Aaron Thomas, [28], and Leo Taylor, [28], from Islington, London, will appear on Channel 4’s ‘Aldi’s Next Big Thing’ on Thursday 20th October.
The duo, who launched Yum Bug edible insect recipe kits, were picked from hundreds of applicants competing for a life changing contract to stock Aldi stores nationwide.
Hosted by Anita Rani, of Countryfile and BBC Radio 4 and Chris Bavin, of Britain’s Best Home Cook and Eat Well for Less, the six-part series sees suppliers compete in 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.
The finalists are then given four weeks to address any feedback, before presenting improved products to Julie who decides which product will appear as a Specialbuy in over 970 stores.
Aaron says: “We’re on a mission to change perceptions of insects as food; they’re one of the most sustainable protein sources in the world.
“Crickets are up to 70% protein, which is 3 x the amount of protein found in beef. They’ve also got more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk, and the list keeps going. They are an incredible superfood.
“We want to take bug consumption mainstream. If we’re able to get in front of Aldi’s audience, that would be an amazing opportunity.”
Leo says: “Aaron and I have been cooking with insects for years – it started in 2017 with weekends experimenting with insects out of my parents’ garage, cooking up all sorts of recipes and posting content online.
“We then sold our first insect recipe boxes out of our bedrooms in lockdown, and that’s really where everything snowballed.”
The multi-category competition is part of Aldi’s ongoing commitment to locally sourced products. Aldi 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 Aaron and Leo’s Yum Bug products made it on to Aldi’s shelves watch Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4, every Thursday at 8pm until 24th November
