Aldi to invest €500,000 in new Irish suppliers

Aldi today announced it is investing €500,000 in a new supplier development programme to give up-and-coming Irish food and drink companies the chance to get on its shelves with a long-term contract.  The programme was announced as new research from Core Research found that buying Irish is more important than ever for Irish consumers, with 78% of Irish shoppers always choosing an Irish made product over a similar imported option.

‘Grow with Aldi’ is seeking applications from small to medium Irish suppliers nationwide to enter their products to win a place on the mentoring programme and supply all 130 Aldi stores during a special Irish Food Market promotion in August 2018.  Aldi will select up to 50 of Ireland’s best new artisan products to take part in the promotion, with each supplier providing a guaranteed volume of their product.  Up to five of the products will be given the opportunity to become core line Aldi listed products, winning a contract to be sold in Aldi’s Irish stores year-round.

Developed in partnership with Bord Bia, ‘Grow with Aldi’ has been designed to help small to medium Irish food and drink businesses secure a retail listing. Participants will receive tailored mentoring and bespoke workshops with Aldi buyers and Bord Bia technical experts, teaching them the skills to help grow and develop their product and business.

Speaking at the launch, Giles Hurley, Group Managing Director Aldi Ireland, said: “We have always taken great pride in our Irish sourcing and supporting Irish food and drink companies, having developed long-term partnerships with over 175 Irish suppliers throughout the country. Last year we increased our support for small Irish suppliers by significantly reducing their payment terms.

Our Grow with Aldi supplier development programme is the next step in our commitment to buying Irish. For a lot of small food and drink businesses, trying to secure a listing with a major retailer puts huge pressure on their team. We’ve launched this development programme to make it easier for companies to get their products on our shelves and to give our customers access to the most exciting and best quality new products from Ireland.”

Recent research by Core Research found that provenance is of huge importance to Irish consumers when purchasing groceries. When questioned on what are the most important factors when making grocery purchasing decisions, one in two (47%) answered that the products are made in Ireland. The survey also revealed that two out of three (66%) consumers now associate Aldi with selling locally produced Irish food. Aldi spent over €700m with its 175 Irish suppliers in 2016, while over 50% of Aldi’s grocery range is sourced from Irish producers, suppliers and manufacturers. 

Food and drink companies in Ireland with ambitions to take their product from concept to shelf and see it stocked in Aldi’s 130 Irish stores can apply for the Grow with Aldi supplier development programme by contacting [email protected]. Further details are available at (www.aldi.ie/grow).