Fruity snack created in Eastern WA is a Good Food Award finalist. What is it?

A popular snack developed and sold in Eastern Washington is among the finalists for the Good Food Awards.

The awards feature top-tier food and drink products from high-quality brands across the country in 18 different categories, including cheese, chocolate, coffee, elixirs and preserves.

Here’s what to know:

What are the Good Food Awards?

Through the Good Food Foundation, the Good Food Awards aim to recognize sustainable, socially responsible companies offering high-quality products.

To be considered, products should be “made by a crafter that is an upstanding member of the good food community, committed to equity and inclusion in all levels of their business,” the foundation said.

Desired practices include a safe, healthy work environment for employees, including fair wages, health resources and respect in the workplace, as well as annual diversity, equity and inclusion training and acknowledgment of the heritage of any culturally-specific products.

There are additional criteria for larger companies.

Businesses must be based in the United States, including its territories, in order to be considered.

What is the timeline for food industry honors?

Consideration for the 2026 Good Food Awards is nearly a year-long process that began in summer 2025.

The entry period lasted between July and August, except for the Oils and Grains categories, which have a separate timeline up until the winner announcements, according to the awards website.

Products entered for consideration undergo a blind tasting and judging. For all other categories, this took place in October.

The finalists were announced Jan. 29.

Winners will be announced “on or before June 28,” according to the Good Food Foundation.

What Good Food Award finalist is from Eastern Washington?

The recently announced finalists include a locally loved brand.

Chukar Cherries has been based in Prosser since 1988.

The company dehydrates local cherries in warm air tunnels, bypassing the need for added sugars or preservatives, according to its website.

Chukar Cherries combines local cherries with decadent chocolate and other snacks.

The brand’s organic Chipotle Cherries were named as a finalist in the Good Food Awards’ Snacks category. They’re made with Rainier cherries, which were originally developed right here in Prosser, as well as artisan ultra-dark chocolate and smoky pepper.

“This honor recognizes taste, craftsmanship and responsible production and we are thrilled to be considered,” Chukar Cherries wrote in a Jan. 29 Facebook post about making it to the finalists.

What are finalists in Good Food Awards’ Snacks category?

The Chukar Cherries snack is up against two dozen other snacks from across the country.

Its competitors include granola from Oregon’s Busy Izzy Foods, dried honeycrisp apples from Washington’s Sauk Farm and sturgeon jerky from California’s Tsar Nicoulai Caviar.