Convenience store of the future Foxtrot announcing the newest winners of its Up & Comers Small Makers Awards, a program to uncover the best emerging food and beverage brands.

Last year’s inaugural winner Omsom, the fast-growing Asian pantry staples brand, has continued to take the CPG space by storm since earning its ‘Hero Winner’ title.

“Our Up & Comers program embodies what we do at Foxtrot every day — discovering small makers who are just as passionate about food as we are, and bringing their delicious and best-in-class products to our customers to enjoy,” said Carla Dunham, Chief Marketing Officer at Foxtrot. “We’re committed to making our shelves reflect the customers we serve and continuing to support small makers everywhere. Up & Comers is designed to open the door for the countless entrepreneurs, and specifically women and BIPOC-founded brands, who don’t have access to the resources to grow their business.”

The ultramodern retail destination for all things food and beverage announced the next generation of brands in the space to watch. With more than 1,000 applicants, Foxtrot selected the following unique food and beverage brands listed below as this year’s winners.

Toasty (Hero Winner)

Toasty offers plant-based snack dips made from toasted almonds. With complex flavors and clean ingredients, Toasty’s toasted almond dips put a bold yet wholesome twist on everyone’s favorite shareable snack. Founder Audrey Turner launched Toasty in 2020 after weeks of experimentation with almond-based recipes. Her secret? Toasted almonds. Toasty’s jalapeno ranch dip is a true standout and worthy of being named the ‘Hero Winner.’

Kola Goodies

AAPI- and woman-owned Sri Lankan milk tea brand Kola Goodies offers botanical-rich blends to boost energy, mood, immunity, and wellbeing with ingredients sourced directly from South Asian farmer collectives. Founded by Sri Lankan immigrant and social entrepreneur Sajani Amarasiri, Kola Goodies’ teas are designed to make you feel both nourished and balanced.

Funky Mello

Dubbed “The Feel Good Marshmallow,” Funky Mello creates marshmallow cremes that are amazingly light and satisfyingly sweet. BIPOC-founded, plant-based, and free from dairy and gluten, the marshmallows come in vanilla, strawberry, and cookie flavors.

Balkan Bites

Balkan Bites is a female- and family-owned business that specializes in wholesome Southeast European comfort foods such as Burek (boo-rek), a portable stuffed phyllo swirl. The company is committed to using only premium ingredients and authentic recipes to make the cuisine accessible to all. Founder Ariana Tolka was inspired to create Blakan Bites to share with the world traditional Albanian recipes in honor of her late grandmother.

Madly Hadley

Plant-based chef Madelyn Hadley is passionate about revolutionizing favorite foods. She launched Madly Hadly in 2018 to make her most popular recipes available to everyone. Her coconut bacon products are 100 percent vegan and organic.

Mama Teav’s

Mama Teav’s is committed to making quality products with wholesome ingredients. Mama Teav’s Hot Garlic is 100 percent natural and made with only seven simple ingredients. Founded by Christina and Anthony Teav, Mama Teav’s is a tribute to their family’s recipes and their mother’s love for cooking. “Mama Teav’s is a love letter to our mother and a celebration of family, community, and our Cambodian American identity,” the couple writes on the company’s website.

Learn more about Foxtrot here.