The supermarket is seeking applicants to compete for a spot on Aldi’s shelves across the country. From bakers and chocolatiers, to cheesemakers and alcohol producers and everything in between, shortlisted suppliers will visit the supermarket’s headquarters to showcase their products to a judging panel.
The judges will decide on the winning products, which will be launched as Specialbuys in Aldi’s 950 stores.
The launch follows the 2021 Grow With Aldi spirits competition, which saw Penrhos Gin, a Herefordshire-based fruit farmer turned craft gin distillery, have its product stocked in Aldi stores nationwide. The 18,000-bottle order was the largest of its kind for the distillery.
Charles Turner, farmer, distiller, and co-founder of Penrhos Gin, said, “The biggest challenge for small craft distillers like us is breaking out of the local 40-mile radius. To go from that, to winning Grow with Aldi and being stocked in 950 stores nationwide was a major breakthrough for our business.”
Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK and one of the judging panel, said, “From entrepreneurial farmers with flair in the kitchen to tabletop businesses that are going from strength to strength, we can’t wait to see the best of British food and drink producers.
“More than three quarters of our sales come from British suppliers, and we are constantly exploring ways in which we can further support small local businesses. That’s why we are delighted to be extending Grow With Aldi. To be able to offer a platform to showcase new food and drink products to the nation is incredibly exciting.
“We look forward to working with new suppliers and continuing in our mission to offer shoppers high quality, fresh products at the best possible prices.”
The multi-category competition is part of Aldi’s drive to locally source products. The supermarket has invested an extra £1.6bn ($2.2bn) with British suppliers since the start of the pandemic, including £125m ($169m) spent with meat, poultry and dairy farmers in the UK.
Aldi has also reaffirmed its pledge to prioritize home-grown suppliers as it works towards spending an additional £3.5bn ($4.7bn) a year with British businesses by the end of 2025.
Application forms can be downloaded at https://www.aldi.co.uk/grow-with-aldi