Date Lady Wins Gold for Fruitcake 2019

Date Lady Wins Gold for Bake Goods in sofi™ Awards

Nearly 2,000 Products Competed for Top Specialty Food Association Award

Springfield, MO (May 3, 2019) – The DATE LADY Fruitcake has won the gold award in the BAKED GOODS category as part of the Specialty Food Association’s 2019 sofi™ Awards, a top honor in the $140 billion specialty food industry.

The Date Lady was one of 148 winners selected by a national panel of specialty food experts from nearly 2,000 entries across 39 Awards categories. Every eligible entry is carefully assessed by passionate and knowledgeable food professionals including chefs, culinary experts, academics, food writers, and category buyers. Products are judged on taste, including flavor, appearance, texture and aroma, ingredient quality and innovation. All tastings are blind.

“We are super excited that we have won a gold award for America’s most under-appreciated baked item,” says Colleen, founder of Date Lady. “the fruitcake! Although there isn't one "true fruitcake" we decided to reclaim as much of the original style of those first imbibed upon in the Middle East and then in Europe, involving mostly fruits and nuts and spices, rather than the modern twist of candies and artificial colors and flavors.”

Date Lady’s fruitcake is a seasonal item available on their website, Amazon and in an exclusive selection of speciality stores including Mama Jeans and Straub’s in Missouri.

“A sofi recognizes an extraordinary product and the people behind it,” says Phil Kafarakis, president, Specialty Food Association. “This year’s finalists represent a devotion to excellence and innovation in specialty food that continues to fuel our industry, excite consumers, and expand retail offerings around the world.”

The sofi Awards are open to members of the Specialty Food Association, a not-for-profit trade association established in 1952 for food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs with more than 3,800 members in the U.S. and abroad. For more information on the association and its Fancy Food Shows, go to specialtyfood.com. To learn more about the 2019 sofi Awards winner and hear the winners’ acceptance speeches, visit videos.specialtyfood.com.

About the Date Lady Fruitcake
A cousin of Panforte, but closer to the English original, this dense fruitcake will strike visions of sugarplums as the aroma of holiday spices and rum swirl about your senses. The Date Lady fruitcake is made in-house in small batches, and contains Date Lady dates that are sweet like caramel, a wealth of delicious fruits, organic pecans, a grain-free Cassava flour, cage-free eggs, and is sweetened with Date Lady date sugar and syrup.

About Date Lady
Date Lady is a supplier of organic, non-GMO and kosher date syrup, date sugar and a variety of date syrup-based products. Date Lady launched in 2012 and is based in Springfield, Mo. All products are USDA Organic and Kosher certified, and are available throughout the U.S. at select Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, Mom’s Organic Market, Amazon, and other fine specialty stores.

About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,800 members in the U.S. and abroad the tools, knowledge and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an always-evolving marketplace. The Association owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com

COMPANY NAME MEDIA CONTACT:
417-414-2282, info@ilovedatelady.com

Specialty Food Association Media Contact:
PR Department, press@specialtyfood.com