Located near York, family-run Cockerill has supplied Aldi since the retailer entered the UK market.
The grower currently delivers a selection of British fresh potatoes, including 1kg and 2.5kg bags as well as loose formats. Its annual supply includes more than 16 million loose baking potatoes.
The relationship has expanded significantly in recent years. Since 2023, the volume of potatoes Cockerill supplies to Aldi has more than doubled, supporting the company’s confidence in further capital investment.
That growth has enabled Cockerill to commit £1.65 million to new equipment while also advancing regenerative farming initiatives. These measures include the use of cover crops and continued efforts to minimise waste in the fields and throughout its packing operations.
“Over the last five years our focus has been on automating our grading and sorting facilities using Key Oculus optical sorting technology,” a spokesperson from the business told Food Manufacture.
“Reliability and consistency have improved considerably. The Oculus uses infrared cameras for the most effective identification of greens, and the latest digital colour cameras for exceptional accuracy of defect identification. Alongside the class 1 product going for prepacking, waste streams are segregated into secondary material and that only suitable for animal feed.
“The end of line robotic solutions are provided by LAN Technologies from the Netherlands. This equipment can alternate from filling merchandising units (MU) to trays, swapping packing heads autonomously. Again, consistency and reliability are much improved, especially in combination with the ‘shaker plates’ that the MU’s sit on while they’re being filled; regularly vibrating the whole MU to allow the flexible poly bags to settle down further to maximise the space available.”
Cockerill plans to raise its use of automated packing and pallet stacking in the coming months. Alongside this equipment upgrade, the business intends to develop employee skills so team members can manage and support the new systems.
Additional investment is earmarked for tray erectors and automated palletising equipment. The projects aim to improve operational productivity while allowing Cockerill to continue presenting customers with a “viable proposition”.
The company’s approach reflects wider food manufacturing trends, including the adoption of advanced food processing technology, greater automation and more efficient food and drink packaging. It also aligns with food and beverage industry trends focused on resource efficiency, workforce development and resilient supply partnerships.
These developments support broader priorities across food and drink sustainability, while responding to evolving food distribution trends and food and drink consumer trends. As food and drink industry innovation continues to develop, producers are also balancing investment decisions with changing food and drink regulations and the demands of food and drink marketing.
Commenting on the investment, Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: “It’s fantastic to work with family businesses like Cockerill, who have been growing quality British produce for generations.”
She added: “It’s rewarding to see the business continue to invest in the local community as our partnership goes from strength to strength.”