Jasberry

Jun 29, 2023

Jasberry, Sayso receive top honors Image Non-GMO organic superfood rice company Jasberry won A Fancy New York Pitch Slam, held at the Summer Fancy Food Show by Naturally New York, in partnership with the Specialty Food Association. The grand-prize winner of  Naturally New York ’s A Fancy New York Pitch Slam, held June 26 at the Summer Fancy Food Show in partnership with the  Specialty Food Association (SFA), was Jasberry , a B Corp, social enterprise food company co-founded in Bangkok, Thailand, by CEO Peetachai (Neil) Dejkraisak and CMO Pornthida Wongphatharakul. Jasberry, which aims to solve farmer poverty with the world’s first non-GMO organic superfood rice, received a check for $10,000. Meanwhile, the People’s Choice Award went to Sayso , a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based, women-owned premium cocktail company co-founded by Alison Evans and Chloe Bergson. The product is touted as the first-ever craft cocktail tea bags to create complex, mixologist-quality cocktails and mocktails, in minutes, using clean ingredients that are low-sugar, kosher, gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan and plant-based. Jasberry, Sayso and the other finalists took the Summer Fancy Food main stage to pitch their innovative food and beverage products to a panel of expert judges and almost 1,000 Summer Fancy Food Show attendees. The three other Pitch Slam finalists were: Harlem Baking Co. , a premium dessert food company founded by Charles Devigne, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and New York City restaurateur known for his original gluten- and hormone-free handcrafted cheesecake and unique sustainable packaging for delivery. Kekoa Foods , a purpose-built inclusive food company based in New Jersey and co-founded by fathers and partners Danny Auld, president, and David Fullner, CEO, that focuses on veggie-forward organic purées incorporating herbs, roots and spices for a bold new take on baby food. Loisa , a New York-based, minority-owned food company, co-founded by CEO Scott Hattis and Kenneth Luna, that brings an upgraded Latin cooking experience to families with non-GMO, organic, vegan, allergen-friendly seasonings and sauces. The pitch slam judges were Christina Briscoe, food and beverage category manager, SoHo House & Co., North America; Melissa Dolan, director, Emil Capital Partners; John Lawson, senior local forager, Northeast region, Whole Foods Market; and Tapan Shah, head of venture capital, Snack Futures, Mondelēz International. Presented by the SFA, the Summer Fancy Food Show ran June 25-27 at the Jacob K. Javits Center. Naturally New York is a 501(c)(6) trade association that was established in 2021 with a singular objective: to foster connections among New York-area entrepreneurs, leaders, investors and service providers within the natural products community.