Over the span of a decade, nearly 1,000 unique food items, beverages, and general merchandise have made it to H-E-B shelves through Quest for Texas Best competition
Cheers to ten years of H-E-B Quest for Texas Best! That is a decade of searching, tasting, and selecting the best Texas-made products ranging from salsas, spices, and sausages to cookies, coffee, cheeses, and every food, beverage, and unique merchandise in between. These companies will compete for a combined $70,000 in cash prizes and most importantly earn placement on H-E-B’s shelves. It is a full-on Texas showdown as the competitors highlight the best our state has to offer.
The 10th Annual Competition
Over the past few months, H-E-B’s Business Development Managers have reviewed over 21 hours of video submissions for 632 of the most creative and innovative products produced by entrepreneurs representing 132 cities across the Lone Star State. The following 10 companies were selected as finalists:
The 10th Annual H-E-B Quest for Texas Best
The 10th Annual
H-E-B Quest for Texas Best
A’HUA! Sparkling Agua Fresca is 100% family and friend-owned and was started by founder Saulo Arriaga in his mom’s kitchen. After many trials, changes, and gallons of delicious agua fresca, A’HUA! was born! The thirst-quenching indulgence is made with all natural ingredients and real fruit juice. We currently offer Mangonada Champ with more exciting flavors coming, including Fruit Cup and Limonada.
Texas Babe Tanning Oil is a proprietary blend of coconut, olive, sunflower, avocado, sweet almond, carrot seed, jojoba, and argan oils that nourish the skin with the benefit of vitamins and antioxidants. This natural mix allows the recommended exposure to ultraviolet light for a healthy dose of Vitamin D provided by the sun while allowing a deep, dark lasting tan in a short amount of time in the sun.
The McDowell’s dairy heritage dates back nearly 100 years, when their great-great grandparents immigrated to Petaluma, CA, and started farming with a few jersey cows and each other. In 2010, they moved to Dublin, TX to continue the dairy farming tradition. With a passion for organic farming to preserve the land, the animals, and the quality of food they produce, they like to control the whole process – “from cow to cup.” Armagh Creamery Organic Yogurt (vanilla honey, maple, blueberry, plain, and strawberry cream) is made in small batches in a traditional European style with non-homogenized whole milk and extra cream.
For more than 70 years the Simmons/Johnson family has been known for delivering delicious BBQ all over the great state of Texas. It started with Royce’s father, also named Royce, and his uncle Billy Johnson whom legend says sold more BBQ than most official BBQ restaurants and “than the law would allow.” After Billy Johnson’s passing in the late 90s, son Royce Simmons continued the passion for preparing delicious BBQ and founded Brisket Boss, a BBQ catering company. The Brisket Boss Savory Peach Molasses Seasoning is an all-purpose seasoning with a dynamic combination of Peach Molasses and savory flavors. It is a great addition to Beef, Pork, Chicken Lamb, Seafood, and vegetables.
Delisa and Zach Harper started making marshmallow treats in 2018 (after just a few months of dating) and officially launched Funky Mello in 2020. The black and woman-owned business creates delicious plant-based snack packs featuring their signature marshmallow creme. Sweet N Salty Dippsterz is the team’s premier snack pack pairing pretzels with vanilla marshmallow creme for the perfect snack on-the-go. Each of the handcrafted products is vegan and free from gluten, dairy, soy, and other common allergens. It is best kept cold for the richest flavors and the fluffiest texture. Other flavors include strawberry and cookie.
Co-owner, Anh, came to America as a refugee with her parents in the late 1980s. After meeting her husband Joseph, weekly trips to the Pho restaurant became a family tradition. After the pandemic hit forcing people to stay home, Anh turned to her family recipe to create PhoLicious, an instant pho that does not compromise flavor, taste, or authenticity. The authentic Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup is available in beef, chicken, and vegetarian flavors.
Sorrento Ristorante was established in 2001 by Margherita’s parents Gino and Anna Ciccone. Its sauces are authentically made with few ingredients that create a big taste direct from her birthplace of Naples, Italy. She says simplicity is the key to the one-of-a-kind taste in all three of her sauces - Puttanesca, Della Casa, and Marinara. Margherita is a mother of three and has two beautiful grandchildren.
Sweets With L&L all started in 2017 when Tameia and Byron Jones took a risk with a small, toy cotton candy machine and little bit of sugar, hoping to build something for their daughters Lauryn and Londyn. They started the business with just $200, began selling their product in Baby Gap in The Woodlands, and have since expanded to multiple locations, universities, events, fairs, and more. The freshly spun cotton candy is available in a number of flavors including rainbow, strawberry lemonade, cookies and cream, pink vanilla, and more.
Verdegreens Farms was founded in 2016 by three restaurant industry veterans - a chef, a winemaker, and a restaurateur - with the goal of helping people eat better. Incorporating methods that use 90% less water than traditional agriculture, Verdegreens Farms is comprised of one-acre of hydroponic and one-acre of no-till organic production and is located right in the middle of Houston’s Acres Homes district. The team specializes in living lettuces, microgreens, culinary herbs, and seasonal vegetables, and creates pestos, sauces, hummus, and now made-by-hand, small batch Farmstand Salad Dressings – Creole Cane Syrup Vinaigrette, Tahini Mint, and Lemon Caper Buttermilk.
Two children raised at the apron strings of southern cooks, both Deborah and Glenn have a passion for food and flavor and embrace the philosophy – “make it fresh, keep it real.” Sharing this passion with their children, they built Wella to innovate organic, delicious alternatives to everyday favorite foods. They have reimagined breakfast with a deeply nourishing and satisfying grain-free alternative to oatmeal. Crafted from four powerful superfoods - almonds, coconut, chia, and flax seeds – it has three times the fiber and about twice the protein of oatmeal.
On August 9th at Fair Park in Dallas all finalists will present their product and share their story and passion. The panel of judges will determine the four winning products and award $25,000 to the Grand Prize winner, deemed the “Texas Best,” and placement on store shelves. The first-place winner will be awarded $20,000, $15,000 will go to the second-place winner, and $10,000 to the third-place winner.
“We recognize the important role small businesses play in our industry and welcome the opportunity to support their journey,” said James Harris, Sr. Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Supplier Diversity for H-E-B. “Not only are we supporting small business in Texas, we’re also expanding our selection of innovative, diverse, and quality products our customers expect.”
The Decade-Long Competition Delivers Small Business Support and Product Diversity
Over the span of a decade, more than 6,000 products have been highlighted in the H-E-B Quest for Texas Best competition. During that time, more than 990 unique food items, beverages, and general merchandise have made it to H-E-B shelves. Over ten years, 180 finalists have made it to the judges’ table. They represent a dynamic lineup of small local businesses owned by women, minorities and military veterans with diverse backgrounds. Since launching the contest in 2014, H-E-B has awarded $2 million in prize money along with marketing, mentoring, and supplemental support. Additionally, H-E-B has awarded 50 Quest for Texas Best suppliers with a commemorative H-E-B Million Dollar Club belt buckle for achieving $1 million in sales.
