Saratoga Food Specialties, a Solina company that creates customized seasonings and sauces for quick service restaurants and food manufacturers, has announced it has been named 2022 Supplier of Year by Yum! Brands.

Saratoga Food Specialties was selected out of 800 suppliers by Yum! Brands for its top honor, which recognizes excellence in innovation, operations, quality and service. Saratoga was also named Taco Bell Supplier of the Year, the brand’s highest award, for the sixth time as well as Pizza Hut Innovation Supplier of the Year. With 55,000+ restaurants in more than 150 countries, Yum! Brands is Saratoga Food Specialties’ largest customer.

“We are humbled and grateful to be named Yum! Brands' Supplier of the Year and to receive the top award for Taco Bell and the Innovation award for Pizza Hut. These awards reflect Saratoga Food Specialties’ commitment to help Yum! Brands differentiate with the most innovative flavors,” says Michael Marks, president of Solina U.S. “Saratoga is in business to support our customers, drive their brand value, and grow their business. We exist through their brands, knowing that we succeed only when they succeed.”

“Saratoga continues to elevate their seasoning, sauces, and flavors, and they truly are the backbone of the Taco Bell brand. They are transparent and communicative, and they study our consumer every single day,” says Liz Matthews, chief food innovation officer for Taco Bell.

The awards were presented on April 11 in Huntington Beach, California at the Yum! Brands annual STAR Awards ceremony, which recognizes suppliers for their commitment to Yum! Brands and its family of companies including Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut.