Mango, Garlic sauces claim top honors in ‘World’s Most Competitive Fiery Foods Contest’
The 2017 Scovie Awards judging panel of top culinary experts honored Melinda’s with five awards at its annual competition recognizing the best spicy and savory food products in the business.
The Scovie Awards (the Academy Awards for all things spicy) ranked Melinda’s spicy ketchups first, second and third place.
That’s right, it was a clean sweep!
Melinda’s Ghost Ketchup claimed the top spot, followed by Habanero and Jalapeño. All of Melinda’s Ketchups now come in plastic, upside-down squeeze bottles, making it even easier to get those award-winning flavors on your favorite dishes.
“It’s a shame they didn’t award fourth and fifth places too, because our Chipotle and Black Pepper Ketchups feel left out!” said David Figueroa, Melinda’s Co-founder and Head of Brand Marketing.
The accolades didn’t stop there. Melinda’s Mango Habanero Hot Sauce took top honors in the all-natural hot sauce category, followed by Melinda’s Garlic Habanero in second place.
“We knew we were taking a bit of a risk putting Melinda’s up against all the new and trendy craft brands that have been popping up everywhere, but we were confident that our perfect balance of heat and flavor would be rewarded,” said Figueroa. “Sweeping the ketchup awards, and nearly doing the same in the all-natural hot sauce categories, is such a tremendous honor. We cleaned up!”
Dave DeWitt, founder of the Scovie Awards and the National Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show, noted that 131 total companies from 34 states and five countries (USA, Canada, Hungary, Croatia and Australia) entered the 2017 competition.
Melinda’s spicy ketchup product line was first introduced to the market in 1998. Its recipes combine fresh chile peppers and real cane sugar instead of the High Fructose Corn Syrup favored by the mass-market brands. And as with all its quality products, Melinda’s ketchups are Kosher-certified and contain no artificial preservatives or colors, zero gluten and no GMOs.
Melinda’s hot sauces are derived from vegetables and fruits – unlike most sauces that are primarily vinegar – and expertly crafted to perfectly balance heat and flavor. Melinda’s packs the heat at four different levels – X for Hot, double X for Extra Hot, triple X for XXXtra Hot and four X for the XXXX Reserve – giving fans the options that are best for them and what they’re cooking.
The company’s extensive product line features Passionately Crafted Pepper Sauces™ with exotic ingredients from around the world. Flavors range from tangy and mild – like Garlic Habanero and Mango Habanero – to downright incendiary, including Red Savina, Ghost Pepper, Naga Jolokia Pepper and Scorpion Pepper.
Melinda’s upside-down squeeze ketchups are available at Central Market and Walmart stores, and are expanding rapidly at retailers nationwide. Melinda’s pepper sauces are served at thousands of restaurants and retailers from coast to coast, including Whole Foods, Kroger, Albertsons, Central Market, H-E-B and Walmart. To find a retailer or restaurant with Melinda’s near you, visit Melindas.com/store-locator.
The Scovie Awards Competition accepts entries for two months during the summer and the judging is held the Monday of the week between the New Mexico State Fair and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The judging, which is not open to the public, consists of 80 to 100 judges, mostly food professionals, who sample products in coded cups in a “blind tasting.” They fill out judging forms and rate the products according to eye appeal, aroma, flavor, and heat scale.
