Ale To yuZu: 58 CA Products Win 'Good Food Awards'

CALIFORNIA — The winners of the 13th annual Good Food Awards have been announced with California well-represented on the champions podium. In all, 58 California products from 44 producers were deemed exceptional, selected from over 2,000 national entries.

Winning beverages include craft beers, fresh-roasted coffee, apple cider, vodka, single malt whiskey and, wait for it — artichoke liqueur.

Foods run from savory to sweet including fresh milled pasta, granola, yogurt, cheese, meats, chocolates, honey and, who's feeling adventurous — seaweed.

As you read through the winners list below, take a moment to appreciate the clever punsters who named some of the companies and food products.

• Almanac Beer Co., Valley Of The Heart's Delight, Alameda
• Almanac Beer Co., Bourbon Barrel Pêche, Alameda
• Almanac Beer Co., Blueberry Dogpatch Sour, Alameda
• Bayview Pasta, Milled to Order Rigatoni, San Francisco
• Bearclaw Kitchen, Coconut Grove Grain-Free Granola, Los Angeles
• Bellwether Farms, Organic A2 Whole Milk Cow Milk Yogurt - Plain, Petaluma
• Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, Colombia Granja La Esperanza Cerró Azul Geisha, San Diego
• Burly Beverages, Super Spicy Ginger Beer, Sacramento
• Cali Granola, Chocolate Cherry Agave Granola By The Handful, La Cañada Flintridge
• Canteen Meats, Fiocco, San Rafael
• Charlotte Truffles, Rose Water Saffron, Santa Clara
• Cheeky Bits Sweets, Cheeky Bits Toffee, San Francisco
• CheeseSmith Artisan Creamery, Cascabel Chile Curds, San Diego
• Cool Hand Co., Blackberry Cacao Nib Orange Peel Shrub, San Diego
• Dandelion Chocolate, Single Origin Truffle: Maya Mountain, Belize, 2018, Batch 1, San Francisco
• Dandelion Chocolate, Hojicha Hot Chocolate Mix, San Francisco
• Daybreak Seaweed, Yuzu Shichimi Togarashi, San Diego
• Ethic Ciders, Pommeau, Sebastopol
• Fabrique Delices, Saucisson Sec, Hayward
• Falcon Spirits Distillery, Amaro Aplomado, Artichoke Liqueur, Richmond
• Figure Ate Foods (White Buffalo Land Trust), Regeneratively-Sourced Beef Biltong, Original, Lompoc
• Figure Ate Foods (White Buffalo Land Trust), Regeneratively-Sourced Beef Biltong, Spiced, Lompoc
• Gowan's Heirloom Cider, Gowan's Estate Classic Dry Cider, Philo
• Gowan's Heirloom Cider, Gowan's Estate Gravenstein Cider, Philo
• Gowan's Heirloom Cider, Gowan's Estate Spiced Apple Cider, Philo
• Heirloom Coffee Roasters, Sugar Phoenix, Oakland
• Home Base Spirits, Single Malt Whiskey, Berkeley
• Honey Pacifica, CA Sage Honey Comb, Long Beach
• Honey Pacifica, Southern CA Sage Honey, Long Beach
• Humboldt Distillery, Organic Vodka, Fortuna
• Kelpful, Everything but the Wildfire, San Luis Obispo
• Koophaus Apiaries, Wildflower Honey Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill
• Kouzeh Bakery, Moshtak-Naari, Los Angeles
• Lassen Traditional Cider, Wombat Flats, Chico
• Lassen Traditional Cider, Greenwood Gold, Chico
• Local Culture Ferments, Garlic + Ginger Kimchi, Grass Valley
• Local Culture Ferments, Golden Beet + Dill Sauerkraut, Grass Valley
• Margot's Morsels, Killer Garlic, Tiburon
• Margot's Morsels, Primo Parmesan, Tiburon
• Nuts+Nuts USA, Maple Rosemary Sea Salt Almonds, Los Angeles
• Pacific Pickle Works, Carriots of Fire, Santa Barbara
• Pennyroyal Farm, Reserve Boont Corners, Boonville
• Pennyroyal Farm, Boonter's Blue, Boonville
• Pond Farm Brewing Co., Dark Mast Black Lager, San Rafael
• Pond Farm Brewing Co., Devil's Gulch Hazy IPA, San Rafael
• Purely, Key Limeade, San Leandro
• Saba Jam, Plumcot Chamomile Jam, San Francisco
• Scarlet Fire Hot Sauce, Scarlet Fire Hot Sauce, San Francisco,
• Smog City Brewing Co., Coffee Porter, Torrance
• Soba Mill, Sonoko Tomato Furikake, Los Angeles
• The Local Butcher Shop, Duck Liver Mousse, Berkeley
• To Bee Young Apiaries, Solstice, Sacramento
• Tomales Farmstead Creamery, Atika, Petaluma
• True Origin Foods, Organic Black Turtle Beans, Olivehurst
• Wine Forest, Sea Buckthorn Shrub, Napa
• Wine Forest, Haskap Berry Shrub, Napa
• Wise Goat Organics, Vegan Kimchi, Hollister
• Wise Goat Organics, Vegan Kimchi Hot Sauce, Hollister

Here's how the awards work — there are 18 categories including beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, cider, coffee, confections, drinks, elixirs, fish, grains, honey, oils, pantry, pickles, preserves, snacks and spirits.

In each category, three food crafters from each region — north, south, east, west and central — receive the honor each year. In the western division, along with California, producers in Hawaii, Arizona and New Mexico also won awards.

The rules allow producers to submit up to four entries in all categories except for coffee, where three are allowed, and entries must meet sustainability standards. Producers may win more than one award, as evidenced in California. The products are judged in a blind tasting. Entrants who score well must then provide more information about sourcing, sustainability and social responsibility practices.

If you are a producer, the entry period for the 2024 competition opens this week and runs through June.

See all 2023 winners here.