The Good Food Merchants Guild invites food and drink producers from across the country to submit their beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, confections, pickles, preserves, oils, spirits and – new this year – honey to the premier program recognizing excellence in tasty, authentic and responsible hand crafted food.  In celebration of its fifth anniversary and to recognize more exceptional food crafters, the Good Food Awards has expanded existing categories to include cider (Beer), kombucha (Pickles), yogurt and kefir (Cheese), preserved fish (Charcuterie) and cocktail mixers (Spirits).

In September, a Blind Tasting with 200 food producers, chefs, journalists and industry experts will determine which products become the 2015 Good Food Award Winners.  The catch: everything must be produced with a commitment to environmental and social responsibility, which means eliminating the use of synthetic inputs, ensuring supply chain transparency and supporting local economies.

The short online entry form and sustainability criteria are available at goodfoodawards.org from July 7-August 1.  The entry fee is $65, which goes to cover the cost of sorting, storing and transporting the anticipated 1,800 entries.  To receive one FREE entry, become part of the emerging network of tasty, authentic and responsible businesses by joining the Good Food Merchants Guild .

The anticipated 140 winners are honored at a gala Awards Ceremony alongside food luminaries in San Francisco (this year’s keynote and MC are being kept under wraps, last year Alice Waters, Ruth Reichl and Zeke Emanuel did the honors). Award Winners are also invited to sell their winning products at a 15,000-person Good Food Awards Marketplace in the iconic San Francisco Ferry Building and proudly display the Good Food Awards Seal all year long.  Additional benefits include media coverage in 200 outlets nationwide - last year winners were covered in the San Francisco Chronicle, Sierra , Food + Wine and Washington Post ; as well as new retail opportunities with sponsors Williams-Sonoma, Whole Foods Markets, Bi-Rite Market and more.  Winning businesses have reported significant sales increases, in some cases up to 400%. 

Enter by August 1 at www.goodfoodawards.org .