The Specialty Food Association (SFA) revealed the winners for the Grand Honors of its 52nd annual sofi™ Awards. Markers of quality for which only product-qualified members of SFA are eligible, this year's sofi Awards were streamlined to focus on the best of the best: just one winner in each of 48 categories took home a Gold Award, and SFA introduced five new or reimagined Grand Honors Awards.
Buyer attendees voted on top-scoring products from this year's sofi Awards in an anonymous-tasting round at the Summer Fancy Food Show, selecting winners for Product of the Year/Food, Product of the Year/Beverage, Outstanding New Product, and Outstanding Classic. The final Grand Honors Award, for Outstanding Packaging, was selected at the Rutgers Food Innovation Center (FIC).
The winners of the five sofi Grand Honors Awards were revealed live at the SFA Awards Gala in late June. The Gala, hosted by Kristen Kish of Bravo's Top Chef, also featured a variety of dishes and drinks prepared using products from the Grand Honors Awards finalists.
The 2024 Grand Honors Award winners are:
- Outstanding Packaging: Strawberry Soft-Serve Milkshake by Fanci Freeze and Pivot North Consulting Fanci Freez Strawberry Soft-Serve Milkshake
- Outstanding New Product: Flash Frozen Guinness Beef Stew by Jane Foodie
- Outstanding Classic: Uncured Wagyu Beef Salami by Alef Sausage Inc.
- Product of the Year/Beverage: Barcoop Bevy Bloody Mary with Smoked Sea Salt and Chiles by Bittermilk LLC
- Product of the Year/Food: Molasses Spice Cookies by Girl In The Little Red Kitchen, LLC
"Congratulations to the 2024 sofi Grand Honors Award winners, who showcase the immense innovation and potential of today's specialty food manufacturers. The Outstanding Packaging Award is a new category we're really excited about, celebrating a critical component of successful specialty food products. For the four other Grand Honors winners, their incredible products were favorites through three distinct rounds of judging—with food experts, an influencer and buyer panel, and buyers at the Fancy Food Show—an amazing achievement." -- Phil Robinson, senior vice president of member development, SFA.
The winners of the 2024 sofi Gold Awards - representing the best of the best in each of 48 specialty food and beverage categories - were announced earlier this month. Available only to product-qualified members of SFA, the sofi Awards were judged at the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University (FIC). FIC experts as well as specialty food buyers, influencers, and members of the media, evaluated products in anonymous tastings using criteria that included flavor, appearance, texture, aroma, ingredient quality, and innovation.
