Up & Comers is our search for the next great brands in food. This year we partnered with Cherry Bombe, a platform championing women in food, who share our mission to highlight and support small makers. We dedicated two awards — our Hero Winner and Cherry Bombe’s Women in Food Award — to female and femme-identifying entrepreneurs. 

With over 1000 submissions, our  judges have spoken, along with a vote by the people to determine a fan favorite. Shop the 2022 Up & Comers winners and finalists in this aisle.

Up & Comer Winners 2022 - FA

Up & Comer Giftboxes

Seeking Snacks Fannypack

Up & Comer Winners

Up & Comers Winner

Up & Comers Ingredient Innovation Winner. 

Madly Hadley’s Coconut Bacon is a crowd-pleaser that seems to defy our basis of flavor-reality. An organic, vegan, non-GMO, paleo, gluten-free and keto friendly ‘bacon’ snack made from coconut, the allure of this alternative is kind of a no brainer. Top your salads, pastas, pizzas, burgers, avocado toasts or enjoy as a snack.

Made with clean simple vegan ingredients that your body will thank you for, plant-based Chef Madelyn Hadley has been fielding questions for years about it. While working as a private chef and teaching cooking classes, clients always want to know: “where can I buy this?”

Madly Hadley - Original Coconut Bacon

Cherry Bombe Women in Food Winner.

Kola Goodies' Sri Lankan Milk Tea is the perfect blend of loose leaf Ceylon tea, creamy milk, and natural, caramel-y sweetness.

With just four ingredients, the recipe is as simple as the preparation; just add hot water to the package for a delicious, creamy milk tea that is low in caffeine and high in L-Theanine, offering long lasting energy without the crash or jitters.

Founder Sajani was born in Sri Lanka and came to the US at 19 for college. She missed her Amma’s good-for-you treats like Kola Kanda and Sri Lankan Milk Tea, and saw a lack of representation of the people who have been using these ingredients and rituals for thousands of years. Sajani created Kola Goodies as a way to bring South Asian rituals to the U.S. in better-for-you ways with ethical and direct sourcing that helps give back to the communities of these now trendy ingredients.

Kola Goodies - Sri Lankan Milk Tea

Up & Comers Just Damn Good Winner.

Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic Sauce is a wholesome mixture of spice-laced organic ingredients and garlic all swimming in chili oil, which makes for an unsuspecting wave of spicy, sweet and savory flavors in each bite. Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic uses all natural ingredients, has no preservatives, and is also gluten free and vegan. Pizzas, salads, and breads are a great place to start, but you can truly put this on anything.

100% natural ingredients. Zero preservatives. Gluten-free and vegan.

Over the years, the brother and sister duo behind Mama Teav’s has built careers at highly regarded culinary institutions, including Morimoto Napa, The French Laundry, The Progress, State Bird Provisions, and Nyum Bai. Mama Teav’s brand is a love letter to mom and a celebration of family, community, and their Cambodian-American identity.

Mama Teavs - Original Hot Garlic

Up & Comers Just Damn Good Winner.

Perfect for the everyday palette, Mama Teav’s Mild Hot Garlic Sauce is a wholesome mixture of spice-laced organic ingredients and garlic all swimming in chili oil, which makes for an unsuspecting wave of spicy, sweet and savory flavors in each bite. Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic uses all natural ingredients, has no preservatives, and is also gluten free and vegan. Pizzas, salads, and breads are a great place to start, but you can truly put this on anything.

100% natural ingredients. Zero preservatives. Gluten-free and vegan.

Mama Teavs - Mild Hot Garlic

Up & Comers Finalists

Up & Comers Finalist

Up & Comers Ingredient Innovation Finalist

Crunchy fruit snacks made only with fruit.
TALA was created to tackle a simple problem: Make an accessible snack that is both healthy and free from any sweeteners or additives. TALA's founders grew up in Asia loving freeze-dried fruit as a midday snack, so they decided to share the experience with American consumers -- who don't have much exposure to freeze-dried fruit outside Special K Red Berry Cereal.

Just. One. Ingredient. 

These fruit snacks are innovative because they are freeze-dried; they melt in your mouth, with a great texture and flavor profile, and all without any unnecessary additives.

TALA - Banana

Up & Comers Just Damn Good Finalist.

An indulgently rich & fudgy luxe brownie with airy-light texture and aromatic warm notes unveiling in an intense long-lasting flavor. Handmade with natural and ethical gourmet ingredients like Valrhona Guanaja 70% Dark Chocolate and Pure Cocoa Powder.

Self-taught chef & CEO, Lex Evan set out to make ethically and transparently sourced, environmentally friendly and super delicious treats.

