HILLSBORO, OR – Oregon’s 89-year-old specialty condiment manufacturer springs into the new year with ten awards – two Gold medals – at the 23rd annual World-Wide Mustard Competition held last month. The event involved more than 100 judges at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, WI.
Beaverton Foods Chairman Gene Biggi says he is especially proud of a product he developed earning a Gold medal for the first time – Inglehoffer Bread & Butter Pickle Mustard. This 10.25 oz. product was introduced to the market four years ago and the SRP is $3.99-$4.49.
“I invented that product because I love bread and butter pickles,” Biggi said. “I buy them all the time … it’s encouraging because at the World-Wide Mustard Competition you have all these chefs and so many categories. It gives me enough encouragement to come up with something new next year – I like to experiment with different flavors.”
Here is a listing of Beaverton Foods’ award winners, categories and medals: Gold, Herb & Veggie: Inglehoffer Bread & Butter Pickle Mustard; Gold, Fruit: Napa Valley Orange & Ginger Mustard; Silver, Sweet/Mild: Inglehoffer Honey Maple Mustard; Silver, Honey: Inglehoffer Organic Honey Mustard; Silver, Whole Grain: Inglehoffer Original Stone Ground Mustard; Silver, Classic Hot: Beaver Brand Olde English Mustard; Silver, Pepper Hot: Napa Valley Habanero Honey Mustard; Silver, Pepper Medium: Inglehoffer Sweet Hot Pepper Mustard; Bronze, Sweet Hot: Beaver Brand Sweet Hot Mustard; and Bronze, Pepper Hot: Inglehoffer Sriracha Mustard.
Domonic Biggi, CEO of Beaverton Foods, said the fourth-generation family owned and operated company is proud to be a long-time participant in the renowned international competition.
“It’s a great honor to participate and to be honored by industry chefs and other professionals in the field,” Biggi said. “I am especially pleased to see one of my father’s newer flavor inventions earn a coveted Gold medal. He is the ‘master innovator’.”
The annual competition is open to all commercial mustard producers and agents worldwide. There are 17 flavor categories of which there are gold, silver and bronze awards given to the contestants. Since 1995, judges consisting of chefs, food writers and mustard aficionados have blind tasted the mustards in the competition.
The global competition included 288 entries from as far away as Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany and Canada. A list of all the medal winners can be seen at the museum website: www.mustardmuseum.com. The National Mustard Museum holds the world’s largest collection of mustards and mustard memorabilia. Also, check out the museum’s product store here: http://store.mustardmuseum.com.
Beaverton Foods’ Beaver Brand and Inglehoffer are the leading shelf-stable horseradish and award-winning specialty mustards in the US* and it is the largest Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified processor of authentic wasabi products in North America. The company also offers a wide variety of best-selling gourmet sauces, garlic, spices, and other unique specialty condiments packaged under these labels: Beaver, Inglehoffer, Napa Valley, Tulelake and Pacific Farms. In addition to its own brands, the company develops, produces and co-packs a broad range of products for companies in the US and abroad.
About Beaverton Foods:
Since 1929, the privately held Beaverton Foods has thrived by following wholesome business practices set in place by Founder Rose Biggi (pronounced Bee Gee). What started in Rose’s basement, grinding and bottling homegrown horseradish roots, has now grown to a family owned, multimillion dollar corporation with more than 150 specialty condiments. These products are sold in mainstream grocery and specialty foods stores, restaurants, and gourmet shops throughout the US and in 12 foreign countries. Today, Rose’s son Gene Biggi serves as company Chairman. CEO Domonic Biggi refers to his father as the “Maestro of Mustard” and “Master Innovator.” Gene Biggi first developed his palate for developing unique specialty condiments from his mother Rose’s kitchen as a kid. He was the first in the nation to develop and bottle Chinese Hot Mustard and Honey Mustard. Domonic says his father is actively involved in all new product development. Fourth generation Jeff Biggi says of his grandfather: “He is self-made … he created the category niches; there was no jalapeno, fruit or whole grain categories when he started developing mustards in the 1950s.”
Industry professionals share the same sentiments about Gene Biggi. National Mustard Museum Curator Barry Levenson called Gene “fearless” in the art of mustard making. “Gene Biggi never ceases to amaze me,” he noted. “He still comes up with new mustard flavors that seem to anticipate the hottest trends in taste. Gene is not only imaginative; he is also fearless. Not every flavor will take off, but he is willing to commit to adventurous flavors.”
The company has 70 employees at its 70,000-square-foot headquarters based in Hillsboro, Oregon. In addition to its HACCP program the fourth-generation family owned company also has the following certifications: kosher, organic, gluten free and SQF (Safe Quality Food). For more information, call (503) 646-8138 or visit www.beavertonfoods.com. Orders can be made online or by calling (800) 223-8076.
*I.R.I., Total US Food, 52 weeks ending Oct. 8, 2017
Source: Beaverton Foods
