Lewis Road claims top award at New York specialty food show –
Lewis Road Creamery’s 10 Star Certified Salted Butter has gained international recognition and named the 2023 sofiTM Product of the Year, at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City.
The award is presented to a single product annually at The Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) sofiTM Awards. Bestowed since 1972 they are a top honor in the $194 billion specialty food industry.
“Judging was performed by a panel of 400 food experts, and for a product that originated on our farms in Waikato to win the major award at a show in NYC is a huge accomplishment. We’re extremely proud,” says Jason Clemens, Lewis Road Creamery’s General Manager.
The 2023 sofiTM Awards recognized a Gold Winner in each of 53 specialty food and beverage product categories. Products were judged on taste—including flavour, appearance, texture, and aroma—ingredient quality, and innovation at the prestigious Rutgers Food Innovation Center. Nearly 2,000 products from domestic and international makers were entered into the 2023 competition.
“It might seem like there’s not much you can do with just one ingredient and a sprinkle of salt – but when you put the time into nurturing the soil, grass and animals it really shines through in the end product, and we’re absolutely delighted that the difference in our butter has been recognized in a blind tasting at this level,” says Lynette Maan, from Lewis Road Creamery.
The grass-fed, traditionally churned butter is made from cream exclusively off Lewis Road’s parent Southern Pastures’ own farms, which meets stringent and independently-audited 10 Star Certified Values that cover grass-fed, free-range, animal welfare, environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation criteria.
The Lewis Road Butter was blind-tasted against other category winners for the 2023 sofiTM Product of the Year Award, which was selected by buyers via anonymous tastings, and announced at the Summer Fancy Food Show on June 27 in New York City. The Summer Fancy Food Show is the largest B2B-only specialty food industry event in North America.
“The SofiaTM The 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 sofaTM The award can open doors to new markets and expand business opportunities for the winners, which is central to the SFA’s work on behalf of its member makers and manufacturers.”
Winning a sofiTM The award creates added exposure for products with food buyers from top names in supermarkets, specialty retailers, food services, distributors, and the media.