**Best Grocery Store: H-E-B**
Everyone knows H-E-B is pure Texas. From its earliest days more than 120 years ago, the retail grocer has put Texans first. What started as a small family endeavor now serves millions of customers in Texas (and Mexico) across 300 communities with nearly 500 stores. Its commitment to those communities has helped it become one of the state’s most identifiable brands with $50 billion in sales.
When it comes to supporting Texans, H-E-B never forgets its own humble roots in Kerrville, Texas, how the grocer’s founder Florence Butt opened the doors of her store filled with hope and promise. Today, the company encourages Texans with similar dreams to participate in its H-E-B Quest for Texas Best. For more than a dozen years, it’s offered Texas-based businesses a chance to win money and a place for their products on H-E-B’s shelves. The latter, of course, is a true coup for small businesses with big dreams and this season some Houston companies were in consideration in the Quest, including Garden Oaks gourmet dog bakery The Doggie Express and top five finisher HIVE Food Co., which started as a family business led by Houston beekeepers and features incredibly tasty variations of honey for breakfast, tea and cooking.
In that way, H-E-B is searching for the next H-E-B, a brand built from the ground up with love and care that might grow into a respected, recognized name in the food industry. That’s the spirit of Texas and one the city’s best grocer invites Houston businesses to join year after year.
Multiple locations
[heb.com](https://www.heb.com/)