Becky Kuntzelman | Johnson Publications
June Business of the Month is Trinidad Benham. The employees who run the plant are standing from left, Hiram Callias, Yennifer Espinal, Lorena Valenzia, Jack Schnieder, Deisy Matute, James Enterline, Juan Ruiz, Ascension Diaez and Vannesa Duarte. Those sitting are, from left, Sergio Garcia, Lyle Harms, Ramon Gonzales and Rene Ventura. Not pictured—Andrei Rodriguez.
Chamber’s honor in June goes to Trinidad Benham
The Imperial Chamber of Commerce has selected Trinidad Benham as June’s Business of the Month.
Jack Schnieder is the field representative for the Imperial location.
“I’ve been in the bean industry for over 40 years and at Trinidad Benham since 1997,” he said.
Trinidad Benham began as Trinidad Bean and Elevator in Trinidad, Colorado in 1917.
The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017.
“I don’t know how long it’s been in Imperial, but it was here long before I started,” Schnieder said.
The Imperial plant handles dry beans and aluminum foil.
“We take in dry beans from local farmers, process (clean) them and ship them to a processing and packaging facility. Beans are put in one pound bags for grocery stores and shipped by truck all over the country,” he said.
Schnieder said not many people know they also package aluminum foil.
“The aluminum foil arrives in bulk rolls, and we process it by packing it for household use,” he added.
The Trinidad Benham Imperial plant is run by 14 employees.