Texas' favorite grocery chain H-E-B is nearing the end of its search for the next crop of Texas-made products to hit the shelves, with 10 newly revealed finalists. Its Quest for Texas Best competition is now in its 11th year of engaging small businesses to find the best of their products, in return for $70,000 in cash prizes and the overall winner will be stocked in H-E-B stores.

For the 2024 competition, a release says, H-E-B has received more than 16 hours of video from 470 entrepreneurs. Although submissions came in from more than 118 cities, the finalists come from just six places, with Dallas and Austin taking multiple spots. Ultimately, four products will win tiered prizes.

The finalists cover lots of ground, from regional and international specialties to improvements on common staples. Austin's picks are both on-brand for the city's food preferences: frozen lemonade and sweet tea by Certified Country Lemonade and seasoning bombs by Birria Queen.

Certified Country Lemonade mostly keeps things classic, using a 100-year-old family recipe. Now that the wooden stand has grown into a manufacturing operation, it produces more than 25 flavors using freshly squeezed lemons and local honey. Frozen lemonades and teas are the latest offering, packaged in pouches for sipping or cups for enjoying with a spoon, like sorbet. Flavors include strawberry sweet tea, jalapeño lemonade, and "Bubba Peach" lemonade.

These frozen lemonades and sweet teas can be eaten with a spoon.Photo courtesy of Certified Country Lemonade via H-E-B

Birria Queen represents a change in Austin, which is becoming a secondary birria destination after Los Angeles. Founder and former Californian Donelle Mendoza noticed in 2018 that birria tacos were in shorter supply here, and developed a seasoning bomb — a tightly packed ball of spices — to deliver the right flavors without measuring or "mess." In addition to birria seasoning, Birria Queen also makes chile bombs.

In Dallas, where the Quest is based, four companies go head-to-head. New American restaurant Encina, the only restaurant on the list, contributes its blue corn butterscotch pancake mix; HydroNation offers up electrolyte-rich sports drinks made with all-natural ingredients; Marasi Foods presents frozen naan pockets packed with enough ingredients to constitute a full meal; and Sarape Treats shows off candy coated in its signature chamoy paste and spice mix.

Sarape Treats uses its signature chamoy paste on both fruits and candies.Photo courtesy of Sarape Treats via H-E-B

The 2024 H-E-B Quest for Texas Best finalists are:

• BeeKing's – Honey Dust – Canton
• Birria Queen – Birria Seasoning Bombs – Austin
• Certified Country Lemonade – Frozen Lemonade & Sweet Tea – Austin
• Encina – Blue Corn Butterscotch Pancake Mix – Dallas
• Hess Street Foods – Chorizo seasoning paste – Utopia
• HydroNation – Natural Sports Drinks – Dallas
• La Pale Frozen Fruit Bar – Mini Frozen Paletas – Brownsville
• Marasi Foods – Frozen Filled Naan Bread – Dallas (Allen)
• Sarape Treats – Chamoy Candy – Dallas
• Texas Rice Milling ~ Home of Honestly Texas – Rice – Brookshire

On August 9 at Dallas' Fair Park, a panel of judges will select the 2024 winners including a $25,000 grand prize winner with distribution via H-E-B; a $20,000 first-place winner; a $15,000 second-place winner, and a $10,000 third-place winner.

In 2023, a Houston-based business called PhoLicioustook home the grand prize for its instant pho. Austin's Funky Mellow, a vegan company making snack packs with pretzels and vanilla marshmallow crème, was one of the 10 finalists, but ultimately did not win a prize.

Austin's last win was in 2022, when Love&Cookies took first place for its frozen gourmet cookie dough. Since then, H-E-B has added the product to its roster, and the business has opened a new brick-and-mortar location on South Lamar Boulevard.

“Small businesses drive innovation and keep our communities vibrant, which is why we are dedicated to finding and supporting the best small businesses in Texas,” said James Harris, senior director of diversity & inclusion and supplier diversity for H-E-B. “We are amazed year after year by the creative products submitted for the competition and look forward to making these inventive products available to our shoppers.”

More information about the contestants and product listings from past winners are available at heb.com.