For 25 years, Maggie Sadowsky has been a leading authority in plant-based foods. She’s created more than 100 successful products for some of the biggest names in the industry. She’s traveled the world to share her expertise at conferences and summits.

But Maggie decided she was ready for a new challenge a few years ago. It came from a belief that she can “reinvent the stalest product in the grocery store which is a can of beans” with 8 Track Foods. And no, the name doesn’t have anything to do with a classic music collection, but we’ll explain shortly.

By partnering with Market Wagon, Maggie appreciates she can create brand awareness as well as build an authentic, strong community presence where she can interact with customers and answer any questions they have.

“The growth shows,” Maggie says. “I have to admit, Market Wagon makes it so easy to use from a vendor perspective.”

The process to reinvent beans and begin 8 Track Foods wasn’t easy. She found a great farmers co-op in Michigan to grow organic black beans and organic kidney beans, not far from her headquarters in Batavia, Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs. She launched in January 2020, just months before the pandemic hit.

As for the name, while Maggie does love music, the “8” is actually the infinity symbol. She chose it because she sees it as a representation of complete sustainability. It’s a design which feeds back on itself with no waste stream.

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That’s how she sees her brand, rewinding the clock back to a simpler era. Besides the bean, the only other ingredients in 8 Track Foods’ cans are water and a small amount of salt. Each of her products is USDA-certified organic.

“We’re getting our food supply back on track,” Maggie says. “We’ve gotten too far away from what it’s supposed to be.”

That philosophy exhibits itself in other ways too. All cans are magnetic so they can be easily recovered in the recycling process. In addition, Maggie donates a portion of profits to Cleanhub, a start-up company that collects plastic from the ocean and repurposes it for other uses. So far, 8 Track Foods has funded the removal of 2,200 pounds of plastic from the ocean. Maggie believes it’s an important effort to create a better world for the next generation, including her two teenage children.

8 Track Foods is a certified woman-owned business with Maggie being the only full-time employee along with two part-time workers. In fact, her father has been the one making most of the deliveries to Market Wagon for 8 Track Foods since the business joined the platform in August 2020.

“I love Market Wagon! I love the concept,” Maggie says. “It helps small vendors get to compete in a streamlined way.”

8 Track Foods is being added to more markets throughout the Midwest as part of the Beyond Local offerings in Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. Her cans of organic chickpeas are also sourced domestically from a group of farmers in the Pacific Northwest.  And be sure to look for a new product soon—cannellini beans which will also be offered on Market Wagon.