For the third consecutive year, Panther Coffee has been nominated for a Good Food Award. The Wynwood-based, small-batch roaster is one of 23 finalists in the coffee category for 2015.
Panther took home two awards in 2014 and one in 2013, but husband and wife Joel and Leticia Pollock and their team will have to wait till January 8 to see if their Kenya Kirura coffee gets the top prize.
Located in San Francisco, the Good Food Awards honor America's talented and socially aware food entrepreneurs. For 2015 there are 206 finalists competing in eleven different categories including pickles, cheese, charcuterie, chocolate and beer.
Short Order caught up with Joel Pollock shortly after the nominations were announced and he said he and his team are very excited about the news. "It's a really cool program and a really cool competition that we feel shines a light on people who are working hard to do quality stuff and we're super proud to be part of it," said Pollock.
See also: Panther Coffee opening in Coconut Grove
Apart from Panther's nod in the coffee category, the company played a part in getting another Miami business a nomination as well. Cacao Art is a finalist in the confection category for its Panther Coffee infused chocolates. The producer of gourmet Venezuelan chocolate won last year for its chocolate ganache spiked with cardamom and Tupelo honey.
The awards are entering their fifth year and Joel Pollock said the wins and nominations are great for business. "The local recognition that we're getting is really wonderful, but to get recognized on a national level with other industry leaders shows we're up there among the industry leaders. It's a very humble way to communicate that instead of just talking about how awesome you are," he said.
In other Panther news, the brand will be opening three new locations in Coconut Grove, MiMo, and Little Haiti within the next ten months. Joel said the Little Haiti space will house their second, much larger roasting machine, as well as a cupping lab and an area for green coffee storage.
The single-origin coffee purveyor is also growing its wholesale business said Joel. In particular, they've partnered with the Gansevoort on Park Avenue to run the hotel's pool lounge coffee program. Another big Manhattan client of Panther's is O Cafe in the West Village. We'll certainly raise an espresso to that.
Follow Valeria Nekhim on Twitter & Instagram
Follow Short Order on Facebook, Twitter @Short_Order, and Instagram @ShortOrder.
