SFA sofi Awards spotlight pasta and grain innovation for 2026

The Specialty Food Association revealed the 2026 sofi Award Grand Honors and Gold winners at Winter FancyFaire on Jan. 13, 2026, with awardees spanning 25 specialty-food categories. For pasta hobbyists and small-scale makers, the headline is clear: grains, pasta, and legumes remain firmly in the spotlight of specialty-food innovation.

In the Grains, Pasta, & Legumes category, Cafe Spice LLC took top honors for Coconut Rice. That single listing signals continued marketplace interest in grain-forward products that bridge convenience, flavor, and shelf appeal. Across the full winners list, judges called out patterns worth watching: thoughtful sourcing, bold flavors, attention-grabbing packaging, and novel product formats. Those four threads point directly to where specialty retail and curious cooks are placing their bets.

Why this matters locally and practically: small pasta producers, at-home recipe developers, and indie mixers can read the winners list as a trend map. Thoughtful sourcing means provenance and ingredient transparency sell. Bold flavor profiles and unexpected pairings lift shelf presence and kitchen use cases. Packaging that communicates use occasions and storage benefits shortens the path from shelf to stove. Novel formats, from ready-to-heat mixes to hybrid grain blends, create new categories beyond traditional dried pasta aisles.

Expect tangible spin-offs. Retailers and farmers markets that lean into specialty lines will favor products that tell a sourcing story and offer a clear culinary role. For makers, that translates to testing single-origin flours, emphasizing artisanal milling, and experimenting with complementary grains and legumes alongside pasta shapes. For hobby cooks, the trend suggests more ready-made or semi-prepared grain options to pair with pasta sauces, legumes, and vegetable-forward dishes.

This awards round also reaffirms the SFA’s role as a bellwether for what specialty-food buyers and shoppers crave. Watching winners across categories helps you position products, refine recipes, or tweak packaging so offerings look and cook the part. If you sell at market stalls, list on specialty platforms, or simply want to keep your pantry interesting, take cues from the winners: provenance, punchy flavor, smart packaging, and inventive formats win attention.

Our two cents? Start by testing one change this season—source a single higher-quality grain, dial up an unconventional spice pairing, or rethink your label copy. Small edits can make your next batch feel and sell more special.