Peckham-based wholesale bakery Flake Bake has secured an Aldi listing for its Jamaican beef patty.
It won last night’s bakery episode of Channel 4 TV show Aldi’s Next Big Thing, which sees food and drink brands compete for a Specialbuy listing.
The episode saw Flake Bake co-owners and father-and-son team Paul and Mike Williams present their patty to Aldi’s MD of buying, Julie Ashfield.
While Ashfield was impressed with the product, she instructed the duo to scale up production and make changes to the recipe to ensure a longer shelf life without changing the flavour of the patty.
Following Ashfield’s feedback, they enlisted the help of a food scientist, who suggested adding garlic to the patty to prolong its shelf life, and a graphic designer – Mike’s uncle Lavar – to create “eye-catching packaging”.
They also teamed up with independent supplier to upscale production in meet Ashfield’s minimum order of 25,000 units.
Ultimately, the judges were “delighted with the changes made, agreeing the flavour was just as delicious as the first batch”, said Flake Bake.
The NPD (rsp: 99p/140g) has hit shelves in 1,000 of the retailer’s stores today.
Founded in 2012, Flake Bake makes “thousands of patties a week” and has “social responsibility and community values baked into its core”.
It works with local charity Leaders of Tomorrow UK and local schools to offer work experience placements at its Peckham site to students.
Most notably, the business trained and mentored BBC Young MasterChef contestant, Jaheel John.
“We’ve worked so hard for the last 10 years and this feels like the ultimate dream. It’s a lifetime achievement,” said Mike Williams.
Ashfield added: “You can’t help but fall in love with Paul and Mike, and their product tastes beautiful.
“It’s clear how much care goes into making the product. The pastry is unbelievable, every part of it is delicious – I just love it!”
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