From England, we brought the world gastronomic award Golden Fork as the only ones in the Czech Republic so far
It is Sunday afternoon and at the trade fair in Yorkshire County, England, the jury of the Guild of Fine Food announces the final results of the Golden Fork, the highest gastronomic trophy that can be won in a worldwide competition. A total of 14,113 products from 108 countries around the world entered the competition, and only 14 of them will achieve this symbolic gastronomic Oscar. Among the global competition consisting of the best rums from South America or renowned Norwegian cheeses is also our freeze-dried pepper.
"It is not often that a newcomer receives such a high award in the competition, "
we hear from the surrounding experienced competitors. We nervously wait for the result until the last moment. And then it comes. Our freeze-dried pepper has officially become the best and most golden in the world! In the entire 27-year history of the Great Taste Awards competition, no other product from the Czech Republic has ever won this trophy.
More than 500 jurors of the Guild of Fine Food evaluate all the products entered into the competition over two months. Each is carefully tasted blind by top chefs, buyers, sellers, restaurateurs, and food critics. The foods are then rated with one, two, and three stars. Among the global competition, it is very rare to find 3 stars for Czech products. This year, two types of our Kampot pepper could boast the Great Taste award, which is itself a great global success. It has never happened before that a Czech product achieved even higher and confirmed its nomination for the Golden Fork. And then we came.
We are now officially the only holders of this globally recognized gastronomic trophy thanks to our freeze-dried green Kampot pepper, which we freeze-dry on Czech machines with a unique recipe.
Confirmed – our pepper is really the best in the world
Jurors in the Great Taste Awards competition look for truly excellent taste regardless of brand or packaging. With our freeze-dried pepper, they can find not only that – it is a worldwide unique product. “At the beginning, there was a desire to bring truly fresh pepper to Europe. Its delicate taste, when the still green pepper is picked from the pepper vine,” describes our Lukáš, co-founder of the brand.
In order for a product to be nominated for the Golden Fork award at all, it must win 3 stars at the Great Taste, which were announced this September. Out of 218 products awarded this way, 33 later achieved a Golden Fork nomination – and the nomination itself meant a huge success for us. Only 14 awarded foods worldwide ultimately won. Absolutely special and unique food, this is the final verdict of the strict Guild of Fine Food jury. With our Kampot pepper, you also know that you are buying in a maximally fair way and supporting a good cause.
„ It is an indescribable feeling to be ranked among the world's top foods such as the best cheeses, virgin olive oils, or delicacies like oysters. It is an honor for us and we are sure that fresh freeze-dried Kampot pepper definitely belongs among them,“ agree Lukáš and Lenka, both co-founders of our brand and this year's proud exhibitors of freeze-dried pepper in England.
We conquered the global competition and can thus help more people
Since 2018, when we founded the project, we have supported over 200 small farming families in the Kampot region of Cambodia by purchasing Kampot pepper in the fairest and most sustainable way. In the same year, the Czech Development Agency joined our project and helped us develop freeze-dried pepper as part of a development program thanks to the purchase of Czech machines from LYOTRADE, on which we then further freeze-dry fresh pepper. What you will receive from us is real authentic Cambodia, and in return, you can be sure that you are helping specific people live a quality life even in other parts of the world.
„When you treat pepper this way, it only needs to be soaked at home in oil or any liquid, and the pellet will absorb moisture again and return to the same form it was in just before being picked,“ explains our Klára, co-founder of the brand. „We wanted to deliberately develop a product in the Czech Republic that no one else in the world has and thanks to which our farming families can be competitive with large foreign farms that currently dominate the Kampot region,“ she adds with a smile.
Actions speak louder than words
The fact that we really help and try to change the world for the better is also proven by our this year's win in the SDG Awards, where the Association of Social Responsibility recognized us as the second-best company in the Business category. As one of the most sustainable companies in the Czech Republic, we set even higher goals for ourselves in the future to help Cambodian farming families thanks to our gradual expansion into foreign markets this year and in the following years.
