The Specialty Food Association has unveiled the finalists for its 2027 sofi Awards, celebrating excellence in specialty food and beverage products in 25 categories. Based on scores from retail buyer judges, 75 products advance as Gold Award finalists and three as Outstanding Packaging Design finalists.
Announced ahead of Winter FancyFaire, taking place Jan. 17-19, 2027, in San Francisco, the finalists offer an early preview of trends that will shape the year ahead in food and beverage.
Running since 1972, the sofi Awards, standing for “specialty outstanding food innovation,” use a blind judging process with a panel of top industry buyers who score products on flavor, appearance, texture, aroma, ingredient quality and innovation. This year, judges evaluated more than 1,000 applications.
“Each year, the sofi Awards finalists raise the bar for taste and ingenuity in specialty food and beverage,” said Leana Salamah, SVP of marketing and communications at SFA. “These products all received top marks from our expert panel of buyers and offer a unique preview of the trends that will lead the industry in 2027.”
The finalists
Alcoholic beverages: Demerara Syrup, El Guapo; Joachim Amaro, Lettieri & Co.; Mario’s Hard Espresso, Lettieri & Co.
Bakery, bread and crackers: Black Pepper Turmeric Crackers, Top Seedz; Gruyere Biscuits, Effie’s Homemade; Rosemary & Black Pepper, Jöey Nordic Seed Crisps
Baking ingredients: Brown Butter Milk Chocolate Chips, French Broad Chocolates; Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, Cho’s Bakeshop; Leaven All Purpose Instant Sourdough, Leaven Foods Inc.
Cereals and granola: Chocolate Granola, Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate; Dark Chocolate Granola with Sea Salt, Jamie’s Farm; Maple Pecan Granola with Sea Salt, Jamie’s Farm
Charcuterie meats: Bourbon & Sour Cherries Salami (The Manhattan), Brooklyn Cured; Dirty Martini Salami, Brooklyn Cured; Spicy Capicollo, Fra’ Mani
Cheese: Farm Reserve Blue Cheese, Maytag Dairy Farms; Hatch Chile, Cypress Grove; Purple Haze, Cypress Grove
Chocolate: Bubó Barcelona Macadam, Manicaretti Italian Food Importers; Citrus Eclipse 56% Dark Chocolate Bar, Kesshō; Ombar Organic Blonde Caramelised White Choco Bar, Eurok Inc.
Coffee and tea: Cardamom Rose Tea Concentrate, Dona; Mushroom Chocolate Mint Tea, Roots in Harmony; Sobacha roasted tartary buckwheat tea, Mojo Cacao
Condiments: Kimchi Chili, Kimchi Works; Martha Stewart Honey Drizzle Fig Oregano, Turpone Foods; Moromi Black Twice Brewed Soy Sauce, Moromi
Dairy and eggs: Kesar Pista, Backyard Buffalo; Pasture Raised Soy & Corn-Free Eggs, Utopihen Farms; Vanilla Crème Fraiche, Vermont Creamery
Frozen and prepared foods: Chicken Tikka Masala, Café Spice LLC; Guajillo Chicken Burrito Bowl, Cantina Latina; Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodle Soup, OMU
Grains, pasta and legumes: Beef Bolognese Ravioli, Nuovo Pasta Production Ltd.; Cordero Edible Flowers Risotto, Italian Products & Beyond; Vorti-cee, Coastal Collection, Pasta Santina
Meat: Kasekrainer, Olympia Provisions; Regenerative Organic Certified Grass-Fed Beef, Niman Ranch; Uncured Wagyu Beef Bacon, Foris Extraordinary Meats
Non-alcoholic beverages: Cucumber Mint Jabin, Jabin Beverage Company; Golden Milk Powder Mix, Ocean Root; Hoodoo Frontier Apple, Ponderosa Pine, and Honey Heirloom Beverage, NoWhere Foods
Nuts, seeds, trail mix and dried fruit: Fennel Seed Mouth Freshener, Chikka Chikka; Gourmet Jumbo Cashew Nuts – Roasted, Tanza Kindness; The Heirloom Series Rare & Unusual Dates, Rancho Meladuco Date Farm
Oils and vinegar: Acebuche Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Mazara Foods; Big Picture Foods Regenerative Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Atalanta Corporation; Enzo Organic Clementine Crush Olive Oil, Enzo Olive Oil Company
Pickles, olives and fermented foods: Divina Spicy Caramelized Onion Spread, FoodMatch; Green Olive Tapenade, New Canaan Farms; Kimchi, Kimchi Works
Plant-based alternatives: Dairy-Free Feta Cheese Block, Plant Ahead; Golden Mylk Biscoff, Clementine’s Ice Cream; Vegan Vanilla Bean, Clementine’s Ice Cream
Salsas and dips: Garlic Tomato Lonsa, Aaji’s; Original Tomato Lonsa, Aaji’s; Smoked Sturgeon Spread, Crown Jewel White Sturgeon Caviar, Estate Smoked Sturgeon, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar
Sauces: Mesa Roja, Karma Sauce; Orchard Pond Honey Hot Sauce, Orchard Pond Organics; Quentin’s Original Hot Mustard Sauce, Quentin’s Sauce
Savory snacks: Charcuterie Trail Mix, Beest Snacks; Kimchi Flavor Coated Gourmet Popcorn, Chef Poppin International Inc.; Rosemary Parm Popcorn, Miss Hannah’s Gourmet Popcorn Co.
Seafood: Crown Jewel White Sturgeon Caviar, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar; Estate Smoked Sturgeon, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar; Portomar Cockles in Brine, De Medici Imports
Seasonings and sweeteners: Linden Blossom Honey, Sunday Night Foods; New Zealand Rata Honey, Airborne Honey; Raw Creamed Honey, Grand River Honey Co.
Spreads: Lime & Yuzu Curd, Umikah; Pistachio Crunch Almond Butter, Big Spoon Roasters; Tropical Curd, Umikah
Sweet snacks: Golden Milk Caramels, Big Picture Farm; New York Maple Cotton Candy, Cirrus 9 Candy; Wild Raspberry Cotton Candy, Cirrus 9 Candy
Outstanding packaging: Café de Paris Butter, Bifrost Butters; Melon Vision, forchewn; Rosemary Caramel Chocolate Bar, Wildwood
Winners revealed in January
SFA will unveil the winners at a ceremony Jan. 17 from 5-7 p.m. at Winter FancyFaire, where it also will reveal five Grand Honors Award winners: Product of the Year in food and in beverage, Outstanding New Product, Timeless Taste and Outstanding Packaging Design. All 75 finalists will be featured through a product showcase and curated buyer opportunities during the three-day show.
Founded in 1952, SFA is the not-for-profit trade association of the $219 billion specialty food industry, representing more than 4,800 businesses worldwide.
Related: SFA President To Step Down In March; Search For Successor Begins