BAM (Because Agriculture Matters) is a mission-driven food startup offering America’s first plant-based milk made from buckwheat. The company officially launched its flagship BAM Buckwheat Milk in November 2023, introducing a new non-dairy alternative aimed at improving both personal health and agricultural sustainability. Founded by Paige Hansen, BAM was created to diversify the crops used in our food system – starting with buckwheat – in order to support soil health, climate resilience, and nutrition. Hansen’s vision for BAM grew from her own experiences: she developed a dairy allergy over a decade ago and grew up in California’s Central Valley, where drought impacts on almond farming inspired her to seek a more sustainable milk alternative.
BAM was founded in Encinitas, California, with the core mission reflected in its name: “Because Agriculture Matters.” Hansen officially launched the business in late 2023 after several years of product development and market research. Environmental sustainability was a key motivation – Hansen saw buckwheat as a “climate-smart, inherently regenerative, pollinator-friendly” crop that could improve soil health and use less water than almonds (the basis of many dairy alternatives). By creating consumer demand for buckwheat, BAM aims to give farmers an incentive to grow this underutilized crop, thereby diversifying agriculture and benefiting the environment. At the same time, the company addresses personal health needs: buckwheat is naturally gluten-free and nutrient-dense, and Hansen herself had turned to plant-based milks due to a dairy sensitivity. This dual focus on sustainable agriculture and healthy, allergen-friendly nutrition defined BAM’s founding mission. Hansen has summed up her goal plainly as getting “more climate-smart crops into your favorite food and beverage products”.
BAM Buckwheat Milk is the startup’s signature product and the first of its kind in the U.S. Developing a buckwheat-based milk from scratch was a pioneering effort – there was no existing roadmap for formulating or scaling such a product. Hansen worked closely with food scientists and farmers during R&D, even prototyping the beverage at Cornell University’s Food Venture Center with input from organic buckwheat growers. The result was a creamy, subtly nutty plant-based milk made from organic buckwheat groats and simple ingredients. BAM launched with three varieties of its buckwheat milk: Original, Hint of Vanilla, and Extra Creamy (the latter boosted with pea protein for 8g protein per serving). All versions are certified USDA Organic and contain 4g of complete plant-based protein per cup (with all nine essential amino acids, thanks to buckwheat). The milks are also free from gums, oils, and artificial additives, aligning with BAM’s clean-label ethos. By early 2024, BAM’s products were on refrigerated shelves in Southern California natural grocery stores, offering consumers a “deliciously different” dairy alternative that supports regenerative agriculture.
August 2023: Before its official launch, BAM was selected as one of ten participants in Whole Foods Market’s Local and Emerging Accelerator Program (LEAP) Early Growth cohort. This provided the young brand with mentorship and a $25,000 equity investment opportunity, and set the stage for a partnership with Whole Foods.
November 2023: BAM Buckwheat Milk launched in the Southern California market, making its debut as the first buckwheat milk in America. Founder Paige Hansen noted that consumer education would be crucial, since “not many people in the U.S. know what buckwheat is”, but she was driven to introduce the crop to a wider audience .
Early 2024: The company secured its first major retail placements. In April 2024, BAM Buckwheat Milk hit select Whole Foods Market stores across Southern California, as well as other regional natural grocers like Jimbo’s, Erewhon, Mother’s Market, and GOODONYA. Whole Foods’ local forager praised BAM’s innovative approach and worked closely with the brand through the LEAP program, helping bring the buckwheat milk to market.
April 2024: BAM was named a finalist in the Naturally San Diego Pitch Slam, a Shark Tank–style competition showcasing emerging natural product brands. Founder and CEO Paige Hansen pitched live on stage, reflecting the company’s growing momentum in the startup community. (The Pitch Slam also connected BAM with industry advisors and potential investors, even though the ultimate winner was another brand.)
