AUSTIN, Texas — Two small businesses from the Austin area are among 10 finalists for H-E-B's 2024 "Quest for Texas Best" competition.
Birria Queen's Birria Seasoning Bombs and Certified Country Lemonade's Frozen Lemonade & Sweet Tea are representing Austin in the finals.
The Birria Seasoning Bombs – which resemble bath bombs – are meant to help those craving birria make "authentic, flavorful dishes without the hassle and the mess," while Certified Country Lemonade's Frozen Lemonade & Sweet Tea uses a 100-year-old family recipe adapted to create a full line of more than 25 flavors of lemonade and sweat teas.
H-E-B said over the past few months, its Business Development managers have reviewed more than 16 hours of video submissions from 470 entrepreneurs located in more than 118 Texas cities.
These businesses have made it to the finals:
- Birria Queen's Birria Seasoning Bombs from Austin
- Certified Country Lemonade's Frozen Lemonade & Sweet Tea from Austin
- BeeKing's Honey Dust from Canton
- Encina's Blue Corn Butterscotch Pancake Mix from Dallas
- Hess Street Foods' Chorizo seasoning paste from Utopia
- HydroNation's Natural Sports Drinks from Dallas
- La Pale Frozen Fruit Bar's Mini Frozen Paletas from Brownsville
- Marasi Foods' Frozen Filled Naan Bread from Dallas
- Sarape Treats' Chamoy Candy from Dallas
- Texas Rice Milling's Home of Honestly Texas Rice from Brookshire
The winner will be announced on Aug. 9 at Fair Park in Dallas and will receive a $25,000 grand prize, as well as earn placement on H-E-B store shelves. The first runner-up will win $20,000, and the following two finalists will win $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
H-E-B said since the launch of the Quest for Texas Best competition 10 years ago, more than 1,000 products have made it to store shelves. The company has awarded $2.2 million in prize money, as well as marketing, mentoring and other support.