ATHENS -- Judges save chosen Bootleg Farm’s Feta Cheese and Cajeta caramel sauce as finalists in UGA’s 2018 Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest.

Representatives of Bootleg Farm, located near Springfield, will showcase their salty and sweet treats in the dairy category and in the sauces and seasonings category at the final round of Flavor of Georgia judging at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot in Atlanta March 20 alongside 31 other products.

For more than a decade, the contest has served as the state’s premier testing ground for both small, upstart food companies and time-tested products.

The finalists, who have passed the first round of judging, were selected from a field of more than 126 products in 11 categories.

Finalists will bring their products to Atlanta for the final round of judging, which will be held in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Awareness Week celebration March 19-23. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black has designated March 20 as Flavor of Georgia Day.

“Georgia is home to some of the best and most creative minds in the food business, and each year the Flavor of Georgia contest helps to showcase that talent,” said Sharon P. Kane, contest coordinator and economist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ (CAES) Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.

A food business development specialist, Kane and her center colleagues have organized the annual contest since 2007.

Judges for the final round of the contest will include food brokers, grocery buyers, chefs and other food industry experts. They will judge each entry based on commercial appeal, Georgia theme, taste, innovation and market potential in each category.