Do you or somebody you know make a food product so delicious that it belongs on a grocery store shelf? If so,
Heinen’s would love to hear about it. The local chain of fine grocers is gearing up for its second annual Shark Bank competition, which is open to local artisan food purveyors.
Last year’s competition was limited to non-perishable food items, but this year’s is open to fresh foods as well. No alcoholic beverages are permitted.
For the inaugural event, 60-plus entries were accepted into the competition. Those were whittled down to 10 semifinalists, which were tasted and voted on by the public in the rotunda of the downtown store. The final four came back for the big event, which included demos and tastings to celebrity chefs like Zack Bruell and Dante Boccuzzi.
The winner was Bissell Maple Farm’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup.
This year’s winner is guaranteed placement in all stores for at least a year, plus four product demos in each store, as well as placement in ads, emails, web and social media. All told, the prize is valued at $10,000.
The submission deadline is Thursday, March 31, with the semifinals taking place on Friday May 13 and the finals on May 20.
If you or someone you know is interested in submitting a product,
click here for a submittal form.
