Colesworth/ALDI House Brand Grocery Item Dupes

I bought the Woolworths 100% Pure Coconut Water 1l for the first time today - the coconut water shelf was quite bare and my fault doing a grocery shop on a Monday - and just tried a glass earlier & it tastes awful. Mr k says it serves me right for buying a 'home' brand item.

Now I know from various posts that folks here do buy many home brand grocery items and have commented that certain items are just as good if not better than the big national brands based on taste.

Choice have also done a review Woolworths vs Coles vs Aldi: Which house brands win on taste?.

But does anyone know whether any of the supermarket house brands are actual dupes of the big/small name brands? And if so, which ones?

Comments

  • +1

    those angel cakes as well as the small bakewell cakes in Aldi are actually made by Cadbury

    • Oh - are they exclusive to Aldi in that Cadbury doesn't offer them as part of their range elsewhere?

      • not sure

  • +1

    I believe Coles brand milk is Devondale

  • +2

    Woolies raspberry tartlets and rocky road mallows are flipping unreal for a ‘Home brand’

    • +1

      Another sweet toothed OzBer!

      Dark choc is my sugar hit & recently discovered Coles Finest Belgian Block which is quite good.

      • Nice will try - I usually go old gold - growing up my dad and grand dad was right into it, eating 1-2 whole blocks a day. Never really was into it until I became a dad myself.

        • How's your teeth @Jimothy Wongingtons ?
          ;)

          • +1

            @BewareOfThe Dog: Honestly not too bad now, I had realllll problems from my childhood till about 2018 when I literally could not take the pain anymore. I’m back on track now and starting invisilign this week!

        • +1

          mid-life old-gold dad convert here too. represent.

      • +4

        Try Aldi chocolate. For supermarket chocolates you’d have to go to Lint to get better and even then aldi is better value than a Lindt block with 50% off

        • I tried Aldi choc years ago & Lindt but they have soy listed as an ingredient whereas the Coles Finest does not.

          • @[Deactivated]: Why is that a problem?? Lol you consume tons of sugar but are concerned about the soy content?

            • @Ozbar Gain: Where did I write that I 'consume tons of sugar'?

              Google soy lecithin & read up.

              • @[Deactivated]:

                Soy lecithin is a phospholipid extracted from soybeans and added to foods or supplements. It is generally used as an emulsifier, or lubricant, when added to food, but also has uses as an antioxidant and flavor protector. Soy lecithin can lower cholesterol levels and boost brain function. It is found in dietary supplements, ice cream and dairy products, infant formulas, breads, margarine, and other convenience foods. Soy lecithin is generally safe food additive.

                Quick search gave me this. So why exactly are you concerned about the soy content?

                • @Ozbar Gain: Google better.

                  Hint: GMO

                  • @[Deactivated]: Neg wasn’t from me. What are your concerns with GMO? Most objections I see online are due to either misunderstanding or misinformation

                    • +1

                      @bobkin: To put it simply, I don't want to eat food that has had it's DNA effed up.

                      • @[Deactivated]: That’s clearly an emotive statement, but what is the worry that’s driving it? Is it health or safety concerns? In reality, pretty much everything we eat (GMO or not) has had its genes modified through human intervention e.g. cross breeding, artificial selection, crop mutagenesis

                        • @bobkin: You're right - it's all stuffed, some more than others. However, the soy lecithin extraction process is a doozy & whoever thought it fine to be used in food for human consumption should be waterboarded & then shot, if they're not dead already.

          • @[Deactivated]: Which Coles Finest chocolate? All the belgian made ones I've seen have soy lecithin as an emulsifier. Even the Aldi ones. The only ones I'm aware of that don't use it are the higher cocoa content Lindt ones (90%+) & the boutique Pana (Coles & WW) & Loving Earth (WW only) brands.

            • @mrdean: Coles Finest Belgian Block Dark Chocolate 70% | 100g

              The other dark choccies you've listed are also good

              • @[Deactivated]: Do you have the actual item with you to check?

                It seems to me that if their 85% version has soy lecithin: https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-finest-belgian-block-… then the 70% most certainly would as well.

                I'll keep an eye out next time I'm in a Coles.

                • @mrdean: Yes - confirmed as per online. Unsure why only the 70% is sans the offensive ingredient.

                  • @[Deactivated]: Well, let's hope it wasn't a printing packaging error substituting "natural vanilla flavouring" (which also could be gmo) for "emulsifier (lecithin(soy))"

                    • @mrdean: It (profanity) better not be an error

                      • @[Deactivated]: I used to make my own simple dark chocolate. It was interesting. Might be worth trying, if you haven't already.

