Austin’s Kesshō Sweeps U.S. and U.K. Food Awards, With Three Bars Winning on Both Continents
Member Press ReleasesAugust 04, 2026
Seven honors in eight weeks — three 2026 Good Food Awards and four Great Taste awards, every one judged blind — validate the bean-to-bar maker’s conviction that salted plum, genmaicha, and chili-dusted guava belong in world-class chocolate
AUSTIN, Texas— August 3, 2026 — Kesshō, the Austin-based bean-to-bar chocolate and artisan gelato maker, has earned seven honors from the two most rigorous blind-tasting programs in American and British specialty food. Three of its bars won on both sides of the Atlantic within eight weeks
In June, Kesshō took three 2026 Good Food Awards across two separate categories: Guava Lime 57% Dark Chocolate and Salted Plum 59% Dark Chocolate in chocolate — two of just fourteen chocolate honors awarded nationally — plus Genmaicha White Chocolate in the candy category. The program selected 242 winning products from 198 crafters out of more than 1,200 entries, judged blind across 18 categories
On July 28, the U.K.’s Guild of Fine Food awarded Kesshō four Great Taste 2026 awards: a 2-star for Guava Lime 57%, and 1-stars for Salted Plum 59%, Black Sesame White Chocolate, and Genmaicha White Chocolate. Great Taste 2026 drew a record 15,000-plus entries from 3,919 companies across 116 countries; only 10.61% earned the 2-star mark judges reserve for products they consider outstanding
Guava Lime, Salted Plum, and Genmaicha therefore cleared independent expert panels in both New York and London in a single season
What makes that convergence meaningful is what neither panel knew. Both programs judge blind, on flavor alone. The judges had no packaging, no origin story, no founder biography — only chocolate on a plate
“Both panels tasted salted plum without knowing salted plum’s story,” said Liang Wang, Kesshō co-founder. “That is exactly the recognition we wanted. These are not novelties we invented to stand out. Salted plum is the candy a generation of kids across Chinese-speaking Asia grew up with in their pockets. Guava dusted with chili and lime salt is what a street vendor hands you in a paper cone. Genmaicha is the everyday tea, not the ceremonial one. We are not softening those flavors for a Western palate. We are arguing they were always this good — and a blind panel is the only jury that can settle it.”
The judges’ own notes suggest the argument landed. Great Taste’s panel described the Guava Lime bar’s flavors as arriving in layers, moving from guava through lime to a hint of chilli, and called the combination “a unique combination and we loved it.” The Genmaicha bar drew notes on roasted brown rice and grassy green tea wrapped in white chocolate; the Black Sesame bar was praised for deep, toasty nuttiness in sweet-savoury balance
Winning in both the chocolate and candy categories also points to range: Kesshō was judged against single-origin bean-to-bar makers and against confectioners, and placed in both
That flavor work sits on serious sourcing. Kesshō buys in single origins — Semuliki Forest in Uganda, Kokoa Kamili in Tanzania, and Ecuador’s Cayapas River region — and both Good Food Award-winning dark bars are built on Ugandan Semuliki Forest cacao. The company controls every stage in its Austin facility: roasting, stone grinding, conching, tempering, and molding. The name itself, kesshō — Japanese for “crystal” — refers to the crystalline structure of properly tempered chocolate. Great Taste judges repeatedly flagged that execution, noting the bars’ gloss, snap, and absence of air bubbles.
“Cultural storytelling without craft is just decoration,” said Mark Huetsch, KESSHŌ co-founder. “You cannot put a childhood memory on a wrapper and expect a blind panel to care. The bar has to hold up next to any single-origin in the room. That is the standard these awards measure, and it is the only standard that earns shelf space.”
The recognition arrives during rapid retail expansion. Kesshō is now carried in more than 200 U.S. retail doors, including a ten-store footprint at Central Market and a recent twelve-store launch at Foodland Hawai’i
Kesshō’s award-winning bars are available at kessho.com and at specialty retailers nationwide
Product | Great Taste 2026 (U.K.) | Good Food Awards 2026 (U.S.) |
|---|---|---|
Guava Lime 57% Dark Chocolate | ★★ 2-star | Winner — Chocolate |
Salted Plum 59% Dark Chocolate | ★ 1-star | Winner — Chocolate |
Genmaicha White Chocolate | ★ 1-star | Winner — Candy |
Black Sesame White Chocolate | ★ 1-star | — |
About Kesshō
Kesshō is a bean-to-bar craft chocolate and artisan gelato maker founded in 2019 by Liang Wang and Mark Huetsch, who relocated the company’s chocolate operations to Austin, Texas in 2023. The founders have built food businesses in China since 2009, including the bakery chain 派悦坊 (Pantry’s Best), which operates 30-plus locations across six Chinese cities. Kesshō’s mission is to bring Asian flavor traditions into fine chocolate and gelato without diluting either. Its work has been recognized by Great Taste, the Good Food Awards, the International Chocolate Awards, and the Academy of Chocolate. Learn more at kessho.com.
About the Awards
Great Taste — Run by the U.K.’s Guild of Fine Food for three decades, Great Taste is judged blind on flavor alone and is among the world’s most respected food and drink accreditation schemes. Of 2026 entries, 28.5% earned one star (“simply delicious”), 10.61% earned two stars (“outstanding”), and 2.03% earned three stars (“exquisite and extraordinary”)
Good Food Awards — Now in its 16th year and administered by the Specialty Food Association, the program convenes more than 250 judges annually for category-specific blind tastings evaluating flavor, craftsmanship, and standards for sustainability and responsible production
Media Contact:Liang Wang, Co-Founder · [email protected]
