Behind the brand
Why we're here
Hello! I'm Jen. Before starting Paper & Bean I worked as an Art Director in magazines where I designed pages, mag covers and directed photoshoots. In 2017 my nephew was born and I found it amazing watching how quickly he was learning. I decided I wanted to create something for him - something exciting that he'd learn from but also not outgrow within a month!
I started drawing some ideas, finding my style along the way. I designed a bear character followed by lots more animals and without me knowing it, they were becoming our Animal Alphabet Flash Cards. By the time I'd finished them they became my nephew's 2nd birthday present. I'd worked on creating a brand alongside designing the cards and I launched our Paper & Bean website at the end of July 2019.
There's a bit more to the story
The idea of turning the flash cards into a brand came about when me and my husband wanted to start a family and it turned out not to be so easy. We ended up going through IVF so to minimise stress, work around appointments and focus on what really mattered, I quit my job and went freelance.
The days I was at home I started setting up Paper & Bean - it was a distraction from talk about eggs, pessaries and syringes! We were really lucky with the IVF process and feel so grateful to now have our little girl. I launched our Monthly Moments Cards the week she was born and was posting content on Instagram while changing that first tar poo in hospital! I fit in work where I can around looking after our little one to try and grow this small business.
Our inspiration
The inspiration for our products follows the journey of our little girl. Her development sparks ideas for new products that she'll engage with, things to encourage her inquisitiveness and the want to learn. This leads to our collections being the simple base for curious minds to get creative, build imagination and learn through make believe play. As our designs follow our little ones development and interests, you'll notice our product range growing alongside her.
Where did the name Paper & Bean come from?
One of our values at Paper & Bean is about being content with the little things, and that's just how the name came about in the first place; the enjoyment of sitting with a book or magazine (Paper) with a coffee in hand (Bean). It's as simple as that!