Awards & Certifications

Awards & Certifications

Independently certified. Honored for taste and packaging since 1996.

Salute Santé! has been making grapeseed oil in the Napa Valley since 1994. Along the way our oils have been independently certified and honored by the specialty food industry. Here is each award and certification, what it means, and why it matters when you choose a cooking oil.

Certifications

Certifications are checked by independent organizations and renewed on their schedule. They confirm what is in the bottle and how it is made, so you don't have to take our word for it.

The Non-GMO Project

Non-GMO Project Verified

Product: The entire Salute Santé! grapeseed oil line

Every Salute Santé! grapeseed oil, from the original oil to the infused flavors and our cold pressed oil, is Non-GMO Project Verified.

Why it matters

The Non-GMO Project is a nonprofit that runs North America's most recognized third-party verification for non-GMO food. Products with its butterfly seal are checked against the Project's standard, ingredients at higher risk of contamination may be tested, and verification is renewed every year. That means an independent organization, not just our label, confirms the oil is made without genetically modified organisms.

Read the announcementAbout the Non-GMO Project

Star-K Kosher Certification

Star-K Kosher Certified

Product: Salute Santé! grapeseed oils

Salute Santé! grapeseed oils are certified kosher by Star-K.

Why it matters

Star-K, based in Baltimore, is one of the largest kosher certification agencies in North America and supervises tens of thousands of products worldwide. Kosher certification means a rabbinic agency has reviewed the ingredients and how the product is made, and keeps inspecting it. For people who keep kosher it is essential, and for everyone else it is one more layer of independent oversight of what is in the bottle.

About Star-K

Since 2007Green America (formerly Co-op America)

Green America Certified Green Business

Product: Food & Vine, Inc., maker of Salute Santé!

In 2007 Food & Vine, Inc., the Napa company behind Salute Santé!, received Green America's seal of approval as a certified green business.

Why it matters

Green America's Green Business Certification is one of the oldest consumer trustmarks for companies that meet standards for both environmental and social responsibility. It recognizes what has been true since we started in 1994: our oil is upcycled, pressed from grape seeds left over from winemaking that would otherwise go to waste, and we run the business with the same care for the environment.

Read the Gourmet News storyAbout Green Business Certification

Awards

Since 1996, specialty food judges, chefs and industry experts have honored Salute Santé! for taste and for packaging. The most respected of these, the sofi™ Awards, are decided in blind tastings.

2023Specialty Food Association

sofi™ Gold Award – Nut & Other Oils

Product: Salute Santé! Cold Pressed Grapeseed Oil

Salute Santé! Cold Pressed Grapeseed Oil won the 2023 sofi™ Gold Award in the Nut and Other Oils category.

Why it matters

The Specialty Food Association has presented the sofi Awards every year since 1972, and they are one of the top honors in specialty food. Winners are picked in blind tastings by a panel of experts such as chefs, food writers, culinary educators and specialty food buyers, so a product has to win on taste alone, not on its label or reputation.

Read the announcementAbout the Specialty Food Association

2013Specialty Food Association

sofi™ Award Finalist – Outstanding Oil

Product: Salute Santé! Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Syrah Grapeseed Oil

Our Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Syrah Grapeseed Oil was named a 2013 sofi Award finalist for Outstanding Oil, chosen from 1,885 products entered.

Why it matters

Reaching the finals of the sofi Awards puts a product among the best in its category nationwide, as judged in blind tastings by food professionals. Ten years before our 2023 Gold Award, this was early recognition for our cold pressed, single-varietal oils.

Read the announcementAbout the Specialty Food Association

2002Quality Institute International

Certificate of Distinction – Taste

Product: Grapeseed Oil, and Grapeseed Oil infused with Rosemary, Roasted Garlic and Fresh Lemon

Four Salute Santé! oils, our original Grapeseed Oil and the Rosemary, Roasted Garlic and Fresh Lemon infused oils, received the 2002 Certificate of Distinction for taste.

Why it matters

The certificate was awarded for taste and signed by the Institute's National Culinary Director, a Certified Executive Chef. Recognition from culinary professionals shows the oils perform where it counts, on the plate, across both the original oil and the infused flavors.

View certificate

2001NASFT (now the Specialty Food Association)

Product Awards Finalist – Outstanding Oil, Vinegar or Salad Dressing

Product: Salute Santé! Basil Grapeseed Oil

Salute Santé! Basil Grapeseed Oil, made with organic ingredients and fresh herbs and no artificial flavorings or colors, was a finalist for Outstanding Oil, Vinegar or Salad Dressing.

Why it matters

The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) is the organization now known as the Specialty Food Association, and its Product Awards are the forerunner of today's sofi Awards. Being a finalist ranked our basil oil among the best specialty oils and dressings in the country.

View the award pageAbout the Specialty Food Association

1998NASFT (now the Specialty Food Association)

Product Awards Finalist – Outstanding Packaging Design

Product: Salute Santé! Grapeseed Oil in the stainless steel can

Our stainless steel can, with its built-in slow-pouring spout and screw top, was a finalist for Outstanding Packaging Design.

Why it matters

Good packaging is not just about looks. Oil breaks down when it is exposed to light, and the light-proof stainless can protects the oil so it stays fresh longer. This award recognized a package that is both practical in the kitchen and good for the oil inside.

View the award pageAbout the Specialty Food Association

1996Fancy Food magazine

Fancy Food Packaging Awards – First Place, Nonperishables

Product: Salute Santé! Grapeseed Oil

Salute Santé! Grapeseed Oil won First Place for nonperishables in the 1996 Fancy Food Packaging Awards.

Why it matters

Fancy Food magazine's annual Packaging Awards honored the best-designed specialty food packages of the year. Our distinctive stainless steel can has been part of the Salute Santé! story since the beginning, and it earned top honors in its very first years on the market.

View the magazine page

1996American Tasting Institute

American Taste Award of Excellence – Foodservice Division

Product: Salute Santé! Grapeseed Oil

Salute Santé! Grapeseed Oil received the 1996 American Taste Award of Excellence from the National Board of the American Tasting Institute.

Why it matters

It was awarded in the Foodservice Division, the category for products used in professional kitchens. It was early proof of what chefs still tell us today: Salute Santé! is an oil made for serious cooking.

View certificate