Discount retailer Aldi has established a programme to give up-and-coming Irish food and drink companies the opportunity to get their products stocked in its stores with a long-term contract.
The German company is investing €500,000 in its “Grow with Aldi” programme which is now seeking applications from small and medium Irish suppliers.
Aldi plans to select up to 50 new products to take part in its Irish food market promotion in August. Up to five of the products will become “core line” Aldi listed products, to be sold across the group’s 130 stores.
"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," said Giles Hurley, Aldi Ireland group managing director.
“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,” he added.
Provenance
In a statement on Wednesday, Aldi cited research noting that the provenance of food is of “huge importance to Irish consumers”.
Bord Bia’s chief executive Tara McCarthy agreed with the research.
“Grow with Aldi will help meet consumers’ appetite for Irish products, and I encourage our smaller Irish producers to get involved. It is a comprehensive programme that provides the platform for companies to develop and expand their businesses exponentially,” she said.
Aldi's rival Lidl launched a similar campaign in February aiming to boost small Irish producers. The company said at the time it was planning to invest €200,000 in its programme.
