By Richard Holloway, Managing Director of Aldi in Scotland
With an in-store range made up of over 30% Scottish products, Aldi is proud to celebrate Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight and all the top quality home grown food and drink being made in Scotland.
At Aldi we have an ongoing commitment to support producers and suppliers the length and breadth of the country, in a bid to offer our customers the very best of locally sourced produce.
As such, we now have 67 stores across Scotland, employ over 2,000 members of staff and work with over 60 independent food and drink businesses.
Over the years we have built long and lasting relationships with suppliers from every corner of the country and continue to seek out new and exciting opportunities as often as possible.
In 2016 alone we have launched 30 new products with many more in the pipeline.
These new deals not only help to significantly boost the Scottish economy, but also help raise the profile of the amazing Scottish businesses using local resources to create top quality products.
We have worked hard to develop our reputation for providing quality and varied Scottish dairy products. We’re proud supporters of Scotland’s dairy farmers and have stocked 100% Scottish milk, cream and block butter in our Scottish stores for over a decade.
In addition to dairy, we’re delighted to be able to say that our everyday range of fresh beef, pork and lamb is also 100% Scottish.
Whilst fresh produce is certainly a large part of our commitment to stocking Scottish, Aldi also works with a number of pre-prepared meal suppliers too. Earlier this year we announced a new deal with Strathmore foods worth over £240,000 which saw two macaroni cheese meals arrive on shelves. Its Spicy Macaroni and Macaroni with Bacon are on sale now across all our stores under the Simply Scottish brand.
This year’s Royal Highland Show was the perfect opportunity for us to showcase some of the fantastic suppliers we are already working with.
A good example of how we nurture long-lasting relationships is shown by our partnership with Dunbia Ayr.
Dunbia, which is based in Drongan, has been working with Aldi for the past 11 years, supplying us with 19 different fresh pork and beef products.
Dunbia Ayr was one of 14 producers that we invited to use the Aldi platform to showcase their products to thousands of people across the four days.
It was a real pleasure to host these 14 suppliers at the show and hopefully we were able to bring a better understanding of how different types of foods are produced in Scotland and what is involved in getting it from farm to plate.
Alongside these fantastic food products, Aldi in Scotland is working hard to champion local breweries too. This autumn will see the launch of our tenth Aldi Beer Festival, offering 35 of Scotland’s best craft ales. Since 2012 we have run at least two festivals a year which have been worth over £1million in sales for the Scottish breweries involved.
Without a doubt, working with the best suppliers in the country is a top priority for us and we are continually looking for the best quality Scottish produce at everyday low prices.
There is a wealth of amazing products being made in Scotland and we’re always on the lookout for any new and delicious items for our customers to try. It’s really an exciting time for Scottish food and drink, with the sector seeing significant growth year on year, and it is our ambition to continue to contribute to Scotland’s flourishing industry.
For further information visit www.aldi.co.uk
