The winners of the 2014 Eat Out Zonnebloem Produce Awards will be announced on Saturday 12 April 2014 at the Stellenbosch Slowmarket at the Oude Libertas Estate in Stellenbosch. The special market will be open from 9am to 2pm, with the awards ceremony starting at 10.30am. Entry is free and everyone is welcome.

In addition to the announcement of the winners and the market’s usual stalls and attractions, visitors will have a chance to meet some of the nominated and winning food producers, and sample the best cheese, cured meats, poultry, seafood, bread, condiments and confectionery in South Africa.

The band Slow Jack will be performing and visitors can also look forward to the Zonnebloem stand offering wine tastings and sales. A full-colour tabloid, featuring all the Eat Out Zonnebloem Produce Awards winners as well as a pull-out seasonal calendar, will also be distributed to all visitors after the announcement. Be sure to grab a copy!

If you can’t make the market, follow @Eat_Out on Twitter and use the hashtags #eatoutproduceawards and #WDC629 (our World Design Capital number). Also sign up for the Eat Out newsletter to hear about all the winners first.

More about the awards

The Eat Out Zonnebloem Produce Awards celebrate outstanding, independent South African food producers and artisans for their integrity, passion and innovation. Winners are those who deliver a consistently high quality product that is South African grown or crafted using primary produce from South Africa. Due care and consideration for both the environment and workforce are essential criteria. In addition to small producers, we also recognise stores and markets for their vital role in the process.

The categories for produce awards include best new product, best organic or free-range producer, South African food heritage award and best small producers in the categories of grocery/condiment, dairy (cheese and other), paddock (poultry and meat – fresh and cured), grown produce, seafood, confectionery, and baked goods. Prizes will also be awarded for outstanding markets and outlets, as well as the best local food blog, which was chosen by public vote.

The judges

The nominated products have streamed in and judging has been completed for the 2014 Eat Out Zonnebloem Produce Awards. The judges who decided on the ultimate winners of all the outstanding nominees are: Eat Out editor-in-chief Anelde Greeff; Eat Out editor and restaurant awards judge Abigail Donnelly; MasterChef SA winner Deena Naidoo; Top 10 chef Jackie Cameron; and chef and Rising Star Vanessa Marx. (Find out more about the judges.)

Why the awards are a World Design Capital Cape Town project

The theme for WDC 2014 is “Live Design, Transform Life.” Innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability are the cornerstones of the produce awards – and they also happen to be features of life-improving design.The Eat Out Zonnebloem Produce Awards make local quality produce ever more accessible to the public. Since 2011 the produce awards ceremony has taken place at a market open to the public, thus bringing the producer directly to the consumer.

Eat Out believes that by awarding and supporting local entrepreneurs and small businesses for their innovation and food design, we will contribute to local economy and encourage entrepreneurship and sustainable business practices. Past winners are testimony to the difference the awards have made to their lives and businesses. Some of these people started as tiny home industries – literally producing goods in their home kitchens and selling it at a single market – and since winning our award, grew to flourishing businesses – with small factories and country-wide distribution for their products.