Lexington Bakes - Fleur de Sel Brownie

Up & Comers Just Damn Good Finalist.

A rich and sophisticated warm cookie base with barely sweet Caribbean dark chocolate & ultra-creamy Peruvian milk chocolate. Handmade with natural and ethical gourmet ingredients like Valrhona Caraibe 66% Dark Chocolate and Andoa 39% Organic, Fair Trade Milk Chocolate.

Lexington Bakes - Chocolate Chip Nº5 Cookie

Up & Comers Ingredient Innovation Finalist. Ujjo makes hot sauce for your coffee.

What started as a dare by a friend to put hot sauce in her coffee (it wasn't good) sparked an innovative idea by Ujjo founder, Lauren D'Souza. An Indian-American who grew up drinking her grandmother's spiced chai, the experience made Lauren wonder... why can't we have that same experience for coffee?

With subtle sweeteners, cozy spices and zero vinegar, Ujjo takes your favorite coffee and makes it even better. Also try it in tea, a cocktail, or dessert.  

TRY IT IN: LIGHT OR MEDIUM ROAST COFFEE / GREEN TEA / CLEAR LIQUOR COCKTAILS / VANILLA ICE CREAM

True ingredient innovation... we’ve never seen anything like this before. Delicate, balanced, and uniquely innovative.

Ujjo Hot Sauce for Coffee - Light Roast Blend

Up & Comers Classic Product Reimagined Finalist.

Tahini-inspired smooth and delicious sesame butter made from hulled sesame seeds, tigernuts, and prebiotic fiber. Inspired by Maya Mills' founder's personal obsession with tahini (aka sesame butter) as a kid in the late ‘90s while living in Israel.

SO good. 

Tahini is more than just ground sesame seeds. It’s a sauce, a dressing, a dip, a seed butter, a spread — a 5-in-1 product that just makes sense.

Maya's Mills - Sea Salt Sesame Butter

Queer-Owned

Cherry Bombe Women in Food Finalist.

The Blissful Blend is Couplet's signature ground coffee blend of Nicaraguan and Peruvian beans. The Nicaraguan beans are sourced directly from the family-run Fincas Mierisch farm, while the Peruvian beans are from San Ignacio.

Queer, woman-owned, and built for everyone, Couplet was created to make great coffee more fun and approachable. They skip the pretentious tasting notes and gatekeeping and get right to the good part - ridiculously delicious coffee you can prepare however the f*ck you like.
Beautiful branding with product sourced ethically from small family farms, it’s hard not to love!

Couplet Coffee - The Blissful Blend

Hispanic-Owned

Up & Comers Classic Product Reimagined Finalist.

Pineapple agua fresca with a refreshing tropical twist for easy sipping. Tastes like sitting on a sun-drenched beach watching the waves come in.

This one got a lot of shout outs behind the scenes— a staff favorite, if you will. It tastes like you’re drinking an actual pineapple - juicy and refreshing.

Co-Founder Victor states: “As a first-generation Mexican immigrant, my native food & beverage culture played a huge part in my life. I've always noticed Mexican branded CPG products that poorly represented the diversity Mexican cuisine has to offer.” Together with his Co-Founder and friend, Jordan, they created Bawi - the perfect combination of carbonation and traditional Mexican recipes.

Bawi Pineapple Sparkling Agua Fresca

Up & Comers Classic Product Reimagined Finalist.

Lime agua fresca with a zesty burst of citrus that’s light, flavorful, and crisp. Tastes like the first sip of summer, without a cloud in the sky.

This one got a lot of shout outs behind the scenes— a staff favorite, if you will. Juicy and so refreshing.

Co-Founder Victor states: “As a first-generation Mexican immigrant, my native food & beverage culture played a huge part in my life. I've always noticed Mexican branded CPG products that poorly represented the diversity Mexican cuisine has to offer.” Together with his Co-Founder and friend, Jordan, they created Bawi - the perfect combination of carbonation and traditional Mexican recipes.

Bawi Lime Sparkling Agua Fresca

Up & Comers Classic Product Reimagined Finalist.

Passion fruit agua fresca with a bubbly, tangy, complex and delicious flavor. Less than 100 calories, made with real fruit, lightly bubbly and organic juices.

This one got a lot of shout outs behind the scenes— a staff favorite, if you will. It tastes like you’re drinking an actual passion fruit - juicy and refreshing.

Co-Founder Victor states: “As a first-generation Mexican immigrant, my native food & beverage culture played a huge part in my life. I've always noticed Mexican branded CPG products that poorly represented the diversity Mexican cuisine has to offer.” Together with his Co-Founder and friend, Jordan, they created Bawi - the perfect combination of carbonation and traditional Mexican recipes.