Sunset recently took top honors at its local Leamington Greenhouse Competition, with the most awards of any competitor, including Best Overall Strawberry for its Sunset Wow pearberry, according to a release from the Kingsville, Ontario-based company.
Sunset also earned the most Chef’s Choice Awards, a new category for the competition for which Greenhouse Competition chef Henry Furtado hand-selected the products that inspired him out of 136 submissions. Submitted as part of the new Specialty Berry category for 2022, BerryWorld Raspberries were crowned the Diamond Jubilee raspberry.
Earlier this month, Mastronardi and its partner BerryWorld received seven awards from the International Taste Institute for Sunset and Wow Berries brands at the 2022 Superior Taste Awards in Brussels, Belgium.
The winning products included Sunset LolliPeppers seedless mini peppers, Angel Sweet tomatoes, Golden Angel Sweet tomatoes, and Kumato tomatoes, as well as angelberry raspberries, moonberry blackberries, and pearberry strawberries from the Wow Berries line, said the release.
“Both of these awards represent significant victories for Mastronardi Produce and are a tribute to our unwavering efforts to place flavor first across all our brands,” Paul Mastronardi, president and CEO of Mastronardi Produce, said in a release. “It is a tremendous honor and extremely validating to be recognized for the investment we make in taste and quality by culinary experts both within our local community and worldwide. Mastronardi Produce employees can be proud that we are delivering on our mission to inspire healthy living through Wow flavor experiences.”
The annual Leamington Greenhouse Competition is hosted by the charitable organization REACH International. Entries are judged through a blind taste test by a panel of experts, including representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, chefs and produce managers.
Evaluated by a jury of over 200 chefs and sommeliers, the Superior Taste Awards recognize the quality and taste of international food and drink producers. Awarded products are deemed “well made, balanced and delicious” after undergoing a blind sensory evaluation of five criteria: first impression, vision, olfaction, taste and texture.
Sunset said its products were evaluated among thousands of other food and beverage products.
