The annual Good Food Awards recognize companies nationwide that produce delicious, sustainable and responsibly crafted food and drink. This year, there are six finalists from Georgia. The winners will be announced April 29.
Minor Jimenez Tarrazu coffee
Todd Johnson, one of the founders of Atlanta roastery Firelight, said the company entered Minor Jimenez Tarrazu in the competition because “it’s a prime example of what we look for in a Costa Rican coffee.” The taste is well balanced, he said, with its mix of sweet chocolate and a touch of lemon and cream. Farmer Minor Jimenez oversees the coffee’s production, from planting through processing, Johnson said, praising “all the hard work Minor has done to make this coffee sustainable and the process transparent.” The website has details about where the coffee is grown, when it’s harvested and recommendations on the best way to brew it.
$18 per 12-ounce bag, available in whole bean or one of three grinds. Order at firelightcoffee.com.
Credit: Bailey Garrot
Credit: Bailey Garrot
Commuter chocolate bar
Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt of Atlanta-based Xocolatl are no strangers to winning awards for their chocolate bars, drinking chocolate and chocolate hazelnut spread. This year, their Commuter bar is a finalist. This 60 percent dark milk chocolate bar was developed with Atlanta’s East Pole Coffee and incorporates its Traffic, made with robust and slightly sweet coffee beans from Colombia. The bar is sweetened with cane sugar and lightened with coconut milk.
$10 per 2.6-ounce bar. Available at Xocolatl at Krog Street Market, 99 Krog St., Atlanta; or order at xocolatlchocolate.com.
Credit: James Farmer
Credit: James Farmer
Strawberry lemon cocktail syrup
Atlanta-based Farmers Jam began producing jam in 2019, to fund an annual fruit tree giveaway for small farms and gardens. Then they graduated to producing cocktail syrups, with the first being strawberry lemon, now a Good Food Awards finalist. It’s made with organic strawberries from farms in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The website features recipes that play up mint and cardamom flavors, including a strawberry azalea cocktail to enjoy while watching the Masters this spring.
$12.99 per 8-ounce bottle, $21.99 per 16-ounce bottle. Available at Green’s; Tower Beer, Wine and Spirits; the Zero Co.; Chop Shop; Evergreen Butcher and Baker and thefarmersjam.com.
Credit: Emma Roberts
Credit: Emma Roberts
Stay Peachy coffee
This is the second time that Peach Coffee Roasters of Johns Creek has been a finalist. Co-founder Landon Bonner explained that Stay Peachy was submitted because it is an innovative coffee made with beans grown on a farm that uses environmentally friendly practices. We found this coffee a complete surprise. True to its name, the fragrance and flavor are peachy. That’s because the beans undergo anaerobic fermentation and are dried with dehydrated fruit. This would be a perfect iced coffee for summer.
$30 per 10-ounce bag, available whole bean or ground. Available at Peach Coffee Roasters, 10875 Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek, and 3475 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, or at peachcoffeeroasters.com.
Credit: Bella Donna
Credit: Bella Donna
Strawberry-rose-infused honeycomb
Beekeeper-herbalist Bella Donna of Bee Healthy in Lookout Mountain also has been recognized more than once by the Good Food Awards. Her spearmint-infused honey was a finalist in 2016, and this year her strawberry-rose-infused honeycomb made the list. Last year’s abundance of rose blossoms and strawberries inspired this new product. The result is a luscious, pink honey boasting two sources of vitamin C.
$12 per 4-ounce jar. Order via email at bellabhbh@aol.com; information: beehealthy.biz/apothecary
Credit: Andrew Thomas Lee
Credit: Andrew Thomas Lee
Green Hill and Thomasville tomme cheeses
Jeremy and Jessica Little have won dozens of national and international awards for the artisan cheeses they produce at Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, and this year their Green Hill and Thomasville tomme are Good Food finalists. Green Hill, a double-cream cow’s milk cheese made in the style of Camembert, is the creamery’s most popular. The tomme is a semi-soft, raw cow’s milk variety made in the style of French farmhouse cheeses. If you can resist just eating them by the chunk, there’s a recipe on the website for a grilled cheese sandwich made with both Green Hill and Thomasville Tomme.
$15 per 7.5-ounce round of Green Hill, $10.50 per 5-ounce wedge of Thomasville Tomme. Available at Capella Cheese, Lucy’s Market, the Local Exchange, Kinship Butcher & Sundry, Whole Foods Market, Kroger stores with Murray’s kiosks and sweetgrassdairy.com.
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