ATLANTA — Eric Wisham, owner of Wisham Jellies, took home the People’s Choice Award Tuesday from UGA’s 2015 Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest.

Wisham’s Cranberry Pepper Jelly was voted the tastiest of the 29 products sampled by the hundreds of people who participated in the Flavor of Georgia public tasting at Governor’s Ag Day Tuesday morning at the Georgia Freight Depot in downtown Atlanta.

In addition to his line of jellies, Wisham owns Wisham Jellies and Marketplace in downtown Tifton. For information about Wisham Jellies visit www.wishamjellies.com.

Adriana Coppola, a native Italian now living in Johns Creek, won this year’s Flavor of Georgia grand prize with her A&A Alta Cucina Italia Balsamico al Mirtillo, a blueberry balsamic vinegar reduction. 

 Showcase events like the 2015 Flavor of Georgia competition help entrepreneurs spread the word about their products. Many have landed spots in regional and national grocery chains like Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Earth Fare, Kroger and Harvey’s. 

 “Though hundreds of food products have come through the Flavor of Georgia contest since 2007, Georgians just keep coming up with a new ‘crop’ of excellent entries each year,” said Sharon P. Kane, Flavor of Georgia contest coordinator. 

This year Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean and Director J. Scott Angle announced the category and grand prize winners.

The Flavor of Georgia food product contest is sponsored by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development in partnership with the Georgia Center of Innovation for Agribusiness, the Office of the Governor, Walton EMC, the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Agribusiness Council. 

More information about this year’s contest can be found at www.flavorofga.com or on Twitter @Flavor_of_GA. For more photos of this year’s Flavor of Georgia contest, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/ugacommunications/sets.

In addition to the grand prize, judges awarded prizes in each food product category. A people’s choice award was given based on votes cast during a public tasting Tuesday morning. 

The awards are listed below by prize name, product name, company name, company representative and town.

·      Barbecue Sauces: Causey’s Hot BBQ Sauce, Causey Foods Inc., Wynn Causey Bakke, Smyrna. (The sauce was created in Vienna where the Causeys still operate a restaurant.)

·      Beverages: Paulk’s Pride 100% Purple Muscadine Juice, Muscadine Products Corporation, Erin Boettger, Wray.

·      Confections: Georgia Peach Cookies, Byrd Cookie Company, Geoff Repella, Savannah.

·      Dairy Products: Get Back Jack Pimento Cheese, Proper Pepper, Deanna Bibb, Sandersville.

·      Jams and Jellies: Strawberry Lavender Jam, Fairywood Thicket Farm, Kim and John Conner, Fairburn.

·      Marinades and Sauces: Tybee Island Coastal Blend, The Salt Table, Carol and Dave Legasse, Pooler.

·      Meat and Seafood: Grassfed New York Strip Steak, Hunter Cattle Company, Del Ferguson, Brooklet.

·      Miscellaneous: Georgia Wildflower Honeycomb, Zeigler’s Honey Company, Robert Edmondson, Stockton.

·      Salsas, Chutneys and Condiments: Balsamico Al Mirtillo, A&A Alta Cucina Italia,Adriana Coppola, Johns Creek. (overall winner)

·      Snack Foods: Savannah Snaps, Verdant Kitchen, Ross Harding, Savannah.