Aldi expects sales of British blackberries to increase by 20% this season, supported by the launch of a 100% British-grown range developed with soft fruit suppliers including Driscoll’s.
The British blackberry season has already started in selected Aldi stores and will be rolled out nationwide from 21 May. The key innovation is taste: the selected varieties have been bred to deliver sweeter, less tart berries with more consistent quality.
According to Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, the work with British suppliers is designed to make this season’s blackberries taste “better than ever”, improving sweetness and consistency to encourage customers to buy them again.
Driscoll’s and Aldi focus on quality and planning
James Crook, customer development director at Driscoll’s, said the partnership with Aldi allows fruit to be grown and harvested at the optimal moment, bringing British blackberries to shelves that are naturally sweeter, more succulent and consistently high quality throughout the season.
In 2023, Aldi said it sold more than 228 tonnes of blackberries, equal to around 1.5 million punnets. The retailer has also confirmed its goal to expand long-term agreements with UK produce suppliers, aiming to secure at least 50% of its domestic produce through stable partnerships by the end of 2027.
For the soft fruit supply chain, the strategy underlines the growing importance of taste, local origin and consistent quality. In blackberries, sweetness is becoming a key lever to broaden consumption and make the category more attractive in UK shopping baskets.
