Beaverton, OR – KHALSA SALSA CILANTRO-MINT Indian Fusion Salsa has been named the 2023 sofi™ New Product Award Winner in the SALSA & DIPS 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 New Product Winner and a Gold Product Winner in each of 53 specialty food and beverage product categories. Products were judged on taste—including flavor, appearance, texture, and aroma—ingredient quality, and innovation. Nearly 2,000 products from domestic and international makers were entered into the 2023 competition.
“We are honored that KHALSA SALSA CILANTRO-MINT Indian Fusion Salsa has won the New Product Award,” says Rupinder ‘Rippy’ Kaur, CEO of KHALSA SALSA “As entrepreneurs, we are always looking for ways to know that our product is appreciated. This is one of the ultimate stamps of approval and we’re very grateful. Also, KHALSA SALSA Classic Indian Fusion Salsa had won the Sofi™ Gold award for 2022.” KHALSA SALSA CILANTRO-MINT is found at https://www.khalsasalsa.net/pages/where-to-buy.
KHALSA SALSA CILANTRO-MINT Indian Fusion Salsa will now compete against other category winners for the 2023 sofi™ New 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. New and Gold 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 The KHALSA SALSA
KHALSA SALSA is based in the greater Portland area and creates a memorable line of Indian Fusion salsas that includes Classic, 2022 Sofi Gold Award, Good Food Award Finalist Black Bean and 2021, Good Food Award Winner Mango Habanero, and most recently CILANTRO-MINT, 2023 Sofi New Product Award. They create healthy, gluten free, vegan salsas made with no artificial ingredients or preservatives. KHALSA SALSA is a BIPOC, women-owned, and woman led company committed to “Vand Chhakna” which is sharing what one earns with those in need and do so by supporting organizations who are giving back to the community. KHALSA SALSA donates a portion of their profits to various non-profits throughout the Pacific NW. Learn more at www.khalsasalsa.net.
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.
