UNFI Honors 2026 Supplier Circle of Excellence Winners

June  24, 2026          3 minute read

During UNFI’s Holiday & Winter Selling Show at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center in Uncasville, Conn, the company UNFI recognized 19 suppliers in its 2026 Circle of Excellence Awards

These annual awards honor outstanding examples of innovation, category leadership, and community impact across UNFI’s supplier network.

“So tonight, we celebrate all of you: from emerging brands that are bringing fresh energy to store shelves, to established brands that are continually innovating for their next era of growth,” said UNFI’s Chief Executive Officer Sandy Douglas. “Building strong, enduring brands is a challenging, humbling, and rewarding journey. And at UNFI, we are honored to be one small part of it.”

Read below for more details about the 2026 Supplier Circle of Excellence Award winners and their unique achievements.

Center Store Supplier Awards

Beverages: Recess 
Recess helps people feel calm and balanced with their line of functional beverages and powders. With a 45% increase in year-over-year sales – they have grown into a dominant national brand in the functional-mocktail, nonalcoholic adult beverage category.

Snacks: Gourmet Nut 
Gourmet Nut has focused on one thing: making better food with no fillers, no fluff, and no shortcuts since 2009. They’re using their momentum to scale distribution, strengthen retailer partnerships, and accelerate growth across all channels.

Grocery – Food: McCormick & Company 
McCormick & Company knows the best meals start with the best flavor. They consistently deliver value through steady product innovation. With more than 75 new products launched this year – including their viral finishing sugars – they continue to build momentum with new generations of shoppers.

Grocery – Non-Food: INABA Foods USA 
INABA is an eighth generation, family-owned company that’s thriving with their premium, human-grade, nutrient-rich pet food. Building on a 78% year-over-year sales increase, they’re launching new innovation that expands their reach into the growing dog treats category.

Dairy: Danone North America 
Danone North America has a mission to bring health through food to as many people as possible, supported by a strong portfolio of trusted brands. They consistently deliver products that reflect that strength and meet evolving nutritional needs.

Frozen: Feel Good Foods 
Feel Good Foods takes a chef-driven approach to convenient, gluten-free frozen favorites. Their team has invested to strengthen their portfolio with unique products like French Toast Sticks and Crispy Feta and Spinach Bites.

Health and Beauty: MaryRuth’s 
MaryRuth’s was created to help others take health and wellness into their own hands. With 43% growth in the category, they continue to gain momentum by using social media to keep their consumers engaged and coming back for more.

Multicultural: Pepsico Foods Multicultural – Gamesa 
Pepsico-Gamesa offers a wide variety of classic treats. As Mexico’s largest cookie manufacturer, they serve customers across the Americas. They continue to expand while staying grounded in cultural authenticity.

Candy and General Merchandise: Signature Brands, LLC 
Signature Brands has been crafting family memories for more than 60 years. With a leading portfolio of dessert decorating products, they help retailers win during seasonal moments and year-round.

Fresh Supplier Awards

Bakery and Deli: Rich Products Corporation 
Rich’s is a family-owned business that believes food connects us all and continues evolving their products to keep up with shifting tastes and preferences. From breads and cakes to specialty treats, their products bring people together through everyday meals and celebrations.

Produce and Floral: Grimmway Produce Group 
Grimmway Produce Group nourishes communities and serves customers while caring for their family of employees and the earth’s natural resources. An industry leader in several categories, they set the standard for excellence in fresh.

Meat and Seafood: Bob Evans Farms 
Bob Evans Farms has brought farm-inspired, ready-to-serve food to millions of people, making mealtimes easier and more delicious for 75 years. They expanded distribution to more than 100 new retail locations in 2025 and continue to introduce new products that complement family meals.

Emerging Supplier Awards

Grocery – Non-Food: Koala Eco 
Koala Eco is on a mission to create safe, effective products using natural ingredients while connecting people to nature. They achieved a more than 220% sales increase within our independent retailer network, reflecting strong demand and disciplined execution.

Candy and General Merchandise: Rotten 
Rotten is reshaping the better-for-you candy market with bold candy made with prebiotics, free from synthetic dyes, and contains 60% less sugar. They won the 2025 UNFI Pitch Slam and have seen strong growth since then.

Meat and Seafood: MOWI 
MOWI provides seafood to more than 70 countries, serving over 8.5 million meals per day. They’re innovating with new flavors and fresh packaging to meet shopper preferences and continue driving steady growth.

Supplier of the Year Awards

Impact Supplier of the Year: Lumen 
This award recognizes a supplier that integrates community service and environmental responsibility into how they operate every day. Lumen, which took first place at UNFI’s 2026 UpNext Pitch Slam, delivers protein in a refreshing, juice-like format. They believe in food as medicine and are committed to regenerative farm sourcing.

Broad Market Access Supplier of the Year: Better Sour 
This award recognizes a supplier that is redefining innovation in our industry with unique, culturally relevant products that meet diverse shopper needs. Better Sour created a line of better-for-you sour gummy candy that’s disrupting the candy category. The co-founders – who are best friends and daughters of Iranian immigrants – are drawing on their heritage to deliver a better kind of sour. 

Supplier of the Year: Organic Valley 
The Supplier of the Year Award celebrates a brand that has set the standard for excellence, innovation, and partnership across the food retail industry. Organic Valley is owned and run by approximately 1,500 small family farms working together. They support dairy farmers in using practices that reduce environmental impact while helping strengthen long-term farm operations.

Michael Funk Legacy Award

UNFI Co-Founder and Board Member Michael Funk presented the Michael Funk Legacy Award to Frontier Co-op, a member-owned cooperative that has partnered with UNFI since the beginning of the company’s 50-year history. Frontier Co-op was an early advocate of organic agriculture and began carrying organic products well before organics became mainstream, partnering with UNFI to reach more retail stores and shoppers across the U.S.

“As we celebrate our own 50th anniversary this year, it feels especially meaningful that UNFI and Frontier have walked this journey together – building our businesses side by side over the decades,” Tony Bedard, Frontier Co-op Chief Executive Officer.