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H-E-B unveils top 10 finalists for 12th annual Texas product face-off
Boerne's Klein Smokehaus was one of the 10 Quest for Texas Best finalists.
It's time to update your grocery list. After spending months assessing hours of video submissions, San Antonio grocer H-E-B has narrowed down the finalists for the annual Quest for Texas Best competition. Ten innovative Texas entrepreneurs were chosen from 370 entries from 150 Lone Star cities, including one in Boerne.
Now in its 12th year, the contest asks Texas small businesses to strut their stuff for the chance to win a combined $100,000 in cash prizes and the coveted opportunity to feature their products on H-E-B shelves statewide. Since the competition's beginning, the grocer has discovered over 1,000 unique products, many of which have become some of Texans' favorite household essentials.
"Quest for Texas Best is not only designed to find the best Texas-made products, but also to empower local entrepreneurs with the resources, exposure, and mentorship they need to grow," said James Harris, H-E-B senior director of diversity & inclusion and supplier diversity, in a release. "H-E-B was once a small business, so we understand the power and potential they can have, and we cannot wait to share the winning selections with our customers."
Only one San Antonio-area company is still in the running for the prize: Klein Smokehaus uses old-world techniques and local oak trees to create handcrafted bacon that is inspired by Boerne's German heritage.
Other hopefuls are scattered across the state, including:
- McAllen — Deli Spices Cooking Spices, easy Mexican spice blends made with dried chiles for restaurant cooking at home
- Dickinson — Jam-In Tools Crawfish Peeler, a handy gadget that takes the hassles out of crawfish boils
- Sugar Land — The Lavish Goat Bath Products, a line of bath bombs and menthol-infused shower steamers
- Houston — My Drink Bomb Cocktail Mixers, low-calorie bombs that can make sparkling water into an instant mixed drink, with or without alcohol
- Houston — Long Phung Food Products Vietnamese Meats, a line of ready-to-heat favorites made with quality ingredients and no artificial additives
- Bryan — Rigo's Dairy Latin-Style Cheese, a family-run cheese plant bringing Venezuelan flavors to the U.S.
- Austin — Oca Foods Peanut Butter Bites, an addictive snack inspired by a beloved childhood treat in Brazil
- Austin — Tozi Superfoods Tortillas and Tortilla Chips, snacks made from indigenous superfoods like amaranth and blue corn
- Dallas — Spicytude Spices, flavor kits meant to take the guesswork out of Southern Indian cooking
The final contenders will face off on September 25 at H-E-B's headquarters in San Antonio, where judges will determine the top four winning products and award $50,000 to the Grand Prize winner and the "Texas Best" title — an honor that guarantees placement on H-E-B store shelves.
The first-place winner will receive $25,000, the second-place winner will receive $15,000, and the third-place winner will receive $10,000.
Since 2014, H-E-B has handed out $2.75 million in prize money to Texas entrepreneurs, providing marketing, mentoring, and supplemental support along the way. Fifty-five Texas small businesses have achieved $1 million in sales and earned a commemorative H-E-B Million Dollar Club belt buckle.
Bánh mì is the centerpiece of the menu.Photo by Katie James.