9th Good Food Awards Recognizes 220 Food & Drink Crafters from 34 States & Washington, D.C.
San Francisco, CA (January 11, 2019) – The nation’s leading food crafters, grocers, chefs, journalists and activists gathered tonight at a gala Awards Ceremony in San Francisco to honor the 220 Good Food Awards winners of 2019. An annual recognition program now in its ninth year, the Good Food Awards celebrates American food and drink crafters who demonstrate a commitment to creating tasty, authentic and responsible products and in doing so, bettering our nation’s food system. Each of the 2019 winners demonstrates both a mastery of their craft and a commitment to maintaining exceptionally high social and environmental standards in their work.
This year, the Good Food Awards distinguished makes in sixteen categories (beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, cider, coffee, confections, elixirs, fish, honey, oils, pantry, pickles, preserves, snacks, spirits). The 2019 winners come from 34 states and Washington, D.C., rising to the top amongst 2,035 entries in a blind tasting with 262 judges held in September. The highest scoring entries were underwent a rigorous vetting process to verify they were not only exceptionally tasty, but met the sustainability and social responsibility criteria required to become a Good Food Award winner. Of the 220 winners selected from 324 finalists, 55% are first time winners. The greatest number of winners come from the Golden State, followed by Oregon (25), Washington (19), Massachusetts (12) and a three way tie between Virginia, New York and Colorado (11 each). Following closely were Vermont and Missouri (10 each).
The gala Award Ceremony began with a glass of sparkling cider from winner Liberty Ciderworks and ended in an affirmation by Director Sarah Weiner of why, at this particular moment in time, the work of the 220 winners – each one a talented artisan, local business owner and sustainability advocate – is so important:
“Through your very existence – by growing and thriving and continuing on through seasons of boom and bust – you show everyone that America’s appetite for truly good food is here to stay. At a time when the message of ‘us versus them’ grows louder, you quietly yet firmly send a different message about how this country works and what we value. Everyday – through the choice to protect our land and waters, to pay fairly and transparently, to build community wellness alongside your businesses – you say ‘all of us or none of us.”
The full list of 2019 Good Food Award Winners can be found here.
Organizers & Supporters: The Good Food Awards are organized by the Good Food Foundation 501 (c) 3. The Presenting Sponsor is the Good Food Merchants Collaborative, comprised of 19 of the country’s top independently-owned retailers from Ann Arbor to Oakland to Sioux Falls, all of whom are committed to supporting America’s great food crafters. Joining them is a vibrant group of key supporters, including Premiere Sponsors Williams Sonoma, Bi-Rite Market and Vermont Cheese Council. Lead Sponsors Dominic Phillips Event Marketing, Veritable Vegetable, Rhode Island Department of Agriculture, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, Ten Speed Press, Airbnb, Bon Appetit Management Company, Gamut, and Impact HUB Bay Area also make the weekend possible. Special thanks to the Good Food Merchants Collaborative Members:
Bi-Rite Market, Canyon Market, Cowgirl Creamery, Cured, Di Bruno Bros., Each Peach Market, Foragers Market, Glen’s Garden Market, Good Earth Natural Foods, Green Zebra Grocery, Healdsburg SHED, Look’s Market, Market Hall Foods, Market of Choice, Palace Market, TASTE, Woodstock Farmers’ Market, World Foods Portland, Zingerman’s Family of Businesses
Media Contact Katherine Harris | 415.447.3268 | katherine@goodfoodfdn.org