Aldi Fans Choose Top Store-Branded Items
Mama Cozzi’s Take & Bake Deli Pizza is an “Aldi Fan Favorite” for the third year in a row, winning each year that the Aldi survey has been running.
What's different this year is that winners were highlighted across 10 new categories that aim to reflect how shoppers shop the Aldi private brand products and its growing product selection. The retailer said about 90% of its product assortment is store brand products.
"Aldi fandom runs deep, and our customers are proud to share their enthusiasm for our exclusive products," said Scott Patton, VP of national buying. "In its third year, the survey evolved to reflect how Aldi products fit into our customers' everyday lives."
Winners of the 2021 contest include:
- Cult Favorite: Appleton Farms Premium Sliced Bacon
- Stream & Snack: Clancy's Kettle Chips
- Morning Meeting Must-Have: Specially Selected Brioche and French Toast Bagels
- Guilt-Free Go-To: Friendly Farms Almond, Coconut & Oat Milk
- Guess Who's Back: Huntington Home 3 Wick Candles
- Mama Knows Best: Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen Take and Bake Deli Pizza
- Little Fan Favorite: Happy Farms String Cheese
- Sip & Celebrate: PurAqua Belle Vie Sparkling Flavored Water
- Dinner Delight: Fresh Family Pack Chicken Breasts
- Keeping it Fresh: Strawberries
Seven items were repeat winners in this year’s contest, and three products were newly crowned fan favorites. First-time winners were the Specially Selected Brioche and French Toast Bagels as a favorite breakfast item, Huntington Home 3 Wick Candles in home goods and Fresh Family Pack Chicken Breasts as a dinnertime staple.
"Customers count on Aldi for low prices in every aisle, every day, so it's no surprise our family packs of chicken breasts came out on top in the dinner category," Patton said. "Yet, despite the changes in shopping patterns throughout the past year, the number of repeat winners shows customers found comfort in their go-to products."
Of the new winners, the Huntington Home 3 Wick Candles narrowly won over the popular holiday Advent calendars and Aldi’s popular Emporium Selection Cheeses. The Specially Selected Brioche and French Toast Bagels were the runaway winner in its category, claiming nearly 30,000 votes for the "Morning Meeting Must-Have” breakfast category.
Aldi also made special note that the Mama Cozzi's Pizza line — the overall Fan Favorite from 2020 continued its reign as a top vote-getter with more than 45,000 votes in its category.
Another notable returning winner, the Appleton Farms Premium Sliced Bacon, edged out Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets, which have been dubbed "Red Bag Chicken,” and has a dedicated Facebook group with more than 20,000 followers.
In the "Little Fan Favorites" category, three-time champion Happy Farms String Cheese won by a landslide. The snack earned more than 50% of total category votes, solidifying its spot as a beloved Aldi product for all ages.
Strawberries, a 2019 favorite, narrowly beat last year's produce champ, avocados, by just over 800 votes. Lastly, the nonalcoholic PurAqua Belle Vie Sparkling Flavored Water won the "Sip & Celebrate" prize with more than 20,000 votes, beating Aldi’s wine selection.
Aldi U.S. has received a total of 360,000 total votes over the three years that such surveys have been held.
Operating stores in 37 states, Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi U.S. is No. 24 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food retailers in North America.
