Karma Sauce Takes Top Honors at the sofi™ Awards, Cementing Cosmic Dumpling as a ‘Triple-Crown’ Hot Sauce

Cosmic Dumpling has won a gold award in the Hot Sauce category as part of the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) 2022 sofi™ Awards. The award is a top honor in the $170.4 billion specialty food industry.

Cosmic Dumpling was one of 102 winners selected by a panel of specialty food experts from nearly 2,000 entries across 53 product categories. Products are judged on taste, including flavor, appearance, texture and aroma, ingredient quality, and innovation. All tastings are anonymous and are held at the Rutgers Food Innovation Center.

“We’re honored by the sofi win” says Gene Olczak, owner of the Karma Sauce Company. “The reception to Cosmic Dumpling has been overwhelmingly positive, and this award will introduce the product to many new homes and help foster the experience of sharing a great meal. That’s something we’re very excited about"

Cosmic Dumpling was released less than 2 years ago, but within that time has already amassed a number of awards, including a Golden Chile from Zestfest and a 1st place Scovie award. With the sofi win, Cosmic Dumpling cements itself as a rare ‘Triple Crown’ hot sauce, demonstrating excellence at the three most competitive national award venues in the country.

Cosmic Dumpling is currently available for purchase at karmasauce.com.

The sofi Awards are open to members of the SFA, and have been given each year since 1972. Winners will be showcased at the 2022 Summer Fancy Food Show, running June 12-14, at the Javits Center in New York City. Open only to the trade, it is the largest East Coast B2B-only specialty food and beverage show. For more information, visit specialtyfood.com.

About Karma Sauce

Karma Sauce was founded in 2010 by Gene Olczak. Located in the Finger Lakes, Karma Sauce has always been committed to making the highest quality hot sauce on the market. Using locally sourced ingredients and carefully crafted micro-batches, the company has assembled a catalog of marquee hot sauces boasting unique recipes and unforgettable flavors. In addition to retail and wholesale, the Karma Sauce artisanal library of sauces are available for use in Private Label partnerships as well.

Karma Sauce has taken home more than 130 awards from national festivals and competitions, and has been featured on multiple seasons of the Emmy nominated YouTube series Hot Ones. Karma Sauce also partners with Heatonist to produce Los Calientes, an official hot sauce designed by Karma Sauce specifically for the show.

It was during the creation of Los Calientes Rojo, a variant of the original Los Calientes, that Gene began formulating Cosmic Dumpling. On a whim, he included a product sample of the umami forward soy-chile garlic sauce along with his latest Rojo prototypes to Heatonist. Their enthusiasm for Cosmic Dumpling convinced Gene the sauce was ready for release. Heatonist premiered Cosmic Dumpling in their Hot Ones Subscription Box shortly afterward.

About the Specialty Food Association

The Specialty Food Association (SFA) has been the leading trade association and source of information about the $170.4 billion specialty food industry for 70 years. Founded in 1952 in New York City, the SFA represents manufacturers, importers, retailers, distributors, brokers, and others in the trade. The SFA is known for its Fancy Food Shows; the sofi™ Awards, which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage for 50 years; the Trendspotter Panel Show reports and annual predictions; the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report and Today’s Specialty Food Consumer research; the ecommerce enabled SFA Product Marketplace, where members showcase products and sell directly to qualified buyers; SFA Feed, the daily source for industry news, trends and new product information, and Spill & Dish: A Specialty Food Association Podcast.

Contact Information

Alex Kleinman

Digital Content Director

The Karma Sauce Company

alexk@karmasauce.com