DALLAS — While you venture through the H-E-B aisles on your grocery runs, the popular Texas grocer is on a quest of its own, looking to stock its shelves with the best products from small businesses across the state.
This week, H-E-B announced 10 finalists in its 11th annual Quest for Texas Best competition, in which Texas-based small businesses square of against one other for a combined $70,000 in cash prizes -- and, more important, a chance at placement in H-E-B stores.
According to H-E-B, its business development managers have over the last few months reviewed more than 16 hours worth of video submissions from 470 entrepreneurs to determine which products made this year's cut.
The competition comes to a head on Aug. 9, when each finalists presents their product and story in front of a panel of judges at Fair Park in Dallas. After those presentations, the judges will then determine the four top candidates, with the grand prize winner receiving $25,000.
“Small businesses drive innovation and keep our communities vibrant, which is why we are dedicated to finding and supporting the best small businesses in Texas,” said James Harris, Sr. Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Supplier Diversity for H-E-B. “We are amazed year after year by the creative products submitted for the competition and look forward to making these inventive products available to our customers.”
More than 1,000 products have made it into H-E-B aisles since the competition launched in 2014, said the grocer, which has has awarded 55 Quest for Texas Best suppliers with a commemorative H-E-B Million Dollar Club belt buckle for achieving $1 million in sales.
Check out this year's finalists, with descriptions of each product courtesy of H-E-B, below.
H-E-B's 2024 Quest for Texas Best Finalists
La Pale Frozen Fruit Bar - Mini Frozen Paletas (Brownsville)
Description: Launched in 2019, Gerardo and Daisy Alcazar embraced a family tradition of making paletas and opened their first shop in the Rio Grande Valley. La Pale manufactures popsicles, ice cream, fresh fruit waters, and many other delicious treats, including Mexican-Style Mini Paletas. Made from natural fruits, these mini paletas are dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free, with sugar-free and keto options available. Flavors include mango-chamoy, lime, chamoy, strawberry, watermelon, mango, and many more.
Birria Queen - Birria Seasoning Bombs (Austin)
Description: When Donelle Mendoza moved to Austin from California in 2018, she quickly discovered the absence of birria tacos. To satisfy her carvings for birria, she took matters into her own hands and launched her new identity as the Birria Queen. Wanting to share her birria recipe with everyone, she created a seasoning bomb, which resembles a bath bomb, using her family's secret birria recipe. Her Birria Seasoning Bombs and Chile Bombs make authentic, flavorful dishes without the hassle and the mess.
Certified Country Lemonade - Frozen Lemonade and Sweet Tea (Austin)
Description: Certified Country Lemonade is a family-owned business that started from a modest wooden lemonade stand and grown into a small manufacturing operation. Using a cherished 100-year-old family recipe, the company created a full line of over 25 flavors of sweet southern-style lemonade and sweet teas made from freshly squeezed Texas lemons and local honey. The company recently launched soft frozen lemonades and teas by the pint and by the pouch with a host of flavors, including Strawberry Frozen Sweet Tea, Jalapeño Pineapple Frozen Lemonade, and Bubba Peach Frozen Lemonade.
BeeKing's - Honey Dust (Canton)
Description: BeeKing's crafts the finest raw honey and beeswax products from hive to home. the company is committed to helping people learn about the incredible healing benefits of honey while creating an easier way to replace processed sugars. As a replacement for sugar, Chris developed Honey Dust through an innovative "pure dry process" that sweetens and yields all the benefits of raw honey. BeeKing's, which was founded in 2013 by Chris Miller and his brother, sources from hundreds of their own hives as well as the hives of beekeepers they know and trust.
Encina - Blue Corn Butterscotch Pancake Mix (Dallas)
Description: Matt Balke, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America as salutatorian, refined his culinary expertise as an apprentice of James Bear Award-winner Chef Sharon Hage and as executive chef at Dallas hotspots like Bolsa and Smoke. Partnering with restaurant veteran Corey McCombs, they transformed the former Bolsa space into Encina. The cuisine highlights seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, celebrated for their simplicity, quality, and execution. Famous for their Blue Corn Pancakes with butterscotch chips, they are excited to share their popular recipe as an easy-to-make mix.
HydroNation - Natural Sports Drinks (Dallas)
Description: As an avid rock climber, Emiliano Espinosa-Dominguez was dissatisfied with conventional sports drinks. Looking for a healthy, natural way to rehydrate, he created his own. With his parents' guidance, he developed HydroN, inspired by refreshing drinks his family made in Mexico. HydroN distinguishes itself by using 100% natural ingredients such as honey, sea salt, and cold-pressed juices from fruits and vegetables. Proudly unique, HydroN offers a hydrating sports drink rich in electrolytes and designed to support an active and healthy lifestyle.
Marasi Foods - Frozen Filled Naan Bread (Dallas)
Description: Marasi was founded by a group of food enthusiasts who wanted to share their love for naans with the world. Each naan that Saema Hoda and Shahbaz Sohail make is a labor of love, carefully crafted with high-quality ingredients and a balanced mix of proteins or vegetables, and spices. These naans offer a complete meal in every bite, filled with savory delights like beef, chicken, cheesy potato, and other traditional ingredients. Each naan is conveniently packed fresh in a freezer-friendly box for an all-in-one meal solution that's both easy and delicious.
Sarape Treats - Chamoy Candy (Dallas)
Description: Jazmin Miranda and Rozanna Ventura, who are friends and mothers (both with full-time jobs), launched Sarape Treats with a goal to bring their Hispanic culture to families through their products. Their authentic, high-quality chamoy paste, which is perfect for drinks or fruit, is made from real tamarind pulp.
Texas Rice Milling - Home of Honestly Texas (Brookshire, Houston Region)
Description: Honestly Texas proudly offers sustainably grown rice, nurtured by Texas farmers committed to conservation and quality. Grown in Texas using innovative water-saving techniques, Texas Rice Milling's rice fields double as wildlife habitats during the off-season, supporting biodiversity. Dried, milled, and packaged locally, its farm-to-fork traceability ensures transparency from field to table. By choosing Honestly Texas Rice, customers support Texas-grown products that are safe, sustainable, and contribute to local ecosystems.
Hess Street Foods - Chorizo seasoning paste (Utopia, San Antonio Region)
Description: In 2023, Maria Flores founded Hess Street Foods to share the flavors and traditions she grew up with, celebrating culture through food. The craft of making chorizo has been in her family for generations and is a passion she works to preserve. With an exquisite variety of chorizo seasoning blends, their products are 100% natural, made with premium quality ingredients, and vegan friendly. Each product is an invitation to experience the traditional flavors and aromas of their family's culture.
