diff --git a/app/bc.go b/app/bc.go
index 81e559f4a..46d1a1ca0 100644
--- a/app/bc.go
+++ b/app/bc.go
@@ -4,13 +4,13 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	abci "github.com/tendermint/abci/types"
-	"github.com/tendermint/abci/version"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/log"
 
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/errors"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/stack"
 	sm "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/state"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/version"
 )
 
 // Basecoin - The ABCI application
@@ -61,7 +61,13 @@ func (app *Basecoin) InitState(module, key, value string) (string, error) {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("unknown base option: %s", key)
 	}
 
-	return app.handler.InitState(app.Logger(), state, module, key, value)
+	log, err := app.handler.InitState(app.Logger(), state, module, key, value)
+	if err != nil {
+		app.Logger().Error("Genesis App Options", "err", err)
+	} else {
+		app.Logger().Info(log)
+	}
+	return log, err
 }
 
 // DeliverTx - ABCI
@@ -119,25 +125,3 @@ func (app *Basecoin) BeginBlock(req abci.RequestBeginBlock) {
 		app.AddValChange(diff)
 	}
 }
-
-// LoadGenesis parses the genesis file and sets the initial
-// state based on that
-func (app *Basecoin) LoadGenesis(filePath string) error {
-	init, err := GetInitialState(filePath)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	// execute all the genesis init options
-	// abort on any error
-	fmt.Printf("%#v\n", init)
-	for _, mkv := range init {
-		log, _ := app.InitState(mkv.Module, mkv.Key, mkv.Value)
-		// TODO: error out on bad options??
-		// if err != nil {
-		// 	return err
-		// }
-		app.Logger().Info(log)
-	}
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/app/genesis.go b/app/genesis.go
index ceb0e1156..29031d269 100644
--- a/app/genesis.go
+++ b/app/genesis.go
@@ -14,17 +14,43 @@ const (
 	ModuleNameBase = "base"
 )
 
-// InitState just holds module/key/value triples from
+// Option just holds module/key/value triples from
 // parsing the genesis file
-type InitState struct {
+type Option struct {
 	Module string
 	Key    string
 	Value  string
 }
 
-// GetInitialState parses the genesis file in a format
-// that can easily be handed into InitState modules
-func GetInitialState(path string) ([]InitState, error) {
+// InitStater is anything that can handle app options
+// from genesis file.
+type InitStater interface {
+	InitState(module, key, value string) (string, error)
+}
+
+// LoadGenesis parses the genesis file and sets the initial
+// state based on that
+func LoadGenesis(app InitStater, filePath string) error {
+	opts, err := GetGenesisOptions(filePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// execute all the genesis init options
+	// abort on any error
+	for _, opt := range opts {
+		_, _ = app.InitState(opt.Module, opt.Key, opt.Value)
+		// TODO: error out on bad options??
+		// if err != nil {
+		//  return err
+		// }
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// GetGenesisOptions parses the genesis file in a format
+// that can easily be handed into InitStaters
+func GetGenesisOptions(path string) ([]Option, error) {
 	genDoc, err := loadGenesis(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -32,21 +58,21 @@ func GetInitialState(path string) ([]InitState, error) {
 
 	opts := genDoc.AppOptions
 	cnt := 1 + len(opts.Accounts) + len(opts.pluginOptions)
-	res := make([]InitState, cnt)
+	res := make([]Option, cnt)
 
-	res[0] = InitState{ModuleNameBase, ChainKey, genDoc.ChainID}
+	res[0] = Option{ModuleNameBase, ChainKey, genDoc.ChainID}
 	i := 1
 
 	// set accounts
 	for _, acct := range opts.Accounts {
-		res[i] = InitState{"coin", "account", string(acct)}
+		res[i] = Option{"coin", "account", string(acct)}
 		i++
 	}
 
 	// set plugin options
 	for _, kv := range opts.pluginOptions {
 		module, key := splitKey(kv.Key)
-		res[i] = InitState{module, key, kv.Value}
+		res[i] = Option{module, key, kv.Value}
 		i++
 	}
 
diff --git a/app/genesis_test.go b/app/genesis_test.go
index ccb1229dc..ee73ceb0f 100644
--- a/app/genesis_test.go
+++ b/app/genesis_test.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func TestLoadGenesisDoNotFailIfAppOptionsAreMissing(t *testing.T) {
 		logger)
 	require.Nil(t, err, "%+v", err)
 
-	err = app.LoadGenesis("./testdata/genesis3.json")
+	err = LoadGenesis(app, "./testdata/genesis3.json")
 	require.Nil(t, err, "%+v", err)
 }
 
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ func TestLoadGenesis(t *testing.T) {
 		logger)
 	require.Nil(err, "%+v", err)
 
-	err = app.LoadGenesis(genesisFilepath)
+	err = LoadGenesis(app, genesisFilepath)
 	require.Nil(err, "%+v", err)
 
 	// check the chain id
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func TestLoadGenesisAccountAddress(t *testing.T) {
 		logger)
 	require.Nil(err, "%+v", err)
 
-	err = app.LoadGenesis(genesisAcctFilepath)
+	err = LoadGenesis(app, genesisAcctFilepath)
 	require.Nil(err, "%+v", err)
 
 	// check the chain id
diff --git a/server/commands/start.go b/server/commands/start.go
index 825e9bfd3..117ec6b2b 100644
--- a/server/commands/start.go
+++ b/server/commands/start.go
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func start(rootDir string, basecoinApp *app.Basecoin) error {
 		// If genesis file exists, set key-value options
 		genesisFile := path.Join(rootDir, "genesis.json")
 		if _, err := os.Stat(genesisFile); err == nil {
-			err := basecoinApp.LoadGenesis(genesisFile)
+			err = app.LoadGenesis(basecoinApp, genesisFile)
 			if err != nil {
 				return errors.Errorf("Error in LoadGenesis: %v\n", err)
 			}