This year, the International Taste Institute celebrated 20 years of evaluating consumer products and proudly revealed the highly anticipated list of recipients of the 2025 Superior Taste Award. Known globally for its demanding jury of prestigious chefs & sommeliers and its rigorous evaluation process, the Institute continues to set the gustative standard for consumer food and drinks.
The International Taste Institute’s jury has meticulously evaluated thousands of products from around the world to award only the tastiest ones with its Superior Taste Award stars. Participating products were tasted blind and evaluated. Based on an assessment of different sensory criteria, products obtained an overall score for their taste. Successfully awarded products (scoring above 70%) were then attributed one, two, or three stars based on their performance.
A significant number of Greek & Cypriot products have been awarded with the coveted Superior Taste Award
Every year, Greek and Cypriot producers stand out with their participating products and the 2025 edition was no different: 208 products were distinguished for their superior taste. The product categories with the most entries this year were, once again, dairy/cheese products, bottled water, bakery products, and fish/aquaculture products.
Some of the awarded Greek and Cypriot companies for 2025 include: HELLENIC DAIRIES S.A., PITTARAS NIKOLAOS EMM., KOUKAKIS FARM S.A., COCA-COLA HBC CYPRUS LTD (Kykkos Natural Mineral Water) EUROWATERLAND S.A. (Epirus Kostilatas Springs), ARABATZIS MICHAIL S.A. “HELLENIC DOUGH”, KEFALONIA FISHERIES S.A. and KIMAGRO FISHFARMING LTD.
According to participating producers, their collaboration with the Institute is built on trust and adds real value to their products. Even those who did not received an award highlighted the importance of the constructive feedback they received, as it helped them improve their products and avoid misguided and financially harmful decisions – such as promoting products that would not meet market expectations.
A prestigious jury and rigorous evaluation process
The jury blind tasted food and drink products following a strict process, carefully assessing first impression, vision, taste, and texture (for food) or final sensation (for drinks) and providing detailed feedback.
“Unlike the tasters used in consumer tests, the Institute’s professional jury members have the culinary experience and vocabulary to say not only how tasty a product is but also explain why” said Laurent van Wassenhove, Managing Director.
The Superior Taste Award is regarded as the most respectable taste certification worldwide, primarily due to the prestige of the 250+ jury members, some of the world’s best chefs and sommeliers, including Bernard Vaussion, Former Chef for the President of France, Christian Brancaleoni (Best sommelier of Italy, 2022), Gabriel Biscay (M.O.F. & award-winning restaurant), Ferran Vila-Pujol, (Best Sommelier of Spain 2022), and Michael Vanderhaeghe (award-winning restaurant) to name a few.
Prestige awards, recognizing consistent superior taste
Crystal Taste Awards are granted to products that have been awarded 3 stars for 3 consecutive years. Diamond Taste Awards are granted to products that have been awarded 3 stars 7 times over a period of 10 years. The Prestige-awarded products for 2025 can also be found on the official website.
