The American Society of Baking (ASB) has announced Kansas State University as the first-place winner of its 2026 Product Development Competition, revealed during the BakingTECH conference in Chicago. Their innovative entry, Gochuhoney Bites, not only demonstrated exceptional creativity but also met the highest standards of quality and safety, ASB says.

This year’s competition, sponsored by the National Honey Board, challenged student teams to develop a new, innovative bakery food product utilizing honey for its functional properties beyond flavor, such as moisture retention, texture enhancement, emulsification, or shelf-life improvement. Products were also required to demonstrate a minimum of two novel textures, meet commercial scalability expectations, and achieve a minimum 14-day shelf life, reflecting real-world industry demands.  

The winning team, comprising of Rachel Featherstone, Addison Brandau, Pedro Souza, and Lei Zhong, created a gochugaru-spiced shortbread with a hot honey caramel coating. The judges were particularly impressed by the product’s originality and sensory appeal within a highly competitive field of 21 submissions, ASB adds. Entries were evaluated on key criteria including product innovation, formulation strategy, process scalability, food safety, and overall market viability, and the winning team reportedly demonstrated strength across each of these areas.  

The second place winner, with their product Bee’s Knees Sticky Honey Pudding, is Cal Poly Pomona. Their product is a honey-injected date-based pudding cake. In third place is Cornell University who developed Flan De Luxe, a honey-sweetened chocolate cake with a creamy flan topped with a honey caramel.  

The competition has provided these students with a unique platform to connect with leading industry experts, gain real-world product development experience, and showcase their talent on a national stage, ASB notes. Teams also shared the $20,000 prize pot, furthering ASB’s mission to support the next generation of baking industry professionals.   

“The Product Development Competition continues to highlight the future of baking innovation,” says ASB Director of Education & Standards Sarah Day. “With the support of the National Honey Board, students were challenged to think beyond flavor and demonstrate how ingredients like honey can deliver meaningful functional benefits in modern bakery products.” 

Related: ASB's BakingTECH unites the grain-based food industry