POKS Spices, introducing Spicy West African Seasonings, wins $10,000 Merchant Maverick Grant and 2021 Fiery Food Challenge Awards!
ST. PAUL, Texas, June 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 3, 2021, Merchant Maverick announced awardees of its inaugural Opportunity Grants program. POKS Foods LLC dba POKS Spices, was selected as one of its $10,000 grant recipients.
Merchant Maverick aims 'to make small business easy by providing comprehensive, unbiased reviews of the software and services' needed to make businesses succeed. This year's grant was geared towards Black Female Entrepreneurs, who have been shown to have unequal access to funding resources. After a highly competitive application process comprising 2000 applicants, four awardees were selected, including POKS Spices.
On June 4, 2021, at the 25th Annual Fiery Food Challenge Awards dinner in Irving, Texas, where the most prestigious awards in the spicy food industry were awarded, POKS Spices came out on top! The POKS Spices Original Spicy Cayenne-Based West African Seasoning took home the 1st place Golden Chile Award, in the Cook Off Food - Dry Seasoning/Rub Pork sub-category. The product also won the Best Cook-Off Food product, out of 17 sub-categories in the Cook-Off Food product Category.
The Fiery Food Challenge pits products from across the US and internationally against each another in more than 90 sub-categories. Professional judges evaluate hundreds of sauces, salsas and other spicy treats and award first, second and third place prizes in each sub-category. Overall category winners are also judged and awarded the Best of the Best.
With this, POKS Spices Seasonings have now won 4 awards, including 2 awards previously won by the Extra Spicy Cayenne-Based West African Seasoning, at the Fiery Food Challenge 2017 and 2019 Competitions. POKS Spices' mission is to introduce the American home cook to the bold flavors of West Africa, through their line up of Spicy West African Seasonings.
Abena Foli, Founder of POKS Spices, expressed her gratitude for the recognition the brand and products have received this year, especially for flavors unfamiliar to most American consumers.
For more information about POKS Spices, visit www.poksspices.com.
For more information on the Merchant Maverick Opportunity Program, visit www.merchantmaverick.com.
For more information on the Fiery Food Challenge and ZestFest, visit www.zestfest.net.
SOURCE POKS Foods LLC
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