Tallinn special award at the best Estonian food product competition awarded to OÜ Vegestar for vegan pâté
At the 16th annual Estonian food industry conference, winners of the "Best Estonian Food Product 2024" competition were announced, where OÜ Vegestar (branded as Thormi) received the traditional Tallinn Special Award for their vegan pâté with black truffle.
Margot Roose, Deputy Mayor for Business and Innovation in Tallinn, commented on the significance of innovative, growth-oriented small businesses entering the food sector. “It is a pleasure to recognize a small business with global ambitions in the Estonian food industry. Their extensive product range, continuous research-based product development, and targeted approach to foreign markets are all grounded in the principles of producing food that is healthy, sustainable, and locally sourced,” said Roose at the award ceremony.Thormi's new vegan pâté, the first in Estonia to be based on plant proteins, is crafted from pea and oat proteins and is a soy-free vegan product. OÜ Vegestar, this year’s special award recipient, had previously been recognized by the city, including in 2022 for its first meat-free steak. The company has actively continued to introduce innovative products using plant-based mince technology and has invested in developing an environmentally friendly plant-based product line in collaboration with scientific institutions.
OÜ Vegestar started as a small producer in Viimsi but has since relocated to a larger facility in Priisle Business Park. The startup is known for its ambition, development of new production technologies, and a rapidly expanding product portfolio.
Organized by the Estonian Food Industry Association, the 30th edition of the “Best Estonian Food Product” competition began in 1994. The competition aims to introduce new products to consumers and encourage producers to invest in product development. This year, 64 companies participated with nearly 160 products, including 17 companies from Tallinn with 42 products. Since 2003, the City of Tallinn has awarded its special prize to the best local producer. Information about previous winners of the Tallinn Special Award can be found here.
Photo: Thormi vegan pâté with black truffle