Yorkshire potato farm R.S. Cockerill is celebrating 30 years of a successful partnership with Aldi. The Dunnington-based farm started supplying potatoes to the supermarket shortly after it opened its first British store back in 1990. This makes it one of Aldi’s longest supplier relationships. The partnership has helped the potato supplier enjoy significant growth over the years, including a £3.5 million facility upgrade and site expansion, taking place over the last three years. Starting from supplying just one pallet of potatoes with a team of 20, the business now supplies potatoes to over 150 stores across the country and employs over 145 people.
Cockerill chairman Martin Cockerill said: “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Aldi and it’s been a great pleasure to supply its customers with our potatoes for the last 30 years. We’ve built a strong relationship with the Aldi team who have always helped us to explore new ways we can grow and develop, enabling us to have a steady stream of demand and business stability.”
Thebusinessdesk.com also quoted Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK. She said: “R.S. Cockerill has been a trusted partner over the last three decades and we are delighted to be marking this milestone in our partnership with them. The partnership we have built is invaluable, and we look forward to continuing our work with them in the future.”
Earlier this year, Aldi committed to spending an additional £3.5 billion with British suppliers annually over the next five years. The pledge will help hundreds of British businesses continue to grow with the supermarket and invest for the future.