Taste Radio

When Ibraheem Basir launched A Dozen Cousins in 2018, retail buyers questioned the marketability of the brand’s first products, a line of premium-positioned cooked beans. Four years later, those buyers are asking a different question: “How do we keep up with consumer demand?” A former marketing executive with General Mills, Basir founded A Dozen Cousins to increase accessibility of better-for-you food within Black and Latino communities via healthy ingredients, authentic seasonings and convenient preparation. Available in varieties such as Mexican Cowboy Pinto Beans and Trini Chickpea Curry, the beans are packaged in microwavable pouches that can be heated in 60 seconds. As A Dozen Cousins expanded distribution, the brand found traction with a broad variety of consumers seeking a quick, flavorful meal or side dish. The company has since added two complementary product lines – bone-broth cooked rice and seasoning sauces for rice and meat dishes – and widened its presence in stores across retail channels, inclu