This week, the Estonian Best Foodstuff competition committee evaluated the new food products of Estonian small businesses to determine the best by region. In total, seven domestic products received the title of “Estonia’s Best Product from a Small Enterprise” or “Estonia’s Best Drink from a Small Enterprise” in the food competition.
Venison steak from Linnamäe meat industry won the title of the best food product from Western Estonia among 12 candidates. The product was praised because it is made from domestic raw materials and naturalness, freshness and origin are important in its preparation. In addition, the product has environmentally friendly packaging, in which 70 percent less plastic is used than in similar packaging.
In addition to Linnamäe meat industry’s venison steak, Siidrikoda OÜ FIBES fiber-rich puree, Karu Kombucha OÜ mango-citra hop kombucha, Vegestar OÜ herbal pate with black truffle, Amber Production Remedia OÜ Kiiu Torn salted caramel cream liqueur, Vinkymon OÜ ecological fermented garlic and Vinkymon OÜ black iced tea with quince.
Among the winning products, the chairman of the jury, Rain Kuldjärv, singled out innovative products that combine functionality and an approach based on the circular economy – for example, fiber-rich puree, which is made with juice press residues or an exciting vegetable pate with black truffle. “On the other hand, traditional products, such as venison steak, salted caramel cream liqueur or several fermented products, which are making a strong comeback on the table and are gaining popularity around the world, were also appreciated among the high score recipients,” said Kuldjärv, and he cited mango-citra hop kombucha, or tea drink, as one of the recent winners of the title. and organic fermented garlic.
Similar to the competition products of large food industries, Kuldjärv also pointed out a growth trend in the case of small producers in terms of prepared foods and foods that offer fast, high-quality solutions. “For example, several soups, various sauces, mayonnaise, steaks were candidates. The trend aimed at fast and convenient consumption could be seen even in drinks, where ready-made cocktails were also represented,” Kuldjärv added.
According to food scientist Rain Kuldjärve, chairman of the evaluation committee, the competition was extremely tight this year, and it was not at all easy to determine the winners. A total of 55 products from all over Estonia applied for the title of the best foodstuff for small businesses, the winners were determined by four different regions.
“This year’s competition is characterized by a very wide spectrum of products from different categories. Many products remained true to the traditional flavors loved by consumers, but there were also completely new products that certainly still offer the joy of discovery,” said the chairman of the evaluation committee.
According to Kuldjärve, the large number of participants in the competition and the high average scores show that Estonian small businesses do an excellent job in product development and that the new products that reach the market are of extremely high quality. “I encourage everyone to try both the winning products and other exciting foods that participated in the competition. It is known that one’s eye is king, and in this case it would even be appropriate to say that one’s tongue is king,” offered Kuldjärv.
The competition for the selection of the Best Estonian Foodstuff will be held for the 30th time this year under the leadership of the Food Association. The overall winners of the competition, i.e. Estonia’s Best Foodstuff 2024, Estonia’s Best Non-Alcoholic Beverage 2024, Estonia’s Best Alcoholic Beverage 2024 and Estonia’s Best Foodstuff with Added Value 2024, will be announced at the Food Association’s annual conference on April 16. The selection of the People’s Favorite will take place on the Facebook page of Estonia’s Best Foodstuff on the 3rd-9th. in April.
2024-03-27 12:55:26
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