Riga Food 2024 announces the tastiest food products in the Baltics

On 5 September, during the second ever Baltic Taste Award of the largest food industry trade fair in the Baltics Riga Food 2024, medals for the best quality were decided among the top food producers from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia who competed at the Ķīpsala Expo Centre. International jury received and appraised 90 entries in 11 categories.

The Baltic Taste Award is a competition that acknowledges the best-quality food products made in Baltics and promotes the best of them internationally.

The Baltic Taste Award 2024 decided medals among 90 different food products created by Baltic producers in one of the 11 categories: bread and bakery; milk and dairy, including goat and sheep milk-based products, as well as eggs; meat and meat products; fish and fish products; honey; products made from berries, fruit and vegetables, including sweets, chocolate and nuts; non-alcoholic drinks, including water, juice, coffee, tea; fermented drinks, including beer, wine, fortified wine and cider; strong liquor; vegan products; processed foods and ready-made meals.

“This competition gives additional exposure to producers and their creations. It fosters partnerships between catering professionals and food manufacturers. European experts have different taste palate. They are better positioned to tell which product has greater export potential. It is always important to have impartial opinion. Experts from abroad really praised Latvian bread, honey and garlic, Estonian peanut butter and rhubarb wine – these were the products that scored the highest,” says Chefs’ Club member of board Svetlana Riškova.

Let’s meet the Baltic products that have the best quality and taste!
The highest praise and platinum medal were awarded to five products, gold was won by 10 entries and 12 products scored silver medal, while bronze was given to 14 products.

TOP products in the Baltics
This year jury decided to award the overall competition victory to five products that also won platinum medals. Title of the Baltic Product of the Year in 2025 was awarded to Bakery “Lāči” seed bread “Bagatīgā” (Latvia), Farm “Līdumi” (Gunta Some) honey “Latgolys zīdu mads/Latgalian blossom honey” (Latvia), “KRANŽI” crunchy peanut butter with sea salt (Estonia), “Bruk energy” black garlic (Latvia) and “Vapista” dry sparkling rhubarb wine “Nudist Rabarbra Jubilee Dry” (Estonia).

Platinum medallists will be offered partnership with Chefs’ Club, which includes participation in club’s events, master classes, competition and marketing activities for one year. All of these events promote the quality and stories of local products coming from the Baltics.

“We are delighted to see that our hard work is appreciated and our seed bread “Bagatīgā” has scored so high. It is also nice to see that our bread is appreciated by both consumers and jury because judges always have higher expectations in terms of quality, nutritional value and taste of bread,” says owner of Bakery “Lāči” Normunds Skauģis who actually brought two trophies home.

10 products receive high scores
Gold medals of The Baltic Taste Award 2024 food quality competition were presented to 10 products whose manufacturers can now include medal on their product packaging. Gold went to “Sudrablīnis” high-quality “Wild Keta Salmon Roe” (Latvia), “Ādažu medus” “Krēmveida medus ar smiltsērkšķiem/Creamed honey with sea buckthorn” (Latvia), Organic Farm “Rukši” dry-aged beef Rib-eye steak with a bone, “Kalna Paltes” basil pesto (Latvia), Farm “Buliņi” cornflower bread (Latvia), “Sangrita” tomato juice drink (Lithuania), sparkling quince and honey mead “CINDRA Spring” (Latvia), “Snowflake” apple brandy “AP22”, “SunBears” gin “Gara & nakts” (Latvia) and “Kale Latvia Organic” kale crisps (Latvia).

“CINDRA Spring is our pride and joy. It is our gold and it comes from our land – Latvia. Medal is like a special gift to us. A well-deserved one at that!” Ivars Bērs, founder of Cindra, said after receiving the medal of Riga Food 2024 trade fair at Ķīpsala Expo Centre.

12 products win silver
Meanwhile, 12 products will go home with silver medals from Riga Food this year. The silver was won by “Unda” smoked sprat in avocado oil “Diplomats Gourmet” (Latvia), “Very Berry” functional drink “Awake“, Bakery “Lāči” “Īsta rudzu burkānmaize/Real fine rye bread with carrots”, “Rakvere” truffle salami (Estonia), quince and honey mead “CINDRA Extra Brut” (Latvia) and “SunBears” brandy “Lāču piens – Apelsīns” (Latvia). “Lido” also won 2 silver medals for their sweet vareniki “Vareniki with strawberries, apples and mango” and “Coffee cream with vanilla sauce”. SIA Bianca and two of its Mozzarella.Lab products – fresh stracciatella and burrata – Italian style cheeses also brought home two silver medals. Lithuanian MB Maži Mamutai with their Malonumas pickle sauce and 9 ūkis with their red current sauce also won silver.

