Frankfurt International Ham & Sausage Trophy
An international tasting
The Frankfurt International Ham & Sausage Trophy will shine the spotlight on charcuterie products from across the world.
Every year since 2017, our organisation has invited wine, beer and spirit producers, as well as cheese and dairy producers, to submit their products to a jury for evaluation during a tasting session.
This year, the Frankfurt International Ham & Sausage Trophy is opening its doors to charcuteries for the second time. Its 160 hams and dsausage for the last edition have made this competition a must for any industry producer.
This year 318 categories of charcuterie products will be proposed for the tasting. Our jury will be called upon to taste ham, sausages, cooked and boiled sausage, air-cured and smoked sausage products as well as vegan products.
The work of small-scale producers, organic products and innovations in the field of charcuterie production will have every chance of finding their place among the award winners.
With this great diversity of categories, we hope to offer consumers a vast array of superior products to guide them in their charcuterie choices.
READ MOREA COMPETITION FOR ALL CURED-MEAT PRODUCTS
The Frankfurt International Ham & Sausage Trophy offers an international tasting of the highest level at an affordable price.
Frankfurt is not only an important economic and financial centre in Europe, but is also located in the middle of Germany. It is a natural choice that the best products in the world are launched every year in this city.
Who are the tasters?
We place a great deal of importance on quality and balance in our jury because this gives our competition credibility and instils a climate of confidence between producers and competition organisers. The jury is made up of internationally recognised professionals in the world of charcuterie, gourmet foods and media representatives.
Most consumers are not experts. They are simply experienced charcuterie-lovers, like those on our jury who will enrich the tasting with their specific point of view. Each tasting team will include both experts in the field and carefully-chosen amateurs.
Our committee will first contact each person wishing to participate in the jury to make sure the candidate has the required knowledge and skills. If so, he or she will be approved for tasting, and registered as a member of the jury.
During the competition, the jury will blind-taste and evaluate products with the help of a 100-point marking scale, so that all the specific characteristics of a product can be taken into account in its overall score.
Each approved taster will receive an extract from the 100-point scale prior to the competition, so that he or she can become familiar with the system. Qualities observed include aspect and aroma (quality and intensity), texture, taste (quality and intensity) and harmony (overall evaluation).
You will undoubtedly find a very good reason to be there!
Our competition has an excellent reputation and is valued by producers and consumers from across the world.
With registration fees of 53.7 euros (before VAT) and prices starting at 15 euros per thousand units, it also provides very good value for money. All producers, no matter what their size, have an equal chance in this comparison of products from across the globe.
In addition, the competition is ISO 9001-certified, so both producers and consumers are assured of its seriousness.
After the tasting, all participants receive an organoleptic analysis of their sample and information on the average scores of the competition. This helps them evaluate their position with respect to competitors.
Enlightened amateurs and international experts taste and judge their products, so they are guaranteed of a selection that truly represents consumer tastes.
The competition uses its extensive network to communicate results directly to the main decision-makers: buyers, sommeliers, restaurant owners, importers, journalists for the specialised press.
Dynamic communication via social networks and over 3,500 journalists in mainstream printed media get the competition results out as many people as possible.
Present your production by participating in the international competition
Reiner
REUTZEL
Author, master butcher, cortador
Famous honorary Presidents
Each year the selection of an honorary president draws the attention of the press and puts the competition in the limelight.
Born into a family of hoteliers and butchers, Reiner Reutzel was predestined for such a professional vocation. After training as a master butcher, he took over the family business which had been passed down through five generations. Innovative ideas such as launching an event catering service, low-salt meat products and the patent for a closed circular sausage, which attracted media attention on radio, television and in newspapers, are testament to his professional career.In 2010, he undertook a new challenge by becoming national advisor for the meat and charcuterie departments at Selgros C+C, a wholesale chain owned by Transgourmet Deutschland.In 2014 and 2015, he worked with passion and commitment to obtain his meat sommelier diploma in Graz. To add further strings to his bow, he went on to earn the titles of Master Meat Sommelier and Sausage and Ham Sommelier in Linz in 2016, and Cortador de Jamón (Ham Cutter) de España in 2022. Since 2018, he has also been teaching at the training centre for artisan butchers in Augsburg and at the Federal Academy for Artisan Bakers in Weinheim.In October 2023, Reiner Reutzel published his book ‘Schinken around the World’ (Hams around the World), where he delves into the history and production of ham in 40 countries, as well as the drinks and baked goods that go best with ham. At culinary events, he celebrates the great diversity of meat and meat-product preparations and creates moments of pure pleasure for an international audience of epicureans. He is also a founding member of the German meat sommelier association ‘Fleischsommelier Deutschland e.V.’
PresidentsResults 2026
For its 2nd edition, the Frankfurt International Trophy has resumed its initial format. On 12 December 2025, event organiser Armonia Deutschland GmbH brought 138 tasters to Frankfurt. Cured meat products were evaluated by a jury composed of experts such as butchers and enlightened amateurs representing the tastes of future consumers.
A total of 160 cured meat products were examined at the same time.
In all, 45 cured meat products were awarded a coveted medal. In accordance with the 1/3 rule, 10 samples received a Great Gold medal (92+ points), 28 samples a Gold Medal (85+ points) and 7 samples a Silver Medal (75+ points).
RESULTS