San Francisco, CA (October 22, 2014) - The Good Food Awards are proud to announce the 206 Finalists of 2015, representing the best from America’s growing movement of talented and socially conscious food entrepreneurs. From Louisiana Swampflower Honey to Georgia Pecan Oil to Colorado Umeboshi, tasty, authentic and responsible food is being crafted in every part of the country. This year’s 1,462 entries—the highest number yet—exemplify the country’s diverse and deep-rooted food traditions. Chosen from amongst the 206 Finalists, 150 Good Food Award Winners will be announcedJanuary 8, 2015, at a gala in the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco (limited tickets available, $120 here). The awards themselves will be bestowed on each winner by renowned chef and activist Alice Waters, who helped launch the Good Food Awards five years ago.
The Finalists emerged from a one-day marathon judging session September 7 in San Francisco at the Impact Hub San Francisco, when 180 chefs, retailers, food writers, farmers and food crafters sampled entries from the 11 categories of beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, confections, honey, oils, preserves, pickles and spirits (including new subcategories for cider, kombucha, yogurt, cocktail modifiers and preserved fish). The top taste scorers were further vetted to confirm environmentally sound agriculture, good animal husbandry, transparency, and fair treatment at all stages of the supply chain. The record number and range of entries reflects the vitality of the Good Food Movement and demonstrates the power of ethical, sustainable food to sustain communities and support local economies.
“It was not easy to make it onto this list,” says Sarah Weiner, co-founder and Executive Director of Seedling Projects, the 501 (c) 3 behind the Good Food Awards. “The quality of entries increases every year, and even amongst the highest scoring, nearly two dozen entries didn’t quite meet the high bar we set for sustainability. The 2015 Finalists are truly the leaders in their fields, epitomizing taste, authenticity and responsible production.”
The Good Food Awards are proud to announce a new Presenting Sponsor this year, theGood Food Retailers Collaborative. Composed of ten of the country’s top independent retailers from Brooklyn to Chicago to Philadelphia to Salt Lake City, they are united in their commitment to supporting America’s great food producers both in their own communities and across the country. Joining them is a vibrant group of key supporters, including five-time Premier Sponsors Williams-Sonoma and Bi-Rite Market; and Lead Sponsors Dominic Phillips Event Marketing, CUESA, Impact HUB Bay Area, Veritable Vegetable and the San Francisco Ferry Building.
The Awards Ceremony on January 8 will be followed by the new Good Food Mercantile onJanuary 9, a first-of-its-kind trade show where past and present winners and finalists will have the opportunity to exhibit their wares to an anticipated 350 industry buyers. The public Good Food Awards Marketplace ($5 at the door, $16 early access VIP tickets here) and Beer & Spirits Garden ($16, tickets here) will be held on Saturday, January 10 at the city’s historic San Francisco Ferry Building. There, the 150 winners will offer samples and sell their products alongside the hallmark CUESA farmers’ market, the largest in San Francisco.
See the Awards Ceremony and the Good Food Awards Marketplace details here.
Delicious Stories from Every Region
The Finalists offer a snapshot of how food makers are revitalizing old traditions and crafting new ones throughout the country. Highlights include:
· Our new honey category brought in a sticky rainbow of entries from flowers we didn’t know bloom on our shores. Our judges’ favorites included New York State Black Locust and Buckwheat Honey from Bees’ Needs, Japanese Knotweed Honey from Bedillion Honey Farm in Pennsylvania, Sourwood Honey fromMtnHoney in Georgia, Sonoran Desert Bloom Honey from AZ Queen Bee and North Dakota Wildflower Honey from Kloten Apiaries.
· Brewers are moving beyond fruits and herbs—it seems the latest trend for flavoring brews is native trees! Pennsylvania spruce tips and California manzanita lent flavor to top-scoring beers from Philadelphia’s Yards Brewing Company and San Francisco’s own Fort Point Beer.
· A new subcategory of preserved fish this year brought in new charcutiers working with sustainably sourced, delicious fish, including troll-caught Wild Albacore from Washington’s Island Trollers and Garlic and Olive Oil Preserved CA Anchovies from FISH.
