Sofi™ Trophy photos & logo from Specialty Food Association's website
It's that time of year where great taste is honored in the prestigious Sofi™ Awards! The Sofi™ Awards provide businesses, large or small, a spotlight to bring consumers to their amazing products. It's a way to legitimize your brand and products to give comfort to consumers that your products are high quality to the foodie community! One of their food shows is held in New York City and is jam packed with vendors. A beautiful time to share delicious food and drink with other folks who are in the industry! Distributors, retailers, and consumers all under one roof gathering to bring awareness to each brand. Apply for the Sofi™ awards before it's too late, deadline is March 31, 2022! Bring visibility and boost your company morale by choosing to step into the Sofi™ Awards spotlight and appreciate what you're doing!
The Sofi™ Award's categories are vast, from cocktails and snacks, to decadent cheeses and spreads there is just about everything. Breakfast foods, baked goods, condiments, sauces, entrees, meat and poultry, pasta, and the list goes on! Like I said... Just about everything, a glutton of brands and products to experience!
The 2022 Product of the Year and New Product of the Year Awards will be announced live at the 2022 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. They chose to simplify the award levels to Gold and New Product. The judging will be managed by their partner, Rutgers Food Innovation Center, with the process being housed at Rutgers FIC.
Entries are judged strictly on a blind basis, without packaging, pricing, or any brand identification, a moment for your product to truly show what it's got! Expert judges consist of seasoned food professionals, chefs, culinary instructors, recipe developers, food journalists, and specialty food buyers. Previous judges have come from Food Network, Whole Foods Market, UNFI, Williams-Sonoma, and even Food and Wine Magazine!
Tasting and evaluation are done with a team of professional chefs preparing the products with precision according to the producer's exact instructions to present to the judges for tasting. For example, a marinade sauce will be used on a protein or a dip and baking mix will be made according to the package instructions.
What is the judging criteria?
All products competing for the Sofi™ Gold Award in each category are judged on 70% taste and 30% ingredient quality. The taste portion is based on flavor, appearance, texture, aroma, and how these qualities come together as a whole. How pleasant are the tastes? How is the consistency? Is the product aesthetically pleasing? As for ingredient quality, this is an evaluation of a product's ingredients with consideration given to the use of the ingredients in creative ways.
Judging criteria for the New Product Winners is 70% taste, 20% ingredient quality, and 20% innovation! Innovation is defined as unexpected culinary experience in taste profile, flavor combos, use of ingredients, or a new twist/spin on a classic. As well as creativity in the recipe or manufacturing process that makes the product healthier or more sustainable. Is your product on trend with changing consumer preference and evolving industry trends?
For more information on judging criteria and scoring, take a look at the Sofi™ Awards website here.
What are the benefits?
Winning a Sofi™ Award grants a business exclusive branding rights to use the Sofi™ logo in marketing, promotion, and on packaging! A huge symbol of guaranteed high quality and deliciousness! Not only that but the winner gets a Sofi™ Trophy to display excellence and innovation, as well as media exposure and display in SFA's product marketplace for buyers to search by Sofi™ winning products! What better way to put your business out there in the spotlight to be recognized for its true value?
The Sofi™ Awards bring extra exposure to thousands of food buyers from top names in supermarkets, specialty retailers, foodservice, distribution, and press. Winning a Sofi™ Award isn't just a shiny trophy, it's a moment to differentiate your products on the shelf and open doorways to invaluable opportunities! If you haven’t applied for a Sofi Award yet, don’t panic because you still have till March 31st. To enter just click the link here and enter now before time runs out!
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