BABUNI Rosé AGED Balsamic Condiment ( 5 + yrs) to Compete for sofi™ Gold Product of the Year at 2023 Summer Fancy Food Show
Toronto, ON and NYC, NY (May 11, 2023) – BABUNI Rosé AGED Balsamic Condiment ( 5 + yr) has been named the 2023 sofi™ Gold Product Award Winner in the VINEGAR category. The Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) sofi™ Awards—which have been bestowed annually since 1972—are a top honor in the $175 billion specialty food industry.
The 2023 sofi™ Awards recognized a Gold Winner and a New Product Winner in each of 53 specialty food and beverage product categories. Nearly 2,000 products from domestic and international makers were entered into the 2023 competition.
“We are honored that BABUNI Rosé AGED Balsamic Condiment ( 5 + yr) has won a sofi™ Gold Product Award,” says BABUNI family on behalf of BABUNI INC. “As entrepreneurs, we want to know that we are creating the best possible product for our customers, and this Award is one of the ultimate stamps of approval.” PRODUCT is found at Specialty Foods Infinite Aisle https://sfa.sfp.market/start/vendor/view/d35yvo.
BABUNI Rosé AGED Balsamic Condiment ( 5 + yr) will now compete against other category winners for the 2023 sofi™ Gold Product of the Year Award, which will be selected and announced at the Summer Fancy Food Show, June 25-27 in New York City. The Summer Fancy Food Show is the largest B2B-only specialty food industry event in North America.
“The sofi™ Awards recognize the best, most innovative products in the Specialty Food Industry and the creative, passionate people who make them,” said SFA President Bill Lynch. “Winning a sofi™ Award can open doors to new markets and expanded business opportunities for the winners, which is central to the SFA’s work on behalf of its member makers and manufacturers.”
The sofi™ Awards competition is open to product qualified SFA members in good standing. Gold and New Award Winners in each category are featured in the sofi™ Spotlight Pavilion at the Summer and Winter Fancy Food Shows. Winning a sofi™ Award creates added exposure for products with food buyers from top names in supermarkets, specialty retailers, foodservice, distributors, and the media.
SFA partners with Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Bridgeton, NJ for sofi™ Awards judging and logistics management. Entries were judged strictly on a blind basis—without packaging, pricing, or any brand identification. Products were judged on taste—including flavor, appearance, texture, and aroma—ingredient quality, and innovation.
About BABUNI Gourmet & Specialties:
BABUNI INC. (DBA: BABUNI Gourmet & Specialties) was founded in 2019 by Aparup. Headquartered in Toronto, ON, while supplying across the U.S and Canada, the company’s philosophy about is contributing to the specialty food industry with niche and innovative products for communities around. Using 100% natural ingredients with both ancient and innovative methods, the company’s inspiration and focus is “serve with a heart”. BABUNI is a collection and showcase of some of the best gourmet products for our North American clients especially. With each item being handpicked and selected under strict criteria to ensure not only the right taste, but also, the best source and ingredients.
This name is dedicated to the memory of BABUNI, our youngest brother who passed away at the age of only 16 in 1996 from pancreatic cancer. BABUNI's spirit remains with us, his sharp manner, an outstanding academic record, and beautiful heart is the soul of all we stand for. Future plans include more one-of-a-kind specialty products fulfillable toward more remote communities and people. More information can be found at URL. https://sfa.sfp.market/start/vendor/view/d35yvo.
WHERE WE STARTED:
We began with a tent and a dream years ago. Equipped with just a dolly, an incredible line of gourmet & specialty goods and a passionate love for our neighborhood, we started to sell at our farmer's market and local pop ups. And literally Wowed people from all walks of lives.
As a minority & BIPOC company, we have had many challenges and barriers especially in the fierce marketplaces.
Never gave up no matter what.
Our Moto "serve with a heart".
Inspired by quality, innovation, a promise to delivering results to loyal clients and service partners across the continent.
We worked day in and out.
Gratitude for our families for sticking with us and supporting us all the way thru.
WHERE WE'RE GOING
BABUNI was hard hit by pandemic like many others. Soon after, we immediately acted to adept, conquer, and serve across North America.
Rich uniqueness of our family backgrounds; much like them, we work to bring diverse, non-pretentious, quality goods to our customers. We focus on entertaining and lifestyle products, choosing women owned, local, global and/or minority owned products whenever possible.
On a cold freezing day, we delivered our goods with bare hand to local grocers & across the entire North American continent so household and families had pantry in the kitchen no matter rain or shine!
COMMUNITY matters (It takes a village):
During pandemic, we donated approximately 10 thousand dollars worth of goods to local food banks for vulnerable communities.
To date, we still donate thousand of dollars worth of food to the local food banks. Including pass Mother’s Day while we supported 38 local families with our specialty goods.
Because it' takes a village and we never forget our communities and the most vulnerable ones in our city!
In 2019/2020, BABUNI launched a BIPOC scholarship for marginalised female students in community college to enhance students’ success and gender gap in culinary arts.
Nothing could stop us from what we do with love and making a change in people's lives each day in and out!
Today, BABUNI gourmet & specialties are appreciated and available from coast to coast.
From BC to NYC.
From Alberta to Alabama, Everyday people enjoy our specialty goods.
From 100-year-old family run grocer to local chef to iconic marcato, proudly carry our goods.
At BABUNI, we have relationships with community-focused hospitals/ colleges, century old butchers, famous grocers to households from coast to coast that care deeply about sustainability. We are a local family run small biz. NOT a big chain.
About the Specialty Food Association
The not-for-profit Specialty Food Association (SFA) is the leading membership trade association and source of information about the $175 billion specialty food industry. Founded in 1952 in New York City, the SFA prides itself on being an organization by the members and for the members, representing thousands of specialty food makers and manufacturers, importers, retailers, buyers, distributors, brokers, and others in the trade. The SFA owns and operates the Fancy Food Shows—which are the largest specialty food industry events in North America—as well as the sofi™ Awards—which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage annually since 1972. The SFA produces the Trendspotter Panel annual predictions, the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report, Today's Specialty Food Consumer research, the Spill & Dish podcast, year-round educational programming for professionals at every stage in their business journey, and SFA Feed, the industry's go-to daily source for news, trends and new product information. Find out more online and connect with SFA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
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