· Mixologists across the country rejoice! This year’s tasting featured a bumper crop of seasonal, responsibly crafted cocktail modifiers, from North Carolina’s rosemary-grapefruit-peppercorn Crude Rizzo Bitters to a Three Chile Syrup fromRoyal Rose Syrups in Maine to a Spiced Peach Shrub from Republic of Jam in Oregon.
· Spreadable meats are everywhere. Our judges loved Formaggio Kitchen’s Tongue and Cheek Terrine from Cambridge, Mass., the House Pâté de Campagne from Virginia’s JM Stock Provisions, Wooden Spoons’ Rabbit Rillettes from San Francisco and Market Hall Foods’ Chicken Liver Mousse from Oakland.
About the Good Food Awards
The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsible. Good Food Award Winners will be announced on January 8, 2015 in San Francisco. On January 10, 2015, Good Food Award-winning products will be showcased at a 15,000-person public marketplace in collaboration with the San Francisco Ferry Building and the CUESA farmers market. The Good Food Awards Seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good.
Seedling Projects 501 (c) 3 organizes the Awards in collaboration with a broad community of food producers, chefs, food writers and passionate food-lovers. It is led by Sarah Weiner and Dominic Phillips, who have united their diverse skills to support the Good Food Movement. Through focused events and strategic models, it engages the public in finding better ways to feed our communities. Find more information at:www.seedlingprojects.org.
2015 Good Food Awards Finalists
BEER
Almanac Beer Co., Farmer’s Reserve Citrus, California
Blackberry Farm, Classic Saison, Tennessee
Bluejacket Brewery, Forbidden Planet & Rheinard de Vos, District of Columbia
Blue Mountain Cider Company, Cherry Hard Apple Cider, Oregon
Chetco Brewing Company, Summer Salmon Single Hop IPA, Oregon
Drake's Brewing Company, Black Robusto Porter, California
Eden Ice Cider, Heirloom Blend, Vermont
Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Black Currant Cider, Washington
Fort Point Beer Company, Manzanita, California
Full Sail Brewing Company, Full Sail Amber Ale, Oregon
High Water Brewing, Aphotic Imperial Porter, California
Jester King Brewery, Atrial Rubicite & Montmorency vs. Balaton, Texas
Lakefront Brewery, Inc., Fuel Café Organic Coffee Stout & Organic Belgium White, Wisconsin
Mystery Brewing Company, Evangeline Saison, North Carolina
Ninkasi Brewing Company, Total Domination IPA & Vanilla Oatis, Oregon
Pagosa Brewing Company, Peachy Peach, Colorado
Port City Brewing Company, Optimal Wit, Virginia
Shacksbury, The 1840, Vermont
Societe Brewing Company, The Pupil, California
Wandering Aengus Ciderworks, Bloom, Oregon
Yards Brewing Company, Extra Special Ale & Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce Ale, Pennsylvania
CHARCUTERIE
Artisan Meat Share, 3 Beast Salami Autumn Harvest 2014, South Carolina
Avalanche Cheese Company, Goat Chorizo & Goat Finocchiona, Colorado
Charlito's Cocina, Salami Picante, New York
Continental Sausage, Smoked Pheasant Sausage, Colorado
Daniele, Inc., Juniper Berry Salame & Whiskey Salame, Rhode Island
EcoFriendly Foods, Americana Prosciutto 28 Month Cure, Virginia
el Salchichero, Doug Fir Salami, California
FISH., Garlic and Olive Oil Preserved California Anchovies, California
Formaggio Kitchen, Summer Sausage & Tongue and Cheek Terrine, Massachusetts
Fra’ Mani Handcrafted Foods, Salame Nostrano, California
Gary West Artisan Smoked Meats, Wood River Smoked Wagyu, Oregon
Island Trollers, Original Troll Caught Albacore, Washington
