Flavor is at the heart of discount supermarket chain Aldi’s summer strategy.
As part of Alid’s seasonal reset, the company will add 18 private label alcoholic beverages (11 new and seven repeat items) all priced under $14 to its shelves starting Friday, April 21. Those products – which range from hard tea to hard seltzer, cocktail-inspired pouches to freeze pops, and beer to wine – will remain in Aldi stores through September.
Arlin Zajmi, Aldi director of national buying for adult beverages, told Brewbound that the store’s summer lineup reflects consumers’ desire for both fuller flavors and value.
“If they want a popsicle, if they want a pouch, if they want cans, if they want cocktails, if they want flavor and fruits, both in the wine and the beer world, we’ll be able to deliver to our customers this summer,” he said. “Really, our goal is to be a destination.
“We want to offer them something that is just as good as a brand or better for less,” he continued.
About 75% of Aldi stores offer alcoholic beverages, with around 1,700 stores selling beer and 1,600 stores offering wine (the store does not sell spirits).
The 2023 summer lineup is highlighted by the launch of a private label hard tea brand, aimed at offering an option to consumers who favor Boston Beer Company’s fast-growing Twisted Tea brand.
Aldi’s All Play Hard Iced Tea (5% ABV and brewed with 100% real tea) will be sold in variety 12-packs of four flavors – Original, Half Tea & Half Lemonade, Peach and Raspberry – for $13.99.
The All Play flavored malt beverage (FMB) brand is owned by Aldi, which helps manage its creative direction, and is produced at Octopi Brewing’s contract brewing facility in Waunakee, Wisconsin, Zajmi said.
“When we looked at our assortment that we provide to our customers every single day, we found some opportunities,” he added. “So one of those opportunities is within the space of flavor and the space of tea, lemonade and cocktails.”
Tea is also the focus of Aldi’s private label hard seltzer brand Vista Bay (5% ABV) with the addition of a hard iced tea seltzer variety pack in four flavors – Strawberry, Lemon, Peach and Raspberry – for $12.99.
Although hard seltzer’s off-premise sales nationally continue to slide into the red, Zajmi said hard seltzers remain the largest portion of the ready-to-drink category.
“Seltzer is still important to the customer, so it’s important to us,” Zajmi said. “Our Vista Bay brand continues to do really, really well.”
Private Label Kölsch-Style Beer Incoming
One traditional beer offering made the summer cut: Locken’s Tropical Pineapple Kölsch-style blonde ale (5% ABV ). The new private label beer, which was inspired by Genesee Tropical Pineapple Kölsch – will be sold in 6-packs for $7.99, Zajmi said.
“We do want to add different flavors and different varieties within this brand family in the future,” he said, “but this is our first kind of launch within this space.”
Although the majority of products offered in Aldi stores are private label, the store does offer local craft beers determined by zip code and state, Zajmi said. He described beer category offerings as “still a new young category” for the retailer with “high potential.”
“We’ve been growing this category pretty rapidly in the last few years,” he said. “I’m expecting that to continue on our side because we have a lot of opportunity in the RTD, fourth category and flavor space, which will organically help us grow the beer category.”
As craft beer growth trends lean toward non-alcoholic beers and higher ABV offerings, Zajmi said the company is exploring offering those products in the future. Single-serves may be a bigger challenge for the retailer, which doesn’t currently have the footprint or cold space to accommodate them.
Cocktail-Inspired Pouches, Popsicles On the Way
Although Aldi doesn’t offer spirits, the store is able to cater to cocktail-inspired occasions via malt-, sugar- and wine-based alcoholic beverages. In an effort to provide a cocktail-style experience, Aldi is expanding its Zarita line with malt-based frozen pouches (6% ABV) and popsicles (5% ABV).
Zarita 10 oz. pouches will be sold as singles in four flavors – Tropical Hurricane, Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada and Lime Margarita – for $1.89 each. Meanwhile, Zarita Freeze Pops will be offered in 12-packs in three flavors – Lemonade, Mango Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade – for $13.99. The 3.4 oz. popsicles check in at 80 calories.
New Wines
Trends toward lower calories offerings are manifesting within Aldi’s wine portfolio with a sparkling rosé under the Don’t Mind If I Do brand at 85 calories and zero sugar. The rosé retails for $12.99, which is a premium price point compared to still wine at $7.99.
Aldi is also adding an extension to its Intermingle brand – which includes its best-selling wine, a red blend – with a chardonnay ($6.99).
“We’re excited for this one because chardonnay is the No. 2 selling variety in the United States, so this is actually that buttery style,” Zajmi said.