                        • +1

                          @mrdean: No, I'm of the firm opinion that certain things should be left to the experts so I defer to the Swiss & Belgian chocolatiers.

  • +4

    Woolworths organic pasta is made in Italy and much better than barilla, on par with la molisana but at 1/3>1/4 the price.

    • Are you referring to the Macro brand?

      • Yep

        • Yes! I only buy Macro pasta

    • In my opinion, woolworths generally has a higher quality of home brand (macro) organic product than coles. Aldi doesn't have nearly as many organic products, but what they do have (mainly nasaa certified milk & butter) is pretty good quality.

  • +1

    I know many are made in the same factory, and are the same product rebranded.

    Apart from being cheaper which is great, I have found many Coles home brand to be lower in sugar and or sodium, which is also great. Did not see the same overall benefits at WW.

    Taste has never been a problem, and I wish there were many more Home Brand items, regardless of whether they are unique to the store or same products just in plain packaging.

    I used to research & read the different packaging for where, who made and from details to confirm rebranding, but gave up as the quality was good and the memory is bad. So a rebrand or not, I did not care, I tried it, if all good we never bought a more expensive item again. The kids did not pay, so they learnt to accept or go hungry, but this was 99% never really a problem.

    I would not consider it to be being 'duped', but more the stores are sourcing wisely, giving a wider variety at a better price.

  • +2

    Most of the house brand product is made in the same factory as name brands. They often use a different recipe, so won't be exactly the same.

    • Coppers had been making Colesworth homebrew for years. Only difference was the yeast.

      They also made recipes for Morgans, but was a better grade Malt Extract (same as the Premium Range).

  • +2

    Aldi Hot Dog rolls and Muffins are made by Tip Top. The Hot Dog rolls are the same recipe, and muffins @ 95% the same.

    I knew someone that worked for Sanitarium, who said the recipe for Corn flakes was exactly the same for Aldi, Colesworth and Sanitarium.

    • yeah, but are those 3 different to the kellogs cornflakes?

      • Admittedly, I haven't had Corn Flakes for years. I found it hard to believe that the home brand was no different to the Sanitarium.

  • aldis deli brand 'berg' seems to be the d'orsogna brand

    https://www.dorsogna.com.au/product/leg-ham-shaved-quad-pack…
    https://www.choice.com.au/products/food-and-drink/meat-fish-…

    …packaging is identical, products indistinguishable from each other

    • Interesting that they've 'home' branded for ALDI but not for Woolies.

      I buy most deli items at our local deli as preference is for freshly sliced & wrapped like an envelope otherwise it ain't a proper deli!

      • pre pack for convenience and cheap pizzas etc
        just went to our proper local deli / grocer for their weekly specials…and was not disappointed
        1/2 price prosciutto parma $30kg
        1/2 price premium leg ham $9.99kg
        1/2 price hungarian salami $16.99
        ….$20 worth of amazing deli meats and presented packaged beautifully…would have cost $50-60 at the grocery cartels and the quality would have been sub par

        • +1

          That's an amazing price per kg for the prosciutto if it is Italian/Spanish origin.

          I also prefer the choice & range at a well-stocked deli. My local doesn't have sales as well as yours does though.

  • Who makes which home brand products is not easily found out. There may be confidential contractual agreements between the supermarkets & suppliers, although those in the industry may well know all about it.

    Generally speaking, it'll be the big corporate food manufacturers, suppliers, & distributors who would have the ability to supply the supermarkets with the quantities needed.

    • Oh, for sure - it would be mostly insider info.

      A friend worked at Target when we were at uni & found out that Berlei manufactured most of the bras.

      • Yeah, ever since the 1980's as manufacturing was slowly offshored, the retailers jumped on the home brand bandwagon. The corporations have made trillions.
        The worst thing is now it's happening to food. The same squeezing of local suppliers, the entry of genetically modified foods into the food supply along with the toxic residues from all manner of chemicals.
        Don't let others tell you gmo's are equivalent to conventional breeding, they are reading from the biotech industries propaganda/public relations playbook. They are most definitely not the same.

  • +1

    ALDI wagon wheels are better than arnotts according to the podcast the snack pack

    Also seemed like the other arnott's rip off seemed almost as good as the original

    • That's a blast from the past - haven't had a wagon wheel since I was at school.

      Mainly sweet dupes based on responses thus far

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