Home »
News & Trends »
Featured Articles

2008 sofi Awards: Page 3

(Click on the category or picture for more information and the complete list of finalists.)

outstanding innovation in packaging design or function

Knipschildt Chocolatier
Petit Egg Sampler

In a search for innovative packaging, Fritz Knipschildt, founder of Knipschildt Chocolatier, Norwalk, Ct., came up with a line of natural craft egg cartons and boxes that would complement his handmade, hand-painted chocolate eggs. Petit Egg Sampler was introduced in January 2007 and offers customers four colorful artisan chocolate eggs packaged on a bed of hay in a festive orange or purple egg carton. Petit Egg Sampler is the little sister to the company’s Ensemble of Chocolate Easter Eggs, which offers nine eggs. (Knipschildt also received a 2007 Outstanding Innovation in Packaging Design or Function sofi™ Gold award for his Chocolate Quail Eggs.)

outstanding food gift

The Seasoned Palate, Inc. dba tsp spices
Sweet Basics

When Sara Engram and Katie Luber were introduced by a mutual friend, they never guessed they’d become business partners. But a shared opinion that spices in glass jars were not only wasteful but also did not stay fresh led the two to develop an idea for single-use spice packets. “We presented an elementary business plan as part of Katie’s business school project,” explains Engram, who was an editor for the Baltimore Sun at the time. “It was our basic idea and we have been building on it ever since.”

outstanding hot beverage

Sarabeth’s Kitchen
Hot Chocolate Parisienne
Bronx, N.Y.-based Sarabeth’s—well known worldwide for its award-winning preserves, delectable baked goods and cozy restaurants—is now garnering attention for its acclaimed hot chocolate.

outstanding cracker

Mary’s Gone Crackers
Mary’s Gone Crackers Original

When she was diagnosed with celiac disease—the inability to digest gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye—in 1994, Mary Waldner was faced with the challenge of finding things to eat that she really liked. Always a creative baker, she started experimenting with alternative flours. When nothing worked to her satisfaction, she kept falling back to ingredients she considered favorites: brown rice, quinoa and flax. “I knew I had the right ingredients for something, but was not sure what it was going to be,” says Waldner. “I was planning on biscotti but my recipe held up better as a cracker.”

outstanding oil

Stella Cadente Olive Oil Company
Basil Oil

In its first year on the market, Stella Cadente’s Basil Oil was awarded a bronze medal at the 2007 Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition in the Delicate Category. One year later, it has taken home a sofi™ Gold. What makes this oil such a standout in a crowded category is that it is not an infusion. Instead, basil is crushed with the olives when they are cold pressed in a labor-intensive process that produces a vibrant flavor.

outstanding shelf-stable foodservice product

Sweetfields Inc.
Wild Strawberry SweetCrystal PLUS Pansies

It all starts with colorful, edible pansies grown on a 33-acre farm in the foothills of Jamul, Calif. Once freshly picked, these blossoms are transformed into crystallized Wild Strawberry SweetCrystal PLUS Pansies, undergoing several steps along the way to prepare them for refrigeration, freezing and other rigors of foodservice use, says Diane Richards, vice president, Sweetfields Inc.

outstanding salad dressing

Stonewall Kitchen
Balsamic Fig Dressing

Stonewall Kitchen has been creating and perfecting dressings since its inception in 1991. One of 11 in the York, Maine-based producer’s dressing line was born out of owners James Scott and Jonathan King’s love for figs. Outstanding Salad Dressing winner Balsamic Fig Dressing made its debut in January 2008, inspired, says Laura Duncan, director of marketing, from one of their favorite recipes featured in the Stonewall Harvest Cookbook for Cheese Stuffed Figs with a Balsamic Glaze.

outstanding vinegar

Lettieri & Co., Ltd.
Giuseppe Giusti Balsamic Vinegar

Giuseppe giusti Balsamic Vinegar has been made with the same traditions since 1605. The fact that it is receiving gold awards 500 years later gives a sense for how spectacular this rich, full-bodied Balsamic vinegar really is.

outstanding soup, stew, bean or chili

Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co.
Spruce Head Smoked Scallop Lobster Bisque

cal Hancock, the founder of Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co. of Harpswell, Maine, grew up working at her grandmother’s lobster restaurant in nearby Ogunquit. “As a kid,” explains Hancock, “I loved being able to help people from ‘away’ eat lobster well.”

outstanding non-food specialty item

TWIST®
European Sponge Cloth #20Customers looking for a green alternative to wiping up spills and scrubbing sinks can now turn in their paper towels for the Twist® European Sponge Cloth #20.

outstanding frozen savory

Good Wives/Innovative Foods
Mushroom ProfiterolesFirst launched in the early 1980s, its Mushroom Profiteroles remain one of the best sellers for Good Wives/Innovative Foods, of Lynn, Mass. This classic appetizer is made by filling a hand-cut, golden brown, mini pâte à choux, with a creamy sherry-seasoned mushroom duxelle, a little bit of cream cheese and crushed pieces of New England walnuts.

outstanding pet product

Big Bark Bakery
Mega Bite Peanut Treat

About Fifteen years ago, Jennifer Selzer and her husband Greg had a beagle named Annie who had allergies. Serious allergies. “She was allergic to dirt, trees, everything a dog likes to roll around in,” says Selzer. “Luckily at the time, we had a forward-thinking vet who recommended we try all-natural food as a way of making the allergies better.