JM Stock Provisions & Supply, House Paté de Champagne, Virginia
Market Hall Foods, Chicken Liver Mousse, California
Olympic Provisions, Flaco Paco & Salami Etna, Oregon
Smoking Goose, South Cider Salame, Indiana
S. Wallace Edwards & Sons, Peanut Fed Surryano Ham, Virginia
Tails & Trotters, Lonza, Oregon
The French Bulldog, Borgogna Salami, Nebraska
The Local Butcher Shop, Coppa di Testa, California
Wooden Spoons, Pork Rillettes & Rabbit Rillettes, California
CHEESE
Alemar Cheese Company, Bent River Camembert, Minnesota
Avalanche Cheese Company, Goat Cheddar & Midnight Blue, Colorado
Bellwether Farms, Whole Jersey Milk Ricotta & Blackberry Sheeps Milk Yogurt, California
Blackberry Farm, Singing Brook & Under the Pines, Tennessee
Blue Hill Yogurt, Parsnip Yogurt, New York
Briar Rose Creamery, Carena, Oregon
Cowgirl Creamery, Inverness, California
Garden Variety Cheese, Hollyhock, California
Goldin Artisan Goat Cheese, Tomme de Sawtell, Oregon
Jacobs and Brichford Farmstead Cheese, Ameribella, Indiana
Jacobs Creamery, Bloomy, Washington
LaClare Farms, Martone, Wisconsin
Lark's Meadow Farms, Dulcinea 2 year reserve, Idaho
Looking Glass Creamery, Connemara, North Carolina
Marin French Cheese, Petite Breakfast, California
Saint Benoit Creamery, Meyer Lemon Organic French Style Yogurt, California
Sequatchie Cove Creamery, Shakerag Blue, Tennessee
Sprout Creek Farm, Margie, New York
The White Moustache, Greek Style Yogurt, New York
Tomales Farmstead Creamery, Atika, California
Vermont Creamery, Bonne Bouche, Coupole, & Cremont, Vermont
von Trapp Farmstead, Mad River Blue & Mt. Alice, Vermont
White Mountain Foods, Organic Bulgarian Yogurt, Texas
Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative, Blue Hills Bleu, Wisconsin
CHOCOLATE
Acalli Chocolate, El Platanal (Chulucanas, Peru) 70% Dark Chocolate, Louisiana
Black Mountain Chocolate, Mountain Milk Bar, North Carolina
Charm School Chocolate, Coconut Milk Chocolate, Maryland
Dandelion Chocolate, Butuo, Liberia 70%, California
Escazu Chocolates, 70% Tumbes, Peru, North Carolina
French Broad Chocolates, 68% Nicaragua, North Carolina
Guittard Chocolate Company, Collection Etienne 45% Cacao, California
It's Chocolate, Belize 70%, North Carolina
Just Good Chocolate, Madagascar 70%, Michigan
Maverick Chocolate Co., Fahrenheit 513, Ohio
Nathan Miller Chocolate, Ghana 70%, Pennsylvania
Patric Chocolate, 67% Madagascar, Black Licorice Bar, & PBJ OMG, Missouri
To'ak Chocolate, Piedra de Plata – 2014 Rain Harvest, Illinois
COFFEE
Bean Fruit Coffee Co., Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chele’lektu, Mississippi
Blue Bottle Coffee, Ethiopia Sidama Homacho Waeno, New York
Buddy Brew Coffee, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aylele, Florida, Florida
Cafecito Organico, Nuevo Montecisto Huehuetenango, California
Case Coffee Roasters, Kenya Muthonjo AA, Oregon
Commonwealth Coffee, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Konga, Colorado
DOMA Coffee Roasting Company, Ethiopia Suke Quto, Idaho
Four Barrel Coffee, Ethiopia Bulga, California
Flying Goat Coffee, Ethiopia Kochere, California
Gimme! Coffee, Honduras Las Penitas, New York
Kaldi's Coffe Roasting Co., Ethiopia Dama, Missouri
Kuma Coffee, Panama Carmen Estate, Washington
Madcap Coffee, Ethiopia Reko, Michigan
Magpie Coffee Roasters, Kenya Gondo AB, Nevada
Metric Coffee Co., Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Grade 1 & Kenya Kayu AB, Illinois
Metropolis Coffee Co., Ethiopia Sidamo Suke Quto & Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aylele, Illinois
