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How ALDI Brings Summer Adult Beverages to Market

Progressive Grocer talks with buying director about the strategies behind flavor-forward alcohol and a purposeful range of formats
Lynn Petrak, Progressive Grocer
Mango Dragonfruit hard seltzer
Mango Dragonfruit Hard Seltzer is just one of heavily-fruited RTD beverages now on shelves at ALDI for summer.

As warm weather season rolls around, ALDI’s Arlin Zajmi isn’t just thinking about what a consumer might want to drink at a particular moment in summer. He’s thinking about all of the moments.

The many moments of summer, from holidays like Memorial Day, Father’s Day and Fourth of July to celebratory occasions such as weddings and graduations to everyday outdoor fun, provided inspiration for ALDI’s director of national buying for adult beverages as he began to curate the summer 2025 assortment. 

[RELATED: The Grocer's Guide to Holiday Entertaining]

“When we were developing the 25 items for summer, I had this vision: a massive cooler,” Zajmi told Progressive Grocer in a recent interview in which he showcased some of the latest products. “You can fill that cooler up with every demographic, occasion and friend group.”

Such a cooler may be stocked with low-ABV drinks for people who may want something milder to imbibe as well as higher-ABV beverages for others who are seeking that kind of experience. Variety also extends to the type of adult beverages served up in summertime, including different forms of beer, seltzers, wine and the increasingly popular ready-to-drink cocktails. 

“I think this whole space is occasion based. We have different sizes and packaging, we want to make it approachable for whatever occasion it may be. We were thoughtful in our assortment to make sure that we have a selection for you at the right price point,” Zajmi explained.

Accordingly, ALDI’s summer adult beverage lineup is eclectic. The 25 new offerings for this year are available under different private label brands and drink types, but have common denominator of value, vibrant packaging and flavor-forward taste. “I have the coolest job,” Zajmi agreed with a laugh. “It’s exciting to work on something that consumers are voting on with their wallets and giving feedback on.”

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Arlin Zajmi
Arlin Zajmi is director of national buying for adult beverages at ALDI.

Many new items rolled out on April 11 fall under the hot RTD category, including Belluccini Buck’s Fizz Orange Pomegranate Sparkling Cocktail for $5.99, Zarita Pink Lemonade for $9.99 a bottle, and Resting Brunch Face Mango Cocktail for $5.99. 

“We are trying to acquire the younger generation, who are gravitating toward this category. The category is approachable – it’s flavor forward and colorful, and it’s a space that we’ve been investing in for some time. In the last five years, we’ve grown this category almost three times and last year, this space grew 40% for us,” Zajmi reported. 

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Seltzers, which have proven a boon to the adult beverage category, are also represented in the store brand seasonal mix at ALDI. Here, too, flavors are bolder, with a Fieldcraft Mango Dragonfruit Fruited Seltzer and Fieldcraft White Peach Strawberry Fruited Seltzer, each $7.99 a pack, and a Vista Bay Hard Seltzer Punch Variety Pack for $12.99; the flavor comes courtesy of 15% to 30% real fruit ingredients.  

“The idea was to create this extra-fruited hard seltzer and we are doing unique flavor combinations,” Zajmi pointed out. 

In the similarly-growing cider category, ALDI customers can pick up some Wicked Grove Blueberry Hard Cider for $8.99 a pack.  

“Wicked Grove is the No. 2 cider brand behind Angry orchard – we have a big following behind this brand,” he said of ALDI’s private label hard cider line. 

Pink lemonade
The summery Zarita Pink Lemonade offers bright citrus notes and a refreshing finish and can be sipped chilled or mixed into cocktails.

At a time when wine sales have dipped among younger demographics and craft beers are coming down from previous highs, ALDI is tapping into products that can break through those challenges and appeal to a swath of shoppers, including younger Millennials and Gen Z buyers. As a result, Zajmi discovered and added offerings such as Specially Selected Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc for $10.99 a bottle, Tera Box Pinot Grigio for $14.99 and, in the beer/malt beverage category, Wernesgrüner Lemon Radler for $5.99.

“Specialty Selected is a (wine) brand that we carry across ALDI. We expanded into the wine space about two years ago and since then, it has amassed a cult following and the reason is the quality and the price,” Zajmi told PG. “We source the best grapes from the best region at the best price.”

In addition to the summer ’25 launches, ALDI is bringing back other seasonal products from past years, including Belluccini Aperol Spritz, Limaveza Lime Lager and Oh Me, Oh My! Pineapple Mimosa, among others. 

Even though the latest seasonal 21-and-over items have been on the market only a week, the response has been strong. 

“There is a post online about one of our products every five minutes. I’ve been able to get some organic feedback from some groups and it’s been overwhelmingly positive, about the flavors, price points and quality,” Zajmi remarked.

Batavia, Ill.-based ALDI U.S. serves millions of customers across the country each month with more than 2,300 stores in 38 states. The company is No. 28 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named ALDI among its 10 Most Sustainable Grocers

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