The 20 finalists — from both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas — will compete for more than $75,000 in cash prizes at the McMorran Place Plaza in downtown Port Huron on September 9. The public is invited to attend.
“We had some excellent entries this year, and our team had some very spirited discussions regarding the finalist selection…it was NOT easy,” said Jon Holden, vice president of sales and marketing at All Star Services, a break room services company based in Port Huron, and a competition partner. “We are very excited about sharing the 20 finalists with our judges in September. They will have some very difficult decisions to make.”
The 2023 finalists were broken up into four different “snack categories.” The 20 finalists competing for $75,000 in cash prizes this year are as follows:
Sweet Sensations:
Popside Candy (Cotton Candy Puffs) of Whitmore Lake
Dave’s Sweet Tooth Toffee (Maple Bourbon Pecan Toffee) of Harrison Township
What’s the Dill (Kool Aid Pickles) of Detroit
Chippers 906 (Flavored Waffle Cone Chips) of Marquette
Royal-T Cakery (Build Your Own Cannoli Kit) of Port Huron
Confectionary Creations:
Mae Bell Pound Cakes (Lemon Pound Cake) of Westland
Love Muffins (Carrot Cake Muffin) of Kalamazoo
Wani Cakes (Berry Summer Omich) of Dearborn
MJ Bakes (Cookies n’ Cream Cookie) of Fort Gratiot
Sweet Encounter Bakery (Salted Caramel Cupcake in a Jar) of Lansing
Mindful Munchies:
Nakee & Co. (Cacao Peanut Butter Nakee Butter) of Detroit
Ferry Farms (Hardwood Smoked Beef Stick) of Litchfield
Live Crispy (Blueberry Pineapple Fruit Crisp) of Ferndale
Emme’s Plantain Chips (Mango Spice Plantain Chips) of Wyoming
Yolk Baking Company (Hello Granola) of Sterling Heights
Crunchy Cravings:
Big Skinny’s (Smoked Pretzels) of Hesperia
Papa’s Peanut Brittle (Papa’s Original Peanut Brittle) of Kalamazoo
OTB Enterprises (Apple Cinnamon Chunk Nibbles) of Troy
Fry Daddy’s Brand (Gluten Free Party Mix) of Walker
Sherman’s Tennessee Hot Crackers (Sherman’s Original Tennessee Hot Crackers) of St. Clair Shores
This year’s event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 9 at the McMorran Plaza in the heart of downtown Port Huron.
To purchase a wrist band/ticket to attend, please visit the MI New Favorite Snack page on the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce website at: www.BlueWaterChamber.com.
The MI New Favorite Snack Competition, now in its second year, aims to provide capital to a few micro-businesses — consisting of 10 or fewer employees — based in Michigan. In both 2022 and 2023, the competition attracted 50 entries from both peninsulas of Michigan.
In 2023, the grand prize winner will again receive both a cash prize and also a distribution agreement with All Star Services. The MI New Favorite Snack Competition is made possible by the support of the following partners:
Presenting Sponsor:
Community Foundation of St. Clair County
Platinum Sponsor:
McLaren Port Huron
Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
Eastern Michigan Bank
Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling
Community Partners:
All Star Services
Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce
City of Port Huron
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2022 WINNERS:
4th Place:
Downey’s Potato Chips
Waterford, MI
3rd Place:
Popside Candy
Whitmore Lake, MI
2nd Place:
Emme’s Plantain Chips
Wyoming, MI
Grand Prize of $30,000 and 1st Place:
Dave’s Sweet Tooth
Harrison Twp, MI
People’s Choice Award:
Dot’s Candy Bar
Port Huron, MI