Cheshire dairy farm bids on TV to supply ice cream to Aldi

Adam Brown, 31, and wife Becky, 31, will appear on Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing at 8pm this evening, Thursday.

The couple beat hundreds of hopefuls to pitch their products to be stocked nationwide on the shelves of this giant retailer.

The husband and wife farmers are part of family run Bidlea Dairy in Twemlow, near Knutsford.

The couple came up with the idea of making ice cream 18 months ago when their business was struggling to cope with a drop in demand during lockdown.

Sales of fresh cream plummeted as pubs, cafes and restaurants closed.

Just six months after launching their new enterprise, the family scooped four gold awards at an international competition.

The secret of their success, they believe, is the rich cream and top quality milk produced by their 35-strong Holstein Fresian herd.

The farm now produces 24 different flavours of ice cream from their farm shop.

Becky said: “We dreamt of making our own ice cream and now we are winning awards for it.”

Becky and Adam Brown pitching their ice cream on TV In Aldi's Next Big Thing (Image: Aldi)

The family hopes that their creamy ices go down equally as well at Aldi HQ, where they’ll be pitching for a life changing contract to stock Aldi stores nationwide.

Anita Rani, of Countryfile and BBC Radio 4 and Chris Bavin, of Britain's Best Home Cook and Eat Well for Less host the TV challenge.

The six part series Aldi’s Next Big Thing sees suppliers compete from categories such as dinners, baked goods, treats and store cupboard essentials.

Products are presented to Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, who deliberates on factors such as price, packaging, shopper demand, and the ability to scale up, before whittling contestants down to just two.

Adam said: “Getting invited to pitch our product to Aldi was an unbelievable opportunity.

“To have our ice cream stocked at Aldi would exceed all expectations. “Don’t know where you would go from there!”

Viewers can see Becky and Adam pitch their cherry ice cream to the panel, who are more than happy to test out the product.

Julie said: “I’m really looking forward to the treats category because it’s so broad and there are so many opportunities for creativity.

“The challenge is how will the producers bring the wow factor that we’re looking for.”

The finalists are then given four weeks to address any feedback, before presenting improved products to Julie who decides which brand will appear as a Specialbuy in all stores.

The multi-category competition is part of Aldi’s ongoing commitment to locally sourced products.

The retailer has pledged to prioritise home-grown suppliers as it works towards spending an additional £3.5 billion a year with British businesses by the end of 2025.

To find out if Bidlea ice cream made it on to Aldi’s shelves watch Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4, Thursday, November 24 at 8pm.