EXPLORE WINNERS
Shop All Quest Products
For the last ten years, H-E-B has set out on a quest to find the best in Texas – the best local products made by Texans! From the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley, from West Texas to
Beaumont, the H-E-B “Quest for Texas Best” is an open call for locally owned, small food, beverage, and general merchandise suppliers to have their items considered for placement
on H-E-B shelves and $25,000 in their pocket!
Applications close April 6, 2023 at 4:59 p.m. CST.
After reviewing over 500 products from across Texas, the H-E-B Quest for Texas Best team narrowed that list down to the top 10 finalists. The finalists met us at the H-E-B Quest for Texas Best Finale in Dallas, presented their products, business stories and why they are the best in Texas. Meet the 2022 winners below.
Four Sixes Ranch – Chuck Wagon Chili Mix
by Brandie Blodgett Mustian & Dr. Nick Nickelson | Guthrie, TX
Bhoomi, a line of high-quality rehydrating cold pressed cane elixirs blended with ancient Ayurvedic super botanicals for recovery, immunity, and superfood properties. Certified Paleo, low glycemic with packaging that reduces the carbon footprint by a substantial 89%compared to other traditional PET options, Bhoomi’s flavors include: ginger, turmeric, and moringa.
Crawfish Hand Cleaner
by Brandie Blodgett Mustian & Dr. Nick Nickelson Guthrie, TX
The legendary Four Sixes Ranch is recognized
among the most legendary ranches in Texas history. Known for quality beef production, land management, and breeding and raising top performing American Quarter Horses, the iconic Sixes brand has added the Four Sixes Chuck Wagon Chili to its offerings. A staple dish among the pioneers and cowboys of the 1800s, it is an original, hand-crafted, ranch-inspired product that reflects the long heritage of working ranch families at the ranch. Made from a hybrid of award-winning chili recipes and inspired by the ranch’s original Four Sixes Chuck Wagon Chili, it’s “ranch tested, cowboy approved.”
Four Sixes Ranch – Chuck Wagon Chili Mix
by Daniela Mezza | San , TX
Puro Nitro was created out of Daniel Mezza’s love for
his grandmother’s Mexican coffee. All of the cold coffee options he found on store shelves were bitter and too strong, so he decided to create his own - with a modern approach. Inspired by the Japanese tradition of flash brewing, Daniel discovered that by hot brewing and then flash chilling the coffee, he was able to create a better tasting cold coffee. Puro Nitro is a one-of-a-kind product that brings together the old – the cinnamon flavor of traditional Mexican coffee – with the new element of nitrogen infusion that gives the traditional coffee flavor an unexpected kick. The ready-to-drink, hand-crafted coffee comes in an 11 oz. can and is made with a gourmet blend of beans roasted locally in San Antonio.
Puro Nitro – Puro Nitro Coffee
by Ashly Martin, Sondra Crawford & Tim Harris |
Menard, TX
Texas Iberico’s artisan cure master crafts recipes
that celebrate the flavors of Texas, resulting in a unique line of
cured meats that reflect the marriage of an ancient breed with an approach to building flavor that is the essence of New American Charcuterie. Texas Iberico’s 100 % Iberico pigs are humanely raised and range free on the Trail's End Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The pigs spend their days roaming the pasture, eating healthy grains, live oak acorns, native grasses, mesquite beans, and prickly pear cactus. This diet infuses the pork with intense flavor, and plentiful exercise means the pork is marbled with flavorful fat, perfect for making delicious, cured meats.
Texas Iberico – Artisan Cured Meats
I Love Chamoy – Sugar Free Chamoy
by Annie Leal | McAllen, TX
Chamoy was a staple of Annie Leal’s childhood growing up in Mexico. It made everything sweet and spicy and gave things like fruits and veggies the flavor of Mexican candy. When her dad was diagnosed with diabetes and could no longer enjoy this delicious Mexican sauce, she made it her mission to make this traditional staple of Mexican candy more accessible to people with different dietary needs. After spending months testing recipes and ingredients, she created the perfect sweet, tangy, and spicy chamoy – with no added sugar (since it's sweetened with monk fruit) or artificial dyes and with 40-80% lesssodium than most chamoys on the market. I Love Chamoy is delicious with fruits, vegetables, aguas frescas, seltzers, and more.
