Texas’ favourite grocery chain H-E-B has accomplished its seek for the subsequent crop of Texas-made merchandise to hit the cabinets, and one Utopia model within the prime 10 got here out victorious. Austin’s Birria Queen has gained the grand prize within the Quest for Texas Finest, incomes $25,000 for its birria seasoning bombs; and Utopia’s Hess Road Meals gained first place and $20,000 for its chorizo seasoning paste.
Additionally from Austin, Licensed Nation Lemonade gained second place and $15,000 for its frozen iced teas and lemonades. The Dallas restaurant Encina gained third place and $10,000 for its Blue Corn Butterscotch pancake combine.
The competitors is now in its eleventh 12 months of partaking small companies to search out the very best of their merchandise, in return for $70,000 in money prizes and placement on H-E-B cabinets throughout Texas. For the 2024 competitors, a launch mentioned, H-E-B obtained greater than 16 hours of video from 470 entrepreneurs.
First place winner Hess Road Meals makes chorizo easy with a seasoning mix. It makes use of a household recipe (one in all a number of on the finalists checklist) in its seasoning paste, which will be simply scooped out in no matter amount wanted, moderately than single-use packages. Plus, the paste is vegan, making it straightforward for creating substitutes at residence.
Hess Road Meals is representing the San Antonio space with its chorizo seasoning paste.
Hess Road Meals/Instagram
Grand winner Birria Queen represents a change in Austin, which is changing into a secondary birria vacation spot after Los Angeles. Founder and former Californian Donelle Mendoza seen in 2018 that birria tacos had been in shorter provide right here, and developed a seasoning bomb — a tightly packed ball of spices — to ship the precise flavors with out measuring or “mess.” Along with birria seasoning, Birria Queen additionally makes chile bombs.
Second place winnerCertified Nation Lemonade principally retains issues traditional, utilizing a 100-year-old household recipe. Now that the wood stand has grown into a producing operation, it produces greater than 25 flavors utilizing freshly squeezed lemons and native honey. Frozen lemonades and teas are the most recent providing, packaged in pouches for sipping or cups for having fun with with a spoon, like sorbet. Flavors embrace strawberry candy tea, jalapeño lemonade, and “Bubba Peach” lemonade.
These frozen lemonades and candy teas will be eaten with a spoon.Photograph courtesy of Licensed Nation Lemonade through H-E-B
In Dallas, the place the Quest is predicated, third place winner Encina beat three different finalists. It was the one restaurant on the checklist, and its distinctive blue corn pancakes are a preferred menu merchandise alongside different New American dishes. The opposite Dallas companies didn’t place: HydroNation affords up electrolyte-rich sports activities drinks made with all-natural substances; Marasi Meals presents frozen naan pockets full of sufficient substances to represent a full meal; and Sarape Treats exhibits off sweet coated in its signature chamoy paste and spice combine.
The 2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Finest finalists had been:
BeeKing’s – Honey Mud – CantonBirria Queen – Birria Seasoning Bombs – AustinCertified Nation Lemonade – Frozen Lemonade & Candy Tea – AustinEncina – Blue Corn Butterscotch Pancake Combine – DallasHess Road Meals – Chorizo seasoning paste – UtopiaHydroNation – Pure Sports activities Drinks – DallasLa Pale Frozen Fruit Bar – Mini Frozen Paletas – BrownsvilleMarasi Meals – Frozen Crammed Naan Bread – Dallas (Allen)Sarape Treats – Chamoy Sweet – DallasTexas Rice Milling ~ Residence of Truthfully Texas – Rice – Brookshire
In 2023, a Houston-based enterprise referred to as PhoLicioustook residence the grand prize for its instantaneous pho. Austin’s Funky Mellow, a vegan firm making snack packs with pretzels and vanilla marshmallow crème, was one of many 10 finalists, however in the end didn’t win a prize.
Austin’s final win was in 2022, when Love&Cookies took first place for its frozen connoisseur cookie dough. Since then, H-E-B has added the product to its roster, and the enterprise has opened a brand new brick-and-mortar location on South Lamar Boulevard.
San Antonio’s final win was in 2019, when Grain4Grain gained third place. The corporate made low-carb, high-protein, and high-fiber pancake and waffle mixes out of recycled spent grains from native microbreweries. It donated flour pound-for-pound to the San Antonio Meals Financial institution and Hill Nation Every day Bread. The corporate is not energetic.
“Small companies drive innovation and maintain our communities vibrant, which is why we’re devoted to discovering and supporting the very best small companies in Texas,” mentioned James Harris, senior director of range & inclusion and provider range for H-E-B. “We’re amazed 12 months after 12 months by the inventive merchandise submitted for the competitors and sit up for making these ingenious merchandise out there to our buyers.”
Extra details about the contestants and product listings from previous winners can be found at heb.com.
This story was initially printed concerning the finalists on July 30, 2024, and has been up to date August 9 to mirror the winners.
