What exactly is a “lille bønne?”

I know the rules for choosing a brand name from years and years in marketing: pick something clear, descriptive, unique, easy to read and understand... Depending on who you ask, Lille Bønne doesn’t exactly fit into any of those categories.

Most people don’t know how to pronounce it. It’s not even in English. It’s easily confused with a commune in France. So what the heck is it, even?

Holy Rosary-Danish Church Historic District (Historical Marker Database)

It’s a nod to the history of our neighborhood. Lille Bønne, is the Danish translation for Little Bean. Why Danish? Though more commonly referred to as Fletcher Place, the little triangle of Indianapolis between Virginia Ave, East St, and I-65/70, is technically an enclave named Holy Rosary Danish Church. And we are located in that very Danish Church. There’s a strong Italian presence in this community (the Holy Rosary part), and we wanted to highlight the Danish influence in the founding of this neighborhood over 150 years ago.

It’s a nod to (one of) our products. You can’t make coffee without beans. And they’re quite little, aren’t they?

It’s a nod to my daughter. Rowan Reckard is a girl of many nicknames. Robo, Ro-Ro, Rosie, Beanie, Little Bean. Returning to the world after a global pandemic at the same time as my two very small children were gaining some independence left me inspired and ready to re-emerge like a phoenix from the ashes. Motherhood has been such a significant part of my journey to this concept, and having children made me value and want to foster community more than anything else has. The name Lille Bønne is a little easter egg to myself about the origins of this community, this chapter in my life, and my kids—the people who inspire me the most.

Sweet Little Bean (aka Rowan) on the front steps of Lille Bønne.