Winners of the Soil Association’s prestigious BOOM (Best of the Organic Market) Awards were announced last night, 5 July, 2017 at a ceremony in London’s renowned Borough Market.
Proceedings at this year’s BOOMs began with a welcome from Borough Market development manager, David Matchett, who paid tribute to the spirit of solidarity shown towards Borough Market’s traders who had been so deeply affected by the shocking events that took place in the market in June. He warmly welcomed the organic community to historic market and praised the Soil Association for its deep commitment to food culture.
This year’s judging panel featured industry experts from a mixture of retailers, chefs, food experts and journalists. The awards were attended by over 200 guests from major retailers, press and brands to celebrate the finalists and winners. The 23 organic food and drink categories include The Nation’s Favourite, a consumer choice award open to nominations from the public, and the best organic food outlets.
This year’s BOOM Award winners are:
Best Organic Alcoholic Drink: Dà Mhile Distillery – Dà Mhile Botanical Gin
Best Organic Confectionery Product: Booja-Booja – Hazelnut Chocolate Truffles
Best Organic Chilled & Frozen Product: The Tomato Stall – Organic Oak Smoked Isle of Wight Tomatoes with Extra Virgin Oil
Best of Organic Dairy Products: Organic whole Guernsey Milk, Abel & Cole
]Best of Organic Meat, Fish & Poultry: Higher Hacknell Organic Meat – Sirloin Steak
Nation’s Favourite Organic Product: Island Bakery – Lemon Melts
Best Organic Supermarket: Waitrose
Best Organic Large Online Retailer: Ocado
]Best Organic Independent Retailer: Better Food Company
Best Organic Farmer: Guy Watson at Riverford Organic
Soil Association Certification business development director, Clare McDermott said: “It’s a positive time for organic. There are now more than 8,000 stores nationwide that stock organic products, from supermarkets to independents to coffee shops and high street restaurants. That growth is reflected in these awards as well, with more entries year on year and a threefold increase in votes for the Nation’s Favourite. The BOOMs are such an exciting way to showcase the fantastic array of organic products now available. Congratulations to all our winners.”
The next key event in the organic calendar is Organic September. Building on the increased interest in organic following the BOOM Awards, 2017’s Organic September is set to be bigger than ever before, with more retailers, brands and food services participating. This year also marks the launch of a brand new Organic September Saturday, being held on 16 September.
For a full list of this year’s categories and winners, visit the BOOM Awards page on the Soil Association website.
