean suits that were crafted by members of the Krewe. You’ll leave knowing how unique this bean parade and Krewe really is.
One form of revenue that will help maintain Beanlandia, is from out-of-state visitors. When tourists come to New Orleans, and by visiting Beanlandia, the money will directly go back into the Bean Museum and the events held there which will make a direct impact on the community.
It’s estimated that over 20 million visitors visit New Orleans every year. Tourism is the biggest form of revenue but the money generated doesn’t really help the community because if it did, there wouldn’t be as much poverty or inequality, right?
So where do you and I come in if we are not in New Orleans?
Devin De Wulf’s and Beanlandia’s goal is to have over 2000 monthly donating members. These memberships will help all in all kinds of basic needs to keep Beanlandia and the help it brings to the community going.
You can join Beanlandia wherever you are. Membership is based on a pay-what-you-can monthly basis. If you can donate up to $15 a month, it will help cover the basic costs of maintaining the building. Up to $30 a month will help cover staffing and healthcare. $60 or more a month will help create more programming. There are different donation levels and perks on the website including the one-time donation to have a Glitter Bean placed in the building with your name on it.
So when you do visit New Orleans, you can enter Beanlandia at no extra cost because you are a member. If you’re going to be in town on Lundi Gras, you can register to march with the Krewe of Red Beans. You will also receive discounted prices for foodie-events, and discounted prices for all special events. You will even have opportunities to volunteer.
And best of all: you can feel good for helping make New Orleans a better place.
Word-of-mouth publicity and donations will help to keep Beanlandia going. It will become a destination place for locals in the community and for tourists exploring the unique spots in New Orleans. I know whenever I’m in New Orleans, I’ll be at Beanlandia. We travel with our kids and I can’t wait to take them there.
You can help by joining Beanlandia.
I am a member. I’ve followed and supported everything Devin De Wulf has done over the years and would consider him to be one of the greatest ambassadors of New Orleans and its culture. He is one person that has made an extremely positive impact on the city. He inspires so many others – including me.
You can too.
I am proof that you don’t have to live in New Orleans to help and donate to New Orleans and its culture. Donate whatever it is you can. I do.
Red Beans and Rice is all about community and tradition, and so is the Krewe of Red Beans. Let’s be a part of something great together. You never know, one day we can march on Lundi Gras as members of the Krewe of Red Beans together.
For more information on joining Beanlandia, please follow this link: https://www.kreweofredbeans.org/join
Beanlandia is located at 3300 Royal Street in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. You can find more information online, along with upcoming events, at: https://www.kreweofredbeans.org/
If you want more information on Devin De Wulf, here is the link to my interview with him titled DEVIN DE WULF: How Do You Red Bean?
THANK YOU FOR READING!
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KEEP THE RED BEANS COOKIN’!
ERIC
Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
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