The Good Food Awards has announced this year’s 182 finalists from 31 states, chosen from among 1,366 entries in nine industries.
This year’s finalists represent the leaders of a growing movement of conscientious, talented food producers in every part of the country, from the producer of Jalapeño Mint Pickles, created to reduce food waste at an Austin farmers’ market, to Tarentaise cheese, made at an educational farm in Vermont that hosts 700 children a year.
The 100 winners will be announced in a 400-person black-tie ceremony at the San Francisco Ferry Building Jan. 18, 2013, followed by a 15,000-person Good Food Awards Marketplace on Jan. 19. Winners will sample and sell their winning products at the public Marketplace, which takes place alongside the renowned CUESA Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Finalists are those entrants that rise to the top in the blind tasting and are also able to clearly articulate how they fit the Good Food Awards’ industry-specific criteria of environmental and social responsibility. Finalists attested to responsible production by detailing their efforts to eliminate or reduce pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers, source ingredients locally where possible, implement water and energy conservation, ensure traceability to the farm level, practice good animal husbandry, and exercise fair and transparent treatment of workers and suppliers.
“With 40 percent more entries this year, being a Good Food Awards Finalist means more than ever before,” said Director Sarah Weiner. “We look forward to seeing some familiar faces in January, and are also excited to recognize dozens of new companies from parts of the country not always thought of as ‘hotbeds of food culture.’ From Utah distillers making some of the best whiskey in the country to a Vermont farmstead goat milk caramel to a Wisconsin brewery whose winning beer is made with barley, wheat, hops and even yeast 100 percent grown and processed in-state, this year’s finalists are a diverse and talented group of innovators. Learning what each producer is doing in their part of the country to build a strong food culture for America has been truly inspiring.”
In geographic trends this year, Washington, D.C., is emerging as a hub of Good Food, with 14 finalists hailing from its food shed of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Colorado (10), Washington state (10), Wisconsin (nine) and Texas (nine) all had strong showings. California had the largest number of finalists (43), followed by Oregon (22) and New York (16).
Whole Foods Market, Williams-Sonoma, Bi-Rite Market, the Wisconsin Cheese Milk Marketing Board, HUB Bay Area, CUESA, Dominic Phillips Event Marketing and Veritable Vegetable sponsor the Good Food Awards.
