45 California food businesses named Good Food Award 2026 finalists. See who
Hundreds of food products from across the U.S. were honored Thursday as being among the best ethically and responsibly produced items in the country.
The Good Food Awards announced finalists for its 2026 competition on Thursday morning, and California producers were well-acknowledged, with 65 products from the state on the list.
Richmond-based Far West Cider, a five-time Good Food Award winner, was honored for two of its ciders. The ciders are made from apples sourced from the company’s family-owned farm, Lucky You Orchards in Ripon, barely 10 miles north of Modesto.
Representing the Sacramento area, four new businesses and longtime Good Food Award winners made this year’s finalist shortlist.
Unsurprisingly, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar was once again named a finalist, giving the Concord-based, Wilton-farmed sturgeon fishery a chance to win four more Good Food Awards.
Two-time Good Food Award winner Corky’s Nuts and new entries JUST Creamery and Real Mojo Foods are the three other companies representing the Sacramento area’s production region at this year’s awards.
In Paso Robles, Yes Cocktail Co. is a finalist in the elixirs category for its seasonal warm spiced gingerbread syrup. The business has won two Good Food Awards in previous years for its sweet and refreshing cocktail mixers, but this would be its first award for a flavored syrup.
Finalists for the oils and grains categories were not announced Thursday, as the judging for those products is set to occur in the spring. According to the Good Food Awards, the organization will release a full list of finalists in April and winners will be announced on June 28.
What are the Good Food Awards?
The annual Good Food Awards, held by the Good Food Foundation, honors the country’s sustainable food producers.
“The Good Food Awards recognizes that truly good food — the kind that brings people together and builds strong, healthy communities — contains all of these ingredients,” the foundation said on its website.
Producers are held to a strict standard regarding food sourcing transparency and ethics and thoughtful, responsible labor practices. Companies may nominate their own products among 18 food-specific categories — ensuring creamed honey won’t face-off with a rolled oats granola bar — each with their own standards.
This year’s competition is the Good Food Awards’ 16th installment, returning to its usual blind tasting format after holding a special previous-winners-only edition for its 15th anniversary in 2025.
Which California food businesses were finalists at the 2026 Good Food Awards?
Out of hundreds of products hailing from 40 different states, 65 of the Good Food Award finalist products came from California.
Here is a full list of the Golden State’s finalists in the reported categories:
- BAVA Brothers, Charcuterie: Soppressata Calabrese
- Canteen Meats, Charcuterie: Culatta
- Fra’Mani, Charcuterie: Guanciale; Lemon & Rosemary Salame; Spicy Orange & Oregano Salame
- Picnic Rotisserie, Charcuterie: Applewood Smoked Bacon
- JUST Creamery, Cheese: Farmer Cheese; Sheep Cheese
- Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, Cheese: Fennel Blue and Truffle Brie
- Sach Foods, Cheese: Organic Spicy Habanero Paneer
- Bellwether Farms, Cheese: Basket Ricotta; Sheep Cheese — Sonoma Herb
- Pennyroyal Farm, Cheese: Laychee
- Dandelion Chocolate, Chocolate: 70% Single-Origin Bar Kpalime, Togo and 2023 Harvest
- J. Street Chocolate, Chocolate: 72% Nocino Nib
- Far West Cider, Cider: Nu Dry and Sharing is Caring
- Mount Diablo Cider Company, Cider: Girl Named Sue
- Ethic Cider, Cider: 1870
- Santa Cruz Cider Company, Cider: Strawberry Cider
- Equator Coffees, Coffee: Colombia Las Flores and Thermal Shock Pink Bourbon
- Linea Caffe, Coffee: Organic Ethiopia Cotiti Yirgacheffe Reserve
- Peerless Coffee, Coffee: ROC Colombia
- Steady State Roasting, Coffee: Campo Hermosa Watermelon
- Dandelion Chocolate, Confections: Single-Origin Caramel Bonbon
- YAMI YAMI, Confections: Apple & Wright & Brown Rye Whiskey Pâte de Fruit, Broc Cellars Amore Bianco “Pâte de Vin” and Chamomile Pâte de Fruit
- BrightLeaf Tea, Drinks: Sparkling Earl Grey Tea
- Dandelion Chocolate, Drinks: Chai Hot Chocolate Mix
- Land + Local, Elixirs: Rose Cardamom Meyer Lemon Mixer and Strawberry Snap Pea Shrub
- Yes Cocktail Co., Elixirs: Gingerbread Syrup
- Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, Fish: Reserve White Sturgeon Caviar, Smoked Sturgeon Pate and Sweet ‘n’ Hot Smoked Sturgeon
- Oro Pacific Provisions, Fish: California Rainbow Trout with Lemon Pepper and Smoked Wild Pacific Albacore Tuna
- Koophaus Apiaries, Honey: Whiskey Barrel Aged Honey – Peated Barrel and Wildflower Honey Morgan Hill
- Hapa Honey Farm, Honey: Creamed Honey
- Bungkus Bagus, Pantry: Sambal Goreng Chili Topping
- Gold Ridge Organic Farms, Pantry: Apple Cider Balsamic Vinegar
- Dandy Sauce Company, Pantry: Fermented Sriracha
- Masala Gossip, Pantry: Green Chili Masala Crisp
- Shared Cultures, Pantry: Kombu Garlic Miso
- Picnic Rotisserie, Pickles: Cumin Pickled Carrots
- Real Mojo Foods, Pickles: Hot-N-Zesty Semi Sweet & Spicy Pickle Chips
- Wise Goat Organics, Pickles: Fiery Fungi Kraut, Kraut-Chi and Purple Carrot Kanji
- Clif Family Winery & Farm, Preserves: Organic Savory Onion Jam
- Corky’s Nuts, Preserves: Organic Apricot + Walnut + Rosemary Preserves
- McEvoy Ranch, Preserves: Ginger Jam
- Saba Jam, Preserves: Rangpur Lime Silgochu Marmalade
- SPIRIT Almond, Snacks: Black Garlic Almonds
- Midnite Granola, Snacks: Black Sesame Coconut Pecan
- Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, Snacks: Sturgeon Jerky
- Figure Ate, Snacks: Spiced Grass Fed & Finished Beef Biltong and Original Grass Fed & Finished Beef Biltong
- Ambix Spirits, Spirits: Poire
- Appanage Brands + Pekut and Carwick Independent Bottlers, Spirits: Ortolan Damson Plum Liqueur
- Jettywave Distillery, Spirits: Small Batch Absinthe
This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 4:40 PM with the headline "45 California food businesses named Good Food Award 2026 finalists. See who."
