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GET READY TO ‘CHECKOUT’ THE 2021 GROW WITH ALDI WINNERS!

Aldi Ireland announces six winning producers of this year’s Grow with Aldi programme with their products hitting shelves nationwide from September 23^rd

Foodie lovers should watch out as Aldi has whittled down the country’s best of the best producers across all food, drink, and non-food categories to bring you six Grow with Aldi winners for 2021. From delicious cookies, mouth-watering burger sauces, zingy salad dressings, Asian inspired condiments, gourmet sausages and more, get down to your local Aldi store on September 23^rd to pick up these award-winning products when they hit shelves nationwide.

The six winners of this year’s Grow with Aldi programme are:

• Cookie Dó Cookie Dough Bake Roll- €3.99 (Tallaght, Co. Dublin) Available in Choc Chip, Triple Chocolate and Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies
• ChanChan Mala Black Garlic Peanut Chilli Rayu- €3.99 (Firhouse, Co. Dublin)
• Woodfire & Green Burger Sauce, Blue Cheese Dip and Wing Sauce- €3.49 (Sandyford, Co. Dublin)
• Vanilla Bean Patisserie Lemon Curd, Passion Fruit Curd and Lime Curd- €3.69 (Ballinagh, Co. Cavan)
• Blackcastle Farm Irish Piedmontese Gourmet Sausage- €3.99 (Blackcastle, Co. Tipperary)
• The Fig Tree Honey & Cayenne Dressing and Original House Style Dressing-€2.99 (High Street, Co. Kilkenny)

These six winners rose to the top of 290 products in total which were entered by over 120 Irish food, drink, and non-food suppliers this year, with products from the 56 finalists going on sale in the 148 Aldi stores nationwide as part of Aldi’s Specialbuys in June 2021. Having been highly commended by the judging panel, the winning six producers came up trumps to secure the opportunity to become a core range listing in Aldi stores nationwide. All of the winning products from this year’s programme will be available in stores from September 23^rd. Products from Cookie Dó, ChanChan and Woodfire & Green will launch as core products and will remain on shelf for a 12 month period while products from Vanilla Bean Patisserie, Blackcastle Farm and The Fig Tree will launch as Specialbuys and will return to stores for a six-month period from April 2022.

Now in its fourth year, the Grow with Aldi Supplier Development Programme which launched in 2018, was created in partnership with Bord Bia to help the very best Irish suppliers develop their brand with the chance to become a core range listing in Aldi stores nationwide. To date, almost 800 producers and suppliers have entered the Grow with Aldi programme, with €3million invested by Aldi in a bid to find the very best Irish suppliers. Having created a space for the most ambitious, innovative, creative, and trendsetting businesses, brands and entrepreneurs, this year’s programme saw the highest number of entrants to the programme so far with a 30% increase on 2020, seeing 120 Irish producers across the country stepping out of their comfort zone to embark on a new and exciting Grow with Aldi experience. 

Speaking about the launch of the winning products, John Curtin, Aldi Group Buying Director, said; “It has been incredible to see the strength and resilience of Irish suppliers, despite a difficult few years. Here at Aldi, we want to reassert Ireland as a hotspot for innovative grassroots suppliers, championing these producers that create quality Irish products, and make them accessible for all. We’re incredibly proud of the Grow with Aldi programme to date and hope that even more Irish suppliers and businesses will be inspired by our 2021 winners to take a leap of faith and consider entering the 2022 programme next year.”

Speaking today Tara McCarthy, Bord Bia CEO said; “The Grow with Aldi programme offers small and medium Irish businesses an invaluable platform to take their brand and business to the next level. The team at Aldi and Bord Bia have developed an exciting, progressive and tailored made programme that prepares these businesses for a successful future within their sector. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I wish all the best to this year’s winners.”

 Grow with Aldi is designed to help the very best Irish suppliers develop their brand, giving them the chance to be listed in all 148 stores nationwide. Throughout the programme, entrants attend mentoring sessions and workshops with the world-renowned Aldi Buying team and the Aldi Marketing team as well as with key technical experts from Bord Bia. In doing so, receiving indispensable knowledge, and acquiring the necessary skills in order to help grow and develop their product, brand, and business. 

For more information on the Grow with Aldi programme or information on how to enter next year’s programme, visit www.aldi.ie/grow.