- The Quality Food and Drink Awards 2026 are open for entries now. Find out how they could be a powerful launch pad for your small business
For small food and drink producers, getting a great product onto shelves takes more than passion. It takes resilience, credibility and the right opportunity at the right time.
That’s why the Quality Food and Drink Awards’ new partnership with Whole Foods Market UK feels so significant. As the official sponsor of the 2026 Small Producer Award, Whole Foods Market UK will spotlight emerging brands with the quality and market potential to grow. Gold winners will be considered for Whole Foods Market UK listings, Silver winners will receive coaching and guidance, and Bronze winners will gain enhanced visibility.
Few brands understand this journey better than Dapur Mariae. Founded by Mariae and Gerard, the Malaysian cooking sauce brand began with the simple mission to make Malaysian food accessible to everyone. Mariae’s love of cooking started in her mother’s kitchen when she was 10. After moving to the UK in 1989 for nursing training, she often cooked for fellow student nurses, then for friends and family at home with Gerard.
Those meals became the inspiration for Dapur Mariae. While Thai, Chinese and Indian cuisines were already established in the UK, Malaysian products were still largely limited to specialist Asian stores. Mariae saw an opportunity to bring the vibrant flavours of Malaysian cooking to a wider audience.
Winning at the Quality Food Awards helped turn that ambition into momentum. Early award wins for Spicy Sambal Paste and Peanut Sauce gave the business valuable validation from industry experts. Then, in 2020, its Malay Curry Paste won a Quality Food Award and the prestigious Small Producer of the Year accolade, sponsored by Co-op, becoming a major turning point. The win not only recognised the quality of Dapur Mariae’s products, but helped open the door to major retail, showing the kind of opportunity this year’s Whole Foods Market UK sponsored Small Producer Award could offer to another emerging brand.
That win led to a Co-op listing, making Dapur Mariae the first independent Malaysian brand to achieve a place on the shelves of a major high street retailer. For Mariae, it was a standout growth moment that led to a launch in Selfridges one year later. For Malaysian food in the UK, it proved there was mainstream appetite for products previously difficult to find outside specialist stores.
Since then, the brand has continued to build. In April, Dapur Mariae launched on Ocado and was accepted onto the retailer’s Roots Programme. The Ocado launch also included new product development, with Laksa and Rendang Curry Pastes joining the range and giving shoppers more ways to cook Malaysian dishes at home.
Mariae’s experience shows why the Quality Food and Drink Awards matter so much for smaller producers. Recognition can build consumer trust, give buyers confidence and provide brands with a stronger point of difference. But the value of entering is not limited to winning.
For Mariae, the feedback provided through the awards process is useful in its own right. “Winning would be the ultimate goal, however, the feedback provided, even without a win, is valuable. As a brand, being open to constructive criticism is key,” she says. “That mindset is essential to adapting and building a stronger brand over time.”
The new Whole Foods Market UK partnership for 2026 adds another layer to that opportunity. A listing with Whole Foods Market UK could be a powerful launch pad for any small producer, helping them reach a diverse audience while acting as a testament to quality and sustainability.
For producers considering entering the 2026 Quality Food & Drink Awards, Dapur Mariae’s story offers a clear message. A strong product is the starting point, but building expert recognition and meaningful retail connections can transform a small brand’s trajectory.
With Whole Foods Market UK backing the Small Producer Award, this year’s QFDAs offer brands a chance to be seen, supported and discovered by a respected retailer.
The Quality Food and Drink Awards 2026 are open for entries now, with a final closing date of 26th June. To enter all categories, including the Small Producer Award in partnership with Whole Foods Market UK, click here.
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