Editor’s note: Robust industry sales data point to private label’s growing appeal. Moreover, waves of new products not only address consumer cost-value thinking, but also consumer interest in on-trend attributes. Here, Prepared Foods explores both topics with Michael Mache, Director of National Buying, Non-Alcoholic Beverages at ALDI US, Batavia, Ill.

Prepared Foods: Thanks for connecting! What can you tell us how ALDI identifies and executes new product concepts in the fast-paced beverage world.

Michael Mache: At the end of the day, our approach is simple: listen, test and deliver. That’s how we continue to set the standard in private label innovation while keeping prices lower than the competition.

We pay close attention to market trends—what’s flying off our shelves and what our fans are telling us on social media. We then work with our suppliers to develop exclusive products in real time. That means instead of waiting for trends to trickle down, we work directly with our partners to stock new products on our shelves faster than the competition. Our Barissimo Cold Brew Foam is a great example. We took that product from concept to shelf in less than eight months, which isn’t uncommon, and our fans loved it so much they crowned it as a 2024 Fan Favorite.

PF: Speaking of fan favorites, do you highlight new offerings in store?

Mache: Yes. We often use our “ALDI Finds” aisle to gauge shopper appetite for new products. Every week, shoppers flock to our rotating selection of seasonal flavors and on-trend items. Our Finds aisle is so well-loved by our shoppers that there’s even Facebook groups dedicated to it, one with more than 3.4 million followers. We keep a close eye on sales to see which new items deserve a permanent spot on our shelves. If an item generates enough excitement, we take it beyond the limited-time aisle and bring it into our core range.

Whether it’s the latest in better-for-you beverages, our take on the hottest home goods, or a “Find” for your furry family member—we pride ourselves on staying ahead of trends to keep our product lineup fresh, relevant, and most importantly, packed with value.

PF: On a quick side note, we noticed that ALDI’s Maxx Blueberry Nutrition bar was named as a 2024 “best new product” by the Private Label Manufacturers Association. Can you briefly tell us about that functional offering?

Mache: The ALDI Maxx Blueberry Bar hit shelves exactly a year ago in March of 2024 and has become a very popular item amongst our shoppers. With simple, whole ingredients and 12 grams of protein, it’s a great option for those who want to have healthier snacks on hand in their pantries. There are two additional flavors: Chocolate Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt (which is also a customer favorite!).

PF: Thank you! Back to our larger topic, why has beverage the most logical category for ALDI to make its innovation splash?

Mache: Beverages are certainly a big moment, but they’re just one piece of the larger puzzle. We’re constantly innovating across the store to bring shoppers more of what they love—whether that’s premium for less, private label exclusives, or trend-forward products at unbeatable prices.

In the case of beverages, we saw an opportunity to take advantage of shoppers’ “better-for-you” focus to offer a high-quality, private label that could go head-to-head with bigger brands for less.  

We’re able to do this because ALDI controls every aspect of product development. Working directly with suppliers, we have more control over the products we develop. From ingredients to flavors, quality, packaging and beyond. Our close relationship with suppliers is how we consistently stay ahead of the competition. In fact, we beat many in the industry by removing synthetic dyes from all of our ALDI-exclusive products in 2015.

PF: What can you tell us about developing new offerings such as Summit Popz, Summit Waves Energy and PurAqua Hydration Sticks? 

Mache: We noticed an uptick in shopper interest for functional beverages in the last year, and we worked quickly to introduce our own brand name equivalents in less than nine months.

We started with PurAqua Hydration Sticks, electrolyte drink mixes, in October 2024 when we saw shoppers wanting to rehydrate quickly after a sports game or night out. We were the first private label in this space, and we helped shoppers save nearly 70% on this product compared to the name brand.

Next, we turned our attention to “better-for-you” canned beverages. We saw shoppers reaching for vitamin-infused caffeine pick-me-ups or a sweet treat with less sugar, so we introduced Summit Waves and Summit Popz as alternatives to traditional energy and soft drinks. I think we surprised everyone by quietly launching the very first private label equivalents to national name brands in the space, yet again.

Summit Waves is an energy drink infused with nine vitamins and zero sugar at a 30% savings compared to the national brand; and Summit Popz is a prebiotic soda with an apple cider vinegar base, just a few grams of sugar and no synthetic colors.

We launched both in December 2024, just ahead of Dry January, when we typically see demand for better beverages peak.

PF: We heard that these new items even out performed your new product benchmarks by 60%! In what ways have they exceeded expectations?

Mache: From concept to checkout, we stay focused on beating shoppers’ expectations to offer affordable, quality products. The results speak for themselves. Summit Popz and Waves are both fan hits with hundreds of social posts across ALDI fan pages, all celebrating the tasty flavors, low price  and similarity to national brands.

What’s more, Popz is already award-winning, despite only having been on shelves for a few short months. It recently won the Healthy Beverage Category at the 2025 Product of the Year USA Awards, and our shoppers have been quick to add it to their carts. We’re selling nearly 20,000 cans a day, with Popz already competing with the biggest names in the category. Shoppers fill their carts with Popz almost as often as they’re reaching for the biggest national brands.

ALDI takes a great deal of pride in being able to change the beverage private label market. We do that not only by providing customers with the same quality and value they expect shopping at ALDI—but also providing industry leading innovation that addresses what customers are seeking most. The success and ALDI fan reception of these recent items only highlights the future potential of ALDI private label beverage items.

We don’t plan on slowing down the momentum. We’re already looking ahead to the next big thing on shoppers’ minds when it comes to beverages—so our fans of Popz, Waves and Hydration Sticks should keep an eye out for more newness coming very soon.