Celebrating CPG Change-Makers
The BiteBack Awards spotlight bold, innovative brands reshaping the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space – celebrating those rewriting the rules and earning their place on shelves not just for what they are, but for what they stand for.
“What. A. Night. We were proud to support the BiteBack Awards, a celebration of bold, independent brands shaking things up in the best way possible….The energy, the people, the passion, it was everything.”
~ Stephanie Earle, Social Fixation
2026 BiteBack Award Winners
A huge thank you to all the founders who entered the BiteBack Awards; your creativity, passion and purpose were truly inspiring. The BiteBack Awards celebrated bold brands, with winners taking home top honours and $20K prize packs, thanks to our amazing sponsors.
Launch Legend
House of Matcha,
Va Barber Hua
Brand Campaign
Umei Foods,
Sarah Leung
Category Crusher
Urban Forager
Lou Corteen
Brand Innovation
The Fish Girl,
Umar Nguyen
Critics’ Choice
Urban Forager
Lou Corteen
“We won an award! So damn happy to have been rewarded for our hard work, risk taking, and overall growth in our category – doing things people haven’t!”
~ Stefan Di Benedetto, Solbevi, 2025 winner
The 2026 BiteBack Awards Categories
Celebrating the boldest beginnings and scrappiest startups.
The award:
For breakout brands that hit the ground sprinting.
Who it’s for:
Founders who launched in the past 3 years and made early moves that mattered – through clever partnerships, standout storytelling, or grassroots momentum.
Why enter:
Show how a strong start can spark long-term success – even without deep pockets.
Shining a light on brands that communicate clearly and creatively.
The award:
For campaigns that made people feel something – and remember it through their marketing.
Who it’s for:
Brands who’ve created a moment. A rebrand, a promo, a pop-up, a collab – anything that took your brand further than your product alone.
Why enter:
To prove your brand doesn’t just sell – it connects, builds, and belongs.
Championing the fearless few rewriting the rules – and the rankings.
The award:
For brands shaking up their space – and making serious moves
Who it’s for:
Challengers who are leading growth in their category and forcing the competition to keep up. You’ve taken risks, earned loyalty, and made your mark.
Why enter:
To show you’re not here to fit in – you’re here to lead.
Saluting the smart, the surprising, and the seriously game-changing.
The award:
For brands bringing something new – and doing it well.
Who it’s for:
Food, drink, pet or supplement brands with a new idea that genuinely changes how things are done. A smarter supply chain, a new ingredient format, a different take on a familiar product.
Why enter:
To get recognised for originality, and show that innovation isn’t just for the big players.
Crowning the brand that left a mark too bold to ignore.
The award:
Handpicked by our judges, this award goes to the standout brand that made the biggest impression across the board.
Who it’s for:
This is for the brand that judges can’t stop talking about. The one that’s not just making moves, but setting the pace.
Earned, Not Entered:
You can’t enter this category – the judges will crown the boldest of the bold.
“I’m shook! Shaun’s shook! Honestly did NOT see this coming at all. What a day. A stunning event, food was👌🏽, venue was super cool!”
~ Heidi Briggs, Flora Foods
Be Part of the Momentum in 2026
Step into the room where food, drink, pet and supplement brands get recognised.
The high-energy BiteBack Awards event is an unmissable part of the Foodpreneurs Festival experience. A relaxed but purposeful space where brand owners connect with the people who really move the needle: buyers, distributors, industry experts, mentors, investors and fellow founders.
If you’re serious about scaling up, this is one of those events that’ll you’ll want to be at; and here’s why:
- Meet previous award winners and discover what it really takes to get recognised.
- Mingle with the makers and shakers who’ve done it before, and want to help you do it too.
- Walk away with the kind of connections that open doors (and transforms businesses).
If you’re building a bold brand, this is where you need to be.
The BiteBack Awards event is a separate ticketed event to Foodpreneurs Festival. Grab your ticket on this page.
2026 BiteBack Award Judges
Janice Williams
More about Janice
Writer, Publisher, Professional Message-maker, and keen hiker, Janice Williams has made a career from understanding how to communicate in high-value target markets.
How we communicate influences how others see our businesses, brands, and products. In the age of DIY media, learning how to develop a story, use imagery, and brand by association can have a major impact on how products are perceived and understood. Williams can present on communication, marketing, brand, and digital marketing. She is an expert in slow media and the trials of gaining mind share in a distracted and fragmented media age.
Janice Williams is available for bespoke presentations on communications for industries where she operates as a producer of campaigns and media products – home, outdoor, food, and wellbeing.
Jayne Gallagher
More about Jayne
Jayne Gallagher is the CEO of Honey & Fox, a strategic branding and marketing agency. She is the driving force behind Provenance Powered Marketing, a unique approach that transforms origin stories into premium positioning, helping food businesses access high-value markets and build powerful brands that command premium prices around the world. Jayne is preparing to launch the Food Marketing Academy to make marketing easy for every food business regardless of size, budget or skill level. Her mantra: “Be bold. Be brave. Be different.”
Mirko Bonmassar
More about Mirko
Mirko Bonmassar is the Founder and Creative Director of Social Fixation, a creative agency that mostly works with brands across the hospitality, food and beverage scene. With over a decade of experience in the industry he is on a mission to help existing or emerging bold brands.osely with many of Australia’s leading startups and high-performing small businesses, helping founders and operators scale with confidence and realise their growth ambitions.
Mitch Hilder
More about Mitch
Mitch Hilder leads Stripe’s Startup, SMB, and Midmarket business. He began his career in management consulting, where he developed a strong interest in payments and money movement, which led to a seven-year career in institutional banking across Commonwealth Bank and Westpac. Since joining Stripe in early 2021, Mitch has worked closely with many of Australia’s leading startups and high-performing small businesses, helping founders and operators scale with confidence and realise their growth ambitions.
Sam Ayre
More about Sam
Cuttable’s first customer turned Head of Marketing. Sam has worked with FMCG brands from Bega to Diageo across the globe, and now leads marketing at Cuttable — working alongside 200+ DTC and ecommerce brands to help them scale on Meta.
Tien Do
More about Tien
Tien is an Associate Director in the BlueRock Accounting division, partnering with founders and business owners to turn numbers into confident decisions. She supports brands with clear management reporting, budgeting and forecasting, cash flow and profitability insights, and practical structuring advice – especially during growth, wholesale expansion and investment conversations. Tien is passionate about championing diverse founder communities and those that focus on sustainable growth.