Montana Coffee Traders, Ethiopia Sidama Shilicho Red Cherry Project, Montana
Noble Coffee Roasting, Ethiopian Shilcho, Oregon
Onyx Coffee Lab, Julio’s El Zapote Gesha, Arkansas
Panther Coffee Roasters, Kenya Kirura, Florida
ReAnimator Coffee, Ethiopia, Aramo, Pennsylvania
Square One Coffee, Ethiopia Kore Kochore, Pennsylvania
Verve Coffee Roasters, Elida Estate Green-Tip Geisha, California
CONFECTIONS
Arrowhead Chocolates, Espresso Truffle, Oregon
Askinosie, Dark Milk Chocolate + Black Licorice CollaBARation Bar, Missouri
Big Picture Farm, Roasted Raspberry Rhubarb Goat Milk Caramel, Vermont
Black Dinah Chocolatiers, Cassis de Resistance, Maine
Cacao Art Chocolates, Panther Coffee Chocolate, Florida
Charles Chocolates, Don’t Make Me Snicker, California
Chocolat by Adam Turoni, The Midnight Cherry Eclipse, Georgia
Dear Coco Chocolate, Savannah Toffee Chocolate Bar, Maryland
Escazu Artisan Chocolates, Dark Chocolate Basil Ganache, North Carolina
Feve Artisan Chocolatier, Caramelized Chai Spiced Almonds, California
Ici Ice Cream, Chocolate Almond Dragee & Chocolate Hazelnut Dragee, California
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, Salty Caramel Sauce, Ohio
Kakao Chocolate, Gazpacho Pates de Fruits & Turkish Coffee Truffle, Missouri
Little Apple Granola, Apple Cider Caramels, California
Patric Chocolate, Red Coconut Curry Bar, Missouri
Red Kite Candy, Maple Caramels, Vermont
Sapore della Vita, Caramel Sauce, Florida
Serendipity Confections, Chocolate Covered Butter Caramels with Fleur de Sel, Colorado
Stacy's Sweet Spot, Bodacious Bacon Beer Brittle, Virginia
St. Croix Chocolate Company, Peanut Butter and Wild Grape Jelly Bar, Maine
SunnysideLOCAL Produce, Salted Orange Wheat Beer Caramels, California
Videri Chocolate Factory, Strawberry Anise Ganache, North Carolina
Xocolatl de David, Sourdough & Olive Oil Bar, Oregon
Zoe’s Chocolate Co., Chestnut Honey Brandied Cherries & Yogurt Praline, Pennsylvania
HONEY
Ames Farm, Locust Honey, Minnesota
Apoidea Apiary, Rosemary Infused Dark Knotweed Honey, Pennsylvania
AZ Queen Bee, Pure Raw Honeycomb, Arizona
Ballard Bee Company, Dark Cream Honey, Washington
Bedillion Honey Farm, Japanese Knotweed Honey, Pennsylvania
Bees’ Needs Honey, Black Locust, Black Locust & Blackberry, & Black Locust & Buckwheat, New York
Blackberry Farm, Blackberry Farm Honey, Tennessee
Bloom Honey, White Clover Honey, California
Cloister Honey, Bourbon Infused Honey, North Carolina
Honey Ridge Farms, Clover Creamed Honey, Washington
Kloten Apiaries, Raw Honey, North Dakota
MarElla Honey Bees, Local Raw Honey from the Bay Area, California
Mikolich Family Honey, Coastal Wildflower Honey, California
MtnHoney, Sourwood Honey, Georgia
My Favorite Honey/Beeline Apiary, Louisiana Swampflower Honey, Louisiana
Simmons Family Honey, Wildflower Honey, Georgia
To Bee Young Apiaries, Arden Hills Gold, California
Westwind Orchard, Raw Unpasteurized Honey, New York
OILS
Calivirgin, Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil, California
Cliff Family Winery, Gary & Kit’s Napa Valley Extra Virgin Olive Oil, California
Cloud 9 Orchard, Italian Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil, California
Collina di Mela, Collina di Mela, Oregon
La Tourangelle, Roasted Pistachio Oil & Roasted Walnut Oil, California
Lone Oak Olive Oil, Estate Grown, Tuscan Olives, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, California
Long Meadow Ranch, Napa Valley Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil, California
MoonShadow Grove, Miscela, California
