Aldi has teamed up with Biotiful Gut Health on a new range of own-label kefir drinks at the discounter – but both have been keeping schtum about collaborating on it.
The range, which has launched under the brand Beautiful Everyday, bears a striking resemblance to market leader Biotiful Gut Health’s logo and packaging, and is available in two variants: Natural and Mixed Berries.
Despite working together on it, neither Aldi nor the brand would comment when asked if the new drink was a collaboration, with confirmation coming instead from on-pack labelling listing Biotiful as the manufacturer.
Their reticence left people guessing over whether Aldi was up to its usual brand-mimicking tricks, but also some confusion over how the discounter could possibly dare make such a close copy on this occasion.
“Even by Aldi UK’s (low) standards, this is blatantly taking unfair advantage of the well known Biotiful packaging,” wrote one IP lawyer on LinkedIn.
“I have been combatting lookalikes for many years but it took me a couple of viewings to work out that Aldi have simply changed the name to Beautiful with an inexplicable symbol over the ‘e’.”
Aldi has a long history – some say business model – of launching own-label products bearing a striking resemblance to those of brands or rivals, a tactic that has not infrequently led to court disputes.
Amongst the most high-profile cases, in 2023 Aldi was found in High Court to have infringed M&S’s protect design for a gin-based liqueur, while earlier this year Thatchers was unsuccessful in a trademark infringment claim over the discounter’s Taurus Cloudy Lemon Cider.
However, Aldi has also been known to collaborate with brands in the past. In 2020, it teased the launch of a copy of BrewDog’s Punk IPA, dubbed ‘Ald IPA’, on social media, before launching an ‘Anti Establishment IPA’ in collaboration with the beer brand. It followed a tongue-in-cheek Twitter spat between the two.
One possible explanation for a reluctance to underline the source of the new gut health range could be the price difference – Aldi’s version costs £1.99 for a 750ml bottle compared with £3.50 for a litre of Biotiful’s branded product. It makes Aldi’s lines 24.3% cheaper per litre.
The NPD is being pitched by the retailer as a cheaper alternative to Zoe gut shots sold in M&S and Yeo Valley Kefir.
“We want to bring our shoppers a more affordable alternative to current kefir drinks on the market as good gut health should be accessible to everyone,” said MD of buying at Aldi UK Julie Ashfield.
The products are free from artificial sweeteners, gums and emulsifiers.
Aldi said the range can be consumed as a milk alternative at breakfast, in a smoothie, enjoyed as a drink or as a post-workout recovery snack.
“With 70% of the immune system living in the gut, it’s great that Beautiful Everyday Kefir contains vitamin B12 for normal immune support, together with gut-friendly calcium and fibre too. It’s also high in protein, so makes a great drink choice to start the day,” said nutritionist Suzie Sawyer.
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