Landing in Aldi stores nationwide from Friday 6th November are Yellow Submarine’s signature Almond Kisses. The launch comes after Aldi’s Chief Commercial Officer, Julie Ashfield, announced the social enterprise bakery as the winner of the ‘Sweet Treats’ episode of Channel 4’s Aldi: The Next Big Seller.
Julie Ashfield, alongside judges Anita Rani and Jimmy Doherty, awarded Oxfordshire-based colleagues Sophie Bradley (34) and Julie Hedges (65) from Yellow Submarine a life-changing contract to supply over 30,000 of their premium bakes to over 1,080 Aldi stores.
Yellow Submarine captured hearts with their incredible mission and delicious bakes. Softer than a biscuit but crunchier than a cake, the Almond Kisses are made with all-natural ingredients and boast a prestigious Great Taste Award.
The bakery is a social enterprise that empowers adults with learning disabilities and autism, helping them gain vital work experience to prepare them for mainstream employment. The charity was originally founded in 2009 to provide respite holidays, opening its first café in Oxford in 2013 to provide a safe space for adults to train.
When lockdown hit and their cafés were forced to close, baking and selling online became a vital lifeline to raise funds and keep trainees engaged. To keep up with soaring demand, the enterprise opened a dedicated production bakery in 2025, allowing them to support 50% more trainees, and have now landed a nationwide listing with Aldi.
To further support Yellow Submarine’s mission, Aldi will donate £1 from every pack of Almond Kisses sold to the Oxfordshire social enterprise, helping it continue to create opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and autism.
Sophie Bradley and Julie Hedges, Yellow Submarine, say: “It is so overwhelming – we are just over the moon that we are being trusted to do this. We are going to show everyone that people with learning disabilities and autism are capable of amazing things! We were delighted to be selected to take part in the show; when Yellow Submarine began, stocking a national supermarket was certainly not on the cards.”
Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, says: “Yellow Submarine’s Almond Kisses are brilliant, but it’s the purpose behind the business that makes it truly special. Sophie and Julie are creating meaningful opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and autism while making a product our shoppers will love. That’s exactly what Aldi: The Next Big Seller is about – discovering talented British producers and giving them a platform to grow.”
Hosted by Anita Rani and Jimmy Doherty alongside Aldi’s Julie Ashfield, the six-part Channel 4 series sees emerging food and drink producers compete across factors like taste, price, packaging, and scalability.
After shortlisting finalists to refine their products, one winner per category is selected to land a life-changing listing as an Aldi Specialbuy nationwide. For Sophie and Julie, this win secured an order of over 30,000 Almond Kisses for Aldi’s shelves.
The multi-category competition highlights Aldi’s ongoing commitment to supporting British farmers, growers, and suppliers, providing small and emerging businesses with a national retail platform.
Since airing in 2022, the series has helped turn emerging food businesses with tiny kitchen operations into nationwide brands such as Flake Bake who became the first ever winner to return as a permanent product in Aldi stores. Flake Bake’s co-founder Mike Williams has described the business’ journey since its appearance on the show as “simply phenomenal.”
Yellow Submarine’s Almond Kisses are available in Aldi stores nationwide from Friday 6th November as a Specialbuy, but shoppers will need to be quick. As with all Aldi Specialbuys, once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Aldi: The Next Big Seller airs on Channel 4, Thursdays at 8pm, or stream Channel 4’s catch up service here.
