2018 Good Food Award winners announced

Awards aim to recognize exceptional craftsmanship, sustainability efforts.

Each year the Good Food Foundation hosts the Good Food Awards, which recognize exceptional food and drink crafters who push the envelope in craftsmanship and sustainability.

“We aim to set criteria for entry that are realistic and inclusive of food and drink producers who have demonstrated a commitment to be part of building a tasty, authentic and responsible food system, going far above and beyond the status quo for their industry, while not making them so strict that eligible participants are limited to a small handful of products,” the award website reads.

Winners of the 2018 Good Food Awards, chosen from more than 2,000 entries, were announced at an award ceremony Jan. 18. In addition to the chocolate and confections categories, artisans who produce beer, charcuterie, cheese, cider, coffee, elixirs, fish, honey, oils, pickles, preserves, spirits, and syrups and sauces are also recognized.

Each category is judged by a panel of other artisans, chefs, food writers, and restaurant and bar owners. Below are the winners in the chocolate and confections categories.

CHOCOLATE

Castronovo Chocolate, Signature Collection Tumaco Dark Milk 60%

Charm School Chocolate, Coconut Milk Mocha

Chokola Bean To Bar, Guatemala, Verapaz 70% & Maya Mountain, Belize 70%

Creo Chocolate, Brown Butter Bar

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, 73% Northerner Blend

Fresh Coast Chocolate Co., Tanzania 70%

Fruition Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Quinoa Crunch, Brown Butter Milk 43%, and Wild Bolivia 74%

Goodnow Farms Chocolate, Esmeraldas 70%

Maverick Chocolate Co., Big Island

Patric Chocolate, 70% Signature Blend, The Salty Cow and 67% Madagascar

Ritual Chocolate, Vanilla Bar 70%

Stone Grindz Chocolate, Coffee and Coconut Milk 55%

Xocolatl Small Batch Chocolate, Peru 70%

CONFECTIONS

Alma Chocolate, Matcha Mint Bar

Baci Artisan Chocolatier, French Silk

Batch PDX, Earl Grey & Almond Crisp

Chocolatay Confections, Sunflower Crunch Cup

Eat Chic Chocolates, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup with Maldon Sea Salt

Escazu Artisan Chocolates, Earl Grey Dark Chocolate Ganache

Fat Toad Farm, Original Goat’s Milk Caramel Sauce

Fran’s Chocolates, Dark Chocolate Sauce & Caramel Sauce

Good King, Harmony Gourmet Snacking Cacao

Halvah Heaven, Silk Road Halvah

Mayana Chocolate, Coconut Dream Bar and Mayan Spice Bar

Michael’s Chocolates, Lemon Burst

Nuubia SF, Dark Chocolate Espresso Krispies

Patric Chocolate, Browned Butter Bar

Red Kite Candy, Salted Maple Pecan Caramel

Sapore Della Vita, Cardamom Rose Caramel Sauce

SWEET55, EMJ

Alyse Thompson has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry Magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served as managing editor of Cannabis Products Magazine since March 2019. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.