SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 22, 2018) – The nation’s leading food producers, grocers, chefs, journalists and activists united this past Friday in San Francisco to honor the 199 Good Food Award winners of 2018. An annual awards ceremony now in its eighth year, the Good Food Awards recognizes American food and drink crafters who demonstrate a commitment to creating tasty, authentic and responsible products and in doing so, better the nation’s food system. The 2018 winners are not only commended for their creativity but also for their sustainable production methods that showcase the highest social and environmental standards. These producers protect the land, continue to push the bounds of their craft, and respect their peers, all the while redefining the breadth of the American table.
This year, the Good Food Awards distinguished value-added food and beverage products in fifteen categories (beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, cider, coffee, confections, elixirs, fish, honey, oils, pantry, pickles, preserves, spirits) and welcomed the addition of the elixirs category which encompasses bitters, shrubs and syrups. Notably, these foods and beverages collectively represent over $200 billion of America’s gross domestic product, a sum that is larger than the cattle and pork industries combined. The 2018 winners yield from 34 states and D.C, emerging to the top amongst 2,057 entries in a blind tasting with 277 judges held in September. The highest scoring entries were submitted to a rigorous vetting process to verify they met the sustainability and social responsibility criteria to win a Good Food Award. Of the 199 winners selected from 280 finalists, 113 companies (57%) are first-time winners.
Held at the San Francisco War Memorial and progressing to AirBNB’s headquarters for a celebratory reception, the evening, which started with a glass of winning sparkling dry Shacksbury Cider, was a chance to honor these hard working cheesemakers, brewers, roasters, picklers and curers for their contributions and unwavering dedication to building a vibrant American food culture. The evening also reinforced the importance of supporting the many players behind this tasty and intentional food community as echoed Good Food Awards Founder Sarah Weiner's closing remarks:
“This past year has been one of awakenings. It was the year we realized that if we want a free press, we need to subscribe to trustworthy newspapers. We understood that we the people must stand up for what we believe in with our words, our actions and our resources. Money speaks. And if we want a tasty, authentic and responsible food culture, we must speak up for it.”
For a list of winners visit: http://www.goodfoodawards.org/2017-winners/
ABOUT THE GOOD FOOD AWARDS
The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsible. Now in its eighth year, awards will be given to winners in 15 categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, cider, coffee, confections, elixirs, fish, honey, oils, pantry, pickles, preserves and spirits. The Good Food Awards Seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good.
ABOUT THE GOOD FOOD FOUNDATION
The Good Food Awards is organized by the Good Food Foundation 501 (c) 3, formerly known as Seedling Projects, in collaboration with a broad community of food crafters, grocers, chefs, food writers, activists and passionate food-lovers. The Good Food Foundation is also the organizing force behind the Good Food Guild, Good Food Mercantile and Good Food Merchants Collaborative.
SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS: We would like to specially thank presenting sponsor the Good Food Retailers Collaborative. Composed of 20 of the country’s top independently owned retailers from Austin to Oakland to Portland, they are committed to supporting America’s great food producers in their own communities across the country. This group includes: Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, Bi-Rite Market, Canyon Market, Cowgirl Creamery, Cured, Di Bruno Bros., Each Peach Market, Foragers Market, Glen's Garden Market, Good Earth Natural Foods, Healdsburg SHED, Look’s Market, Market Hall Foods, Market of Choice, Palace Market, Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, TASTE, Washington’s Green Grocer, Woodstock Farmers' Market and Zingerman’s Family of Businesses. Joining them is a vibrant group of key supporters, including Premier Sponsors Williams-Sonoma and Bi-Rite Market; as well as Vermont Cheese Council, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, Dominic Phillips Event Marketing, Impact HUB Bay Area, Veritable Vegetable and BCV Architects.