Olivas de Oro, Meyer Lemon Olive Oil & Mission Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil, California
Oliver Oil Co., Pecan Oil, Georgia
Stonehouse California Olive Oil, Basil Oil, California
The Olive Press, Sevillano Extra Virgin Olive Oil, California
PICKLES
Akka's, Eggplant Relish, California
Ann's Raspberry Farm, Pickled Brussel Sprouts & Savory Brussel Sprout Relish, Ohio
American Spoon, Ramp Kimchi, Michigan
Ceceilia's Gardens, Peach Kimchi & Spicy Cardamom Pickles, California
Choi's Kimchi Co., Napa Kimchi, Oregon
'Chups, Mango Ketchup, District of Columbia
Farmer's Daughter, Sweet Corn & Pepper Relish, North Carolina
Firefly Kitchens, Classic Kraut, Washington
Gordy's Pickle Jar, Hot Chili Spears, District of Columbia
Hosta Hill, Kimchi, Massachusetts
Kombucha Brooklyn, Watermelon-Basil Kombucha, New York
Kombucha Wonder Drink, Asian Pear & Ginger Kombucha, Oregon
Lev's Probiotics, Black Currant Kombucha, California
Market Hall Foods, Pickled Mixed Vegetables, California
Olykraut, Smokey Kale, Washington
Ozuké, Cheriboshi & Umeboshi: Salted Paonia Plums, Colorado
Pacific Pickle Works, Jalabeanos, California
Pogue Mahone Pickles, Texas Sweet Heat Pickles, Texas
Real Pickles, Organic Beet Kvass, Massachusetts
Republic of Jam, Pickled Blueberries, Oregon
Southport Grocery & Cafe, Bread & Butter Pickles, Illinois
Sweet Farm Sauerkraut, Old Bay Kraut & Spicy Garlic Pickle Relish, Maryland
Two Chicks Farm, Kimchi, North Carolina
PRESERVES
American Spoon, Wild Thimbleberry Jam, Wild Blueberry Compote, & Cherry Tomato Chutney, Michigan
Bathtub Gin, Limoncello Strawberry, Tennessee
Black Radish Creamery, King B, Ohio
Blake Hill Preserves, Cranberry & Orange Chutney, Vermont
Ceceilia's Gardens, Curried Pumpkin Butter, California
Confituras, Wild Plum Jam, Texas
Crosstown Sweets, Blueberry Apricot Jam, New York
Farmer’s Daughter, Strawberry-Honeysuckle Jam, North Carolina
Green Jam Man, Black Currant Jam, Vermont
Heath Glen's Farm & Kitchen, Pear Champagne & Rosemary Jelly, Minnesota
INNA Jam, Black Mission Fig, California
Johnson Berry Farm, Tayberry Jam, Washington
KATZ, Laroda Plum Preserves, California
Lemon Bird Preserves, Greengage Plum Jam, California
McEvoy Ranch, Lisbon Lavender Jelly, California
Plumtree Jam, Tayberry Jam, Oregon
Potlicker Kitchen, Oatmeal Stout Beer Jelly, Vermont
Southport Grocery & Cafe, Red Pepper Jam, Illinois
The Royale Gourmet Co., Mango Marmalade, Florida
Two Chicks Farm, Spicy Pepper Jelly, North Carolina
Westwind Orchard, Raspberry Jam, New York
SPIRITS
Bloomery Plantation Distillery, Pumpkin Spice Shine, West Virginia
Crude Bitters, Rizzo Bitters, North Carolina
Delaware Distilling Company, Premium Gin, Delaware
Elixir, Inc., Iris, Oregon
Hanson of Sonoma, Original Organic Vodka, California
Heath Glen's Farm & Kitchen, Ginger Lime Syrup, Minnesota
INNA Shrub, Quince Shrub, California
Long Meadow Ranch, Grappa, California
Peak Spirits Farm Distillery, CapRock Organic Pear Brandy, Colorado
RAFT Botanical Cocktail & Soda Syrups, Lemon Ginger Syrup & Hibiscus Lavender Syrup, Oregon
Republic of Jam, Spiced Peach Shrub, Oregon
Royal Rose Syrups, Three Chiles Syrup, Maine
Ship to Shore, Hot Buttered Rum, Illinois
Smooth Ambler Spirits, Barrel Aged Gin, West Virginia
Sonoma Syrup Co, Pure Olive Juice, California
Spirit Works Distillery, Vodka, California
Swallowtail Farm, Blackcurrant Syrup, Michigan
Venus Spirits, Gin Blend No. 1, California
Wine Forest Ltd., Wild Elderberry Shrub, California
Yum Yum Tonics, Blackberry & Thyme Drinking Vinegar, California
