The Good Food Foundation is proud to announce the 279 companies in the running for a Good Food Award in 2018. The Finalists represent not just the best of America’s food movement, but the qualities we love most about this country: our rich cultural diversity, vibrant agricultural landscape, and the creativity and integrity of its small business owners.
The 15 categories the Good Food Awards celebrate – from spirits to cheese to coffee – comprise over $200 billion of America’s gross domestic product, a greater portion than the cattle and pork industries combined. The 2018 Finalists represent the vanguard in each of their industries, setting new standards for gastronomic excellence as well as social and environmental practices that have over time proven to be adopted by the rest of the industry. Each Finalist rose to the top in a blind tasting of 2,057 entries, and also passed a rigorous vetting to confirm they meet Good Food Awards standards regarding supply chain transparency, environmentally sound agricultural practices, humane animal husbandry and deep community engagement.
Amongst their ranks are Mehdi Boujrada of Villa Jerada, who brings the flavors of his childhood home in Morocco to Seattle; Mark Sanfilippo of Salume Beddu, who crafts Tuscan-style salami in Saint Louis and Ayako Iino, who combines Japanese tradition with California plums to make her ume pickles, syrups, and preserves. All of the Finalists – including 162 companies (58%) that have never won before – partner with hundreds of farmers, ranchers and fishermen to actively build a better food system.
The Winners will be announced on Friday, January 19, 2018, at a gala in the historic San Francisco War Memorial, followed by two days of celebration including the public Good Food Awards Marketplace (Tickets: $5) and the industry-only Good Food Mercantile (Tickets: $35). A limited number of tickets are available to join the Winners and honorary host Alice Waters, pioneer of the food movement, at the Awards Ceremony (Tickets: $165).
Some of the participants are:
BEER
- Allagash Brewing Company, Sixteen Counties, Maine
- Drake’s Brewing Company, Cherryland, California
- Ninkasi Brewing Company, Pacific Rain Pale Ale, Oregon
- Rogue Ales & Spirits, Honey Kolsch, Oregon
- Southpaw BBQ, Flanders Red Ale, California
CIDER
- Angry Orchard Innovation Cider House, First Flora, New York
- Big Fish Cider Co., Allegheny Gold, Virginia
- Castle Hill, Serendipity & Levity, Virginia
- Dragon’s Head Cider, Traditional Cider, Perry & Wild Fermented Cider, Washington
- Nashi Orchards, Chojuro Asian Pear Perry, Washington
- South Hill Cider, Old Time Cider, New York
- Stem Ciders, Colorado Heritage Blend, Colorado
SPIRITS
- Alchemy Distillery, Boldt Genever Style Gin, California
- Catoctin Creek Distillery, Roundstone Rye 80 Proof & Roundstone Rye 92 Proof , Virginia
- Falcon Spirits Distillery, Amaro Aplomado, California
- Richland Distilling Company, Single Estate Virgin Coastal Georgia Rum, Georgia
- Spirit Works Distillery, Sloe Gin, California
- StilL 630 Distillery, Expedition Rum, Missouri
- Van Brunt Stillhouse, Bourbon, New York
- Vivacity Spirits, Treos Brandy, Oregon
To see all the finalists click here
