The 2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best Competition Now Open

Annual contest aims to find best Texas-made products to sell on store shelves across the state

2/21/2024

PhoLicious was the grand-prize winner of the 2023 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best competition.

H-E-B has kicked off the 11th annual H-E-B Quest for Texas Best, a competition created to find the best Texas-made products. The San Antonio-based food retailer is now accepting submissions for the competition until April 4. Qualified participants will compete for a combined $70,000 in cash prizes and the opportunity to feature their product on H-E-B shelves across the state.

The Texas retailer has discovered more than 1,000 unique products throughout the Lone Star State over the past decade – from cookies, coffees and roasted crickets; to empanadas, pickles and pho; to salsas, spices and everything in between. Nonfood submissions have included beauty items, toys, home goods and household necessities, gardening supplies, coolers and more. The retailer has reviewed more than 6,000 samples of creative Texas-made products and awarded nearly $2.5 million in prize money complemented by marketing, mentoring and supplemental support. Additionally, H-E-B has so far awarded 51 Quest for Texas Best suppliers with a commemorative H-E-B Million Dollar Club belt buckle for achieving $1 million in sales.

“We look forward to connecting with Texas-based innovators each and every year and providing exciting opportunities through this competition,” said James Harris, senior director of diversity and inclusion and supplier diversity for H-E-B. “I can’t wait to see what products are brought to the table this year. After 11 years of the H-E-B Quest for Texas Best and more than 6,000 entries, the creativity and ingenuity of Texans still inspires me.”

To prepare for Quest, participants will have the opportunity to visit with H-E-B sourcing and supplier diversity leaders about product development and best practices for submitting their product during special virtual information sessions slated for March 6, 13, 21 and 27. Registration is required. To reserve a spot, review competition details and learn more about the two-minute video requirement, visit heb.com/quest.

After the call-for-entries period is complete, H-E-B’s business development managers will select the top applicants, who will present their products before a panel of H-E-B-selected judges late this summer in Dallas. The panel of judges will determine the top four winning products and award $25,000 to the grand-prize winner, the title of “Texas Best” and placement on store shelves; $20,000 to the first-place winner; $15,000 to the second-place winner; and $10,000 to the third-place winner.

In the meantime, H-E-B is getting ready to officially open the doors to its new Fair Oaks H-E-B store at 6 a.m. on March 6. The 104,000-square-foot store is located at 29388 IH 10 West in Boerne, north of San Antonio.

With sales of $43 billion, H-E-B has more than 430 stores and 154,000 employees in Texas and Mexico. The largest privately held employer in Texas is No. 15 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.