NOSH Best of 2020 Awards

Each year NOSH’s annual Best Of awards honor the individuals, brands and products that have demonstrated excellence during the year and resonance that will extend far beyond the last twelve months.

2020 will go down in history not just for the brands that triumphed but also for the trauma many Americans faced -- and continue to face as we turn the corner. Over the past year our country wrestled with both the health and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as an awakening that occurred over this past summer with the death of George Floyd. The result is that while some of the brands we’ve chosen to recognize this year are notable for the products they brought to store shelves or growth in sales, others were impressive to the selection committee for their heart, mission, and commitment to building a better food system and future.

Our brand and person of the year are two such award winners. Ben & Jerry’s, though maintaining its commitment to cultural relevance through new product launches and regular social commentary, also was unabashedly unafraid to speak up for injustices toward Black or transgender Americans, for example. Meanwhile, Chobani CEO and founder Hamdi Ulukaya continued his push to be the “anti-ceo” placing people above profits. NOSH’s marketing campaign of the year recognizes not simply the best Tik Tok or viral video, but rather the way hundreds of brands came together to support frontline workers in New York City.

Of course there are also the brands that transformed their business models in 2020 -- such as Miyoko’s Creamery’s push towards reaching mainstream consumers or SimpleMills’ emphasis on sustainability -- as well as launches that were just delicious,

For all of these reasons, and many more, out of a pool of hundreds of nominated brands, we have selected the winners for this year’s NOSH Best of 2020 Awards in recognition of their continued efforts to improve our food system, grocery store shelves and communities -- one bite at a time.

See the full list of NOSH Best of 2020 Finalists and Nominees.

Brand of the Year

Ben & Jerry's

During a year when Americans increasingly trusted business leaders more than elected politicians over matters of principle and trust, Ben & Jerry’s set the pace for corporate responsibility like a group of small town idealists but delivered it with the powerful amplification that comes from its big company perch.

Person of the Year

Hamdi Ulukaya

Every executive’s leadership has been tested during 2020. For at least one food company leader, that test revealed true strength. Granted, the leadership bonafides of Chobani CEO and founder Hamdi Ulukaya have never been in question, with the company already known for carving out a new category in yogurt and building a brand that excelled across channels while maintaining a firm grounding in its social responsibilities, but the past year has further solidified that even in the face of adversity, for Ulukaya, people will still outweigh profit time and again.

Rising Stars

Best Marketing Campaign

Founders Give

In the face of extreme adversity, the food and beverage industry banded together this year to support the true heroes of 2020: frontline healthcare workers.