Late 2023 – 2024: The startup garnered significant media and industry recognition for its unique product. Buckwheat’s resurgence was highlighted as a top food trend for 2024 by multiple sources, with Whole Foods Market’s annual trends report predicting buckwheat appearing in everything from alt-milks to snacks. Food Network Magazine included BAM Buckwheat Milk in its 2024 “Green List,” featuring it as an eco-friendly innovation that “requires less water [to produce] and regenerates overfarmed soil”. Bon Appétit magazine also featured BAM’s milk in a 2024 round-up of new non-dairy milks, noting its nutty flavor and high protein content as a standout among next-generation alternatives. Such press coverage helped validate BAM’s concept and introduced buckwheat milk to curious consumers on a national scale.
September 2024: Facing rapid early growth, BAM made the strategic decision to pause its retail sales temporarily in order to scale up production and improve its formulation. As the first buckwheat-based milk, manufacturing at scale posed challenges (for example, developing a stable buckwheat concentrate for large batches). Hansen announced that the team would refine their production processes and come back with an even better product. During this hiatus, they gathered customer feedback and achieved improvements in taste and texture, even making “BAM 2.0” allergen-free by removing ingredients like coconut that some consumers found problematic. This regrouping set the stage for a stronger relaunch.
Like many startups, BAM has navigated its share of challenges. Market education has been one hurdle: buckwheat is a common crop globally but relatively unfamiliar to many American consumers. Hansen identified early on that a lack of awareness was a barrier – part of her motivation in going on Shark Tank was simply to “spread the word about buckwheat, an incredible crop”. To tackle this, BAM built education into its branding and outreach. The packaging itself includes simple illustrations of buckwheat roots and notes about soil health, aiming to make agricultural concepts accessible. Hansen’s background in journalism and storytelling proved valuable here, as she crafted BAM’s narrative to connect the dots between a healthier planet and a tasty milk alternative.
Scaling up production has been another significant challenge. Being a category-first product, BAM had to innovate its manufacturing process without precedent. During the summer of 2024, as demand grew, the team encountered formulation and processing issues when ramping up to larger production runs. Ingredients and methods that worked in small batches needed tweaking at scale. Rather than risk product quality, Hansen chose to halt store distribution temporarily and invest time in R&D for process improvements. This decision, while difficult, allowed BAM to fix issues (such as separation stability and flavor consistency) and emerge with an improved formula. By soliciting consumer feedback and iterating, the company turned a setback into an opportunity to better meet customer expectations.
Additionally, the general challenges of any new CPG business – from securing reliable suppliers and co-packers to raising capital – have been part of BAM’s journey. Hansen has likened the persistence required in entrepreneurship to her days as a reporter chasing a story: one must be “okay with hearing ‘no’ and finding a way to get a ‘yes’” to build a business. This resilience has been crucial in overcoming obstacles and continuing to push the company forward.
Founder Paige Hansen
Paige Hansen’s personal and professional background uniquely prepared her to lead BAM. She earned her Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri in 2010 and spent nearly six years as a television news reporter, working across three different markets. During those years she often gravitated toward covering local agriculture stories, a reflection of her upbringing in Fresno, California – a major farming region. Her own switch to dairy-free living (due to a high sensitivity to dairy) over a decade ago further deepened her interest in the emerging plant-based food space.
After leaving the news industry, Hansen transitioned into business roles, moving to New York City and working in sales and marketing positions – including at an agtech startup – before striking out on her own. This blend of experiences in storytelling, agriculture, and startup culture set the stage for BAM’s creation. Hansen has stated that the skills she honed as a reporter – research, storytelling, and connecting with people – have been “invaluable in building her own business”. She applies those skills to evangelize BAM’s mission and to forge partnerships (from working with farmers and food scientists to pitching investors and retailers).
As the founder and CEO, Hansen has been the driving force behind BAM’s development. She led the product formulation process (even hand-delivering early prototypes to farmers for feedback), developed the brand’s educational messaging, and actively represents the company at industry events. Under her leadership, BAM has achieved early accolades such as certification as a woman-owned business by WBENC and inclusion in Whole Foods’ accelerator – milestones that reflect the company’s values and promise. Hansen’s role encompasses everything from high-level strategy to advocating for sustainable agriculture on public platforms. Through it all, she has maintained BAM’s core ethos that improving what’s in the carton can positively impact farmers, consumers, and the planet alike.
