The Specialty Food Association has created a Hall of Fame for the specialty food industry. The Hall’s Mission is to “honor individuals whose accomplishments, impact, contributions, innovations, and successes within the specialty food industry deserve praise and recognition.”
The 2016 Class of the Hall of Fame includes 46 individuals who have pioneered and built the specialty food industry. For just a list of the names of this year’s inductees click here.
Among these first recipients, Erwin Grunhut Patriarch of Astor Chocolate Corp.
Mr. Grunhut identified, and in many ways pioneered, the industries that Astor currently services including Hospitality and Travel Retail and single-handedly created almost all Astor products. Erwin’s legacy is marked by a series of “firsts,” including personalized turn down chocolates for the hospitality industry and selling chocolate as a souvenir for the travel retail market. Among Mr. Grunhut’s greatest achievements, his commitment to his employees and inspiring innovation.