“This is the second year in a row for us at the Riga Food and The Baltic Taste Award competition. We are proud that our beverages swept the pedestal of an international-level competition. We got gold, silver and a bronze. Bronze medal was presented to our autumn launch “Lāču piens – Cidonija”, which will be in shops real soon. Silver went to last year’s winner “Lāču piens – Apelsīns”, which is less typical or more exotic for our climate zone. And, this year’s frontrunner with gold medal, gin drink “Gara & nakts”. We will continue to do our best to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy these wonderful beverages and keep on going towards new goals,” says Māris Pāvilsons, CEO of SunBears and mastermind behind products, admitting that good scores from experts give additional confidence and promote the brand.

Bronze goes to 14 products from the Baltics
Prestigious Riga Food 2024 competition The Baltic Taste Award 2024 awarded 14 bronze medals to various products. Jury gave silver medals to Lithuanian “Maži mamutai” and their salted caramel, “Bianca” for “Mozzarella.Lab” Ricotta (Latvia), “Rakvere” for grilled meat (pork jowl steak) in Chimichurri marinade (Igaunija). “Unda” got its bronze medal for tinned sprats in pistachio oil “Diplomats Gourmet” (Latvia), “Lības” for sea buckthorn jam (Latvia), “Rõngu Mahl AS” for kiwi jam (Estonia), “Fazer” with “Rudzu ierauga tostermaizi/Rye toast”, “Ādažu medus” for creamed honey with raspberries (Latvia), “AVIZO” for organically-fermented oat drink with apples, sea buckthorn and probiotics (Lithuania). “LIDO” even got two bronze medals – one for “Laimalus” line and Solyanka soup. “SunBears” also got bronze for their strong drink “Lāču piens – Cidonija” (Latvia), “Lieliskie” got it for vegan snack “Nesnikers” (Latvia), whereas “Ceļnieki” for their alcoholic beverage “Mežonīgā datele/Wild date” (Latvia).

You can see all competition entries on the trade fair’s webpage: www.bt1.lv/rigafood/winners-bta_2024.php?id=4

“Food products made in the Baltics is our source of pride. They have the quality and export potential. International jury of the competition has fully recognised it. I am grateful to all food manufacturers who entered the competition. I was also glad to hear that some chefs from Baltic countries are ready to incorporate competition products in their restaurant menus,” says Rolands Nežborts, Director of Riga Food trade fair.

Expert jury
International jury, which consisted of Europe’s leading chefs, cocktail artists, sommeliers and food technology experts, was asked to do the blind tasting and appraisal of food products made in the Baltics on 5 September. It took them several hours to score the taste, smell, texture and appearance of these products and comment on or recommend how these products can be improved or combined with other products. Jury included such prominent members as Sigurjon Bragi Geirsson, a world renowned chef from Iceland and a candidate to Bocuse d’Or European and World Championships in 2022–2023, Justinas Kapkovičius, ambassador from Lithuania’s Sustainability Academy, Rudolf Visnapuu (Estonia), Tomas Rimydis (Lithuania), one of Sweden’s best pastry chefs Franciane Tartari, Taigo Lepik, Chef de Cuisine, Office of the President (Estonia), Bocuse d’Or Estonia President Dimitri Demjanov, Bocuse d’Or Lithuania President Darius Katinas, Chef Tarvo Stint, Lauris Aleksejevs, Chef, Dia 36.line, Latvian taste expert (Latvia), Nils Ģēvele, Chef, “Ferma”, Best Latvian Chef in 2022, Bocuse d’Or selection winner from Latvia and holder of Michelin special award as a young chef, Inga Ciprovica, food technologist, professor of Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jānis Kaļķis, one of Latvia’s best-known sommeliers, Dmitrijs Sinkevičs, sommelier, Max Cekot Kitchen, Inese Vīcupa, manager, “Whitehouse”, and others.

Visitors of Riga Food 2024 had a unique opportunity to see how competition and professional jury works. All entries were displayed in the lobby of the Ķīpsala Expo Centre.

Competition video: https://youtu.be/EeecFmH4z6k

Competition is organised by BT1 International Expo Company and Chefs’ Club.