Bean Snowboards: The new taste of Boston

By Matt Boxler

BOSTON – Three years ago, Brian Callan, Collin Murray and Mike McGraw were attending college together at Northeastern; they were living in the basement of an Allston apartment building beneath Scott Petrichko, and somewhere along the way they struck up a friendship with Patrick O’Leary.

That’s the story of how this band of twenty-somethings got together. Only this band didn’t jump into the studio to press a CD, they opened a shop in a Brighton two-car garage to pursue their dream of hand-crafting their own snowboards. Today, Bean Snowboards has rolled out its first official product line -- 100 boards in two styles and three lengths.

“Today’s our official launch,” Callan said at the Boston Globe Ski and Snowboard Expo on Nov. 20, where the Bean booth was filled with samples, literature, video, images, Bean apparel and a variety of interested riders. The Bean boys were undeniably popular alongside many of the industry giants.

Getting to this point didn’t happen overnight, though.

“One day we’re sitting around and we started to ask, ‘hey, can we make our own boards?’” recalled Callan, who earned his degree in mechanical engineering, along with Murphy and McGraw. “So, we did a lot of online research.”

They built their first board from start to finish in a vacuum press three years ago. The prototype featured an all-wood core with Triaxial fiberglass, and the Bean team performed all their own routing, tapering, graphics, molding, grinding, etc. They took the board for its initial test ride at Killington, where it performed admirably.Four of the five co-owners of Bean Snowboards (from left, Collin Murray, Brian Callan, Mike McGraw and Scott Petrichko) take time for a photo during the company’s official product launch at the Ski and Snowboard Expo in Boston.

Callan said the benefit of a “small builder” in this industry is that Bean can perform quality checks on each and every board. “We will have fewer defects and it’s easier for us to tweak,” he said.

Last season, Bean produced 35 boards for testing and demo’s, receiving more positive feedback. Back at the shop, they made some additional modifications. Most notably, their Turbo Press is now pressurized with a fire hose, and they are outsourcing their cores to a woodworker in another part of the state.

“It slowly evolved,” Callan said. “This year we’re putting out 100 boards.”

The Bean product line for 2008-2009 includes The Violator ($375) and The Commonwealth, a.k.a. “The Comm” ($399).

The Violator is a jib board available at 149, 153 and 157. It’s a true twin with an aggressive sidecut and larger width for stability. It has a Popple Combo Core, TriaxGlass, hardened CarbonSteel edges and Sintered base.

The Commonwealth, available at 153, 157 and 161, is a directional twin with strategically placed carbon, designed for all-mountain riding.

Bean also has a line of apparel, including a hoody, a couple tee’s and bandanas (“danbanas”) that proudly display Bean’s “Made in Boston” logo.

In October the Bean team brought some Violators out to Wachusett Mountain, Mass., where they set up a box and rail demo, and let people try it out. The company has also sponsored its first team rider, Eugene Stancato, 19. Stancato is a high-placing fixture on the Loon Mountain Open series.

The company is trying to get their product into a few local shops but for now, the best bet to land yourself a Bean is to contact them directly at www.beansnowboarding.com.

“We want to sell all 100” Callan said of Bean’s goal for 2008-2009, a large smile forming on his face. “If we sell them all and get to do it again next year ...”