GRAND PRIZE
Love & Cookies – Gourmet Frozen Cookie Dough
by Ashley Cameron | Lakeway, TX
The Love & Cookies’ journey began in 2019 after Ashley Cameron’s five-year-old son was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, the #1 cause of acquired heart disease in children. After returning home from a tearful and difficult stay at Texas Children’s Hospital, all her little boy wanted to do was “bake cookies with Mommy.” Inspired, Ashley kept making cookies, sharing with friends and family. Now a self-described “cookie-preneur,” she soon opened a store front with 14 gourmet flavors freshly baked onsite. Wanting people to feel the love and essence of Love & Cookies in their home, she selected four flavors for her low maintenance gourmet frozen cookie dough line – M&M-Hank, ChocolateChip-CharlieCash, Triple Chocolate -Cashley, Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip-Gluten Free CharlieCash, and has plans to add more. The gourmet cookie dough is pre-portioned and can go straight from the freezer to your oven, delivering eight hot cookies in 15 minutes. After all, “life is what you bake it.”
FIRST PLACE
The legendary Four Sixes Ranch is recognized among the most legendary ranches in Texas history. Known for quality beef production, land management, and breeding and
raising top performing American Quarter Horses, the iconic Sixes brand has added the Four Sixes Chuck Wagon Chili to its offerings. A staple dish among the pioneers and cowboys of the 1800s, it is an original, hand-crafted, ranch-inspired product that reflects the long heritage of working ranch families at the ranch. Made from a hybrid of award-winning chili recipes and inspired by the ranch’s original Four Sixes Chuck Wagon Chili, it’s “ranch tested, cowboy approved."
(TIE) THIRD PLACE
Zwïta – Traditional Harissa & Zucchini + Potato Shakshuka
by Karim Arem & Mansour Arem | Houston, TX
After realizing that Tunisian culture was underrepresented in the United States, particularly regarding food, second generation Tunisian American brothers Karim Arem
and Mansour Arem founded Zwïta, named after the Arem’s maternal great grandmother. They are all about crafting ancestral Tunisian food products that make your life tastier.
Zwïta's product line includes Traditional Harissa available in mild, smokey, and spicy and a Zucchini and Potato Shakshuka base available in mild and spicy. Zwïta’s harissa is the original hand-crafted harissa that can be traced back to 17th century northern
Tunisia. It is a rich sun-dried chili paste with fresh garlic and spices perfect on sandwiches or a cheeseboard, used as a marinade or in stews, soups, and sauces. The Zucchini and Potato Shakshuka base is a traditional slow-cooked, stew-like vegetable-loaded dish that you would simply pour into a pan, crack some eggs, and enjoy with bread within minutes.
SECOND PLACE
Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que – Bar-B-Que Rub
by Brent Reaves & Juan Reaves | Dallas, TX
Smokey John’s BBQ, originally known as “Big John’s,” first opened its doors in 1976 in Dallas, TX. After a fire that fortunately caused no damage, regulars began calling the restaurant Smokey John’s and the hickory smoke smell became a signature neighborhood scent. The second-generation family owned and operated business, originally founded by “Smokey” John Reaves, is known for delicious smoked brisket, ribs, and their BBQ rub. More than 50 years old, the BBQ rub has a completely different flavor depending on the application – whether it’s on ribs or chicken.
(TIE) THIRD PLACE
by Annie Leal | McAllen, TX
Chamoy was a staple of Annie Leal’s childhood
growing up in Mexico. It made everything sweet and spicy and
gave things like fruits and veggies the flavor of Mexican candy.
When her dad was diagnosed with diabetes and could no longer enjoy this delicious Mexican sauce, she made it her mission to make this traditional staple of Mexican candy more accessible to people with different dietary needs. After spending months testing recipes and ingredients, she created the perfect sweet, tangy, and spicy chamoy – with no added sugar (since it's sweetened with monk fruit) or artificial dyes and with 40-80% less sodium than most chamoys on the market. I Love Chamoy is delicious with fruits, vegetables, aguas frescas, seltzers, and more.
I Love Chamoy – Sugar Free Chamoy
Click here for more information and a
calendar of Community Outreach meetings.
Watch the video to learn more about the application’s video submission requirement.
See Community Events
View Rules
Click To Enter
Submissions for the 2022 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best
are now closed. The team is currently reviewing all submissions. Entrants will be notified by a member
of the H-E-B team. Please check back soon for more
information regarding our 2022 Finalists!
While you eagerly await the 2022 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best finalists, check out how Chef Scott used some of his favorite Quest products in our Virtual Cooking Classes!