By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS

The second annual Goula Awards were presented during a virtual ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 4, to leading Mexican food and beverage companies nationwide.

The awards, which recognize good business practices within the country’s food and beverage sector, were presented by a multidisciplinary panel of 21 experts who evaluated a range of food products and services for consumer safety and corporate care for the environment.

The award for Best Mexican Product with a Greater International Impact went to the Mexican Association of Avocado Producers, Packers and Exporters (APEAM) in recognition of having exported more than 1 million tons of avocado in just one season.

The Best New Enterprise Product of the Year Award was given to Elote Nixta liqueur, produced by the Abasolo Distillery using as a corn base fermentation from the slopes of Nevado de Toluca in the State of Mexico.

The Most Sustainable prize went to Campo Vivo, which offers a wide range of quality organic goods produced in Mexico, for its ecological, sustainable and fair trade practices.

Campo Vivo also received that award for Best Product for Promoting National Traditions for its organic corn chips.

The nation’s largest packaged bread company, Grupo Bimbo, received the Best Ecological Packaging Award for its use of compostable and biodegradable packaging with the aim of reducing its environmental footprint.

The prize for promoting local economic development was given to Nekutli for its agave syrup manufacturing that helped farmers displaced from pulque production in two towns in the state of Jalisco.

Vero Amore walked away with the Best Superfood Award for its organic acai pulp, and La Costeña got the price-quality-nutrition prize for its beans.

Also receiving awards were Kampachi for its sustainable fish farming in Baja California, Sweet Bites for its healthy infant foods, and Nekutli for its organic ice cream.

The Altex Group got the Best Packaging Design Award for its Eva Lettuces cartons and EcomMx got the Zero Emissions Award for its innovative vegetable oil collection system.

Oaxacanita chocolate got recognized for its work with indigenous communities in the Oaxacan Mixtec region, and EcoMx was award for it new chocolate banana jam.

The Goula Awards were created by Goula, a strategic consulting platform of Mexican food and beverage business and marketing.