Last year, fast-growing supermarket chain Aldi tapped into the viral frozen grape trend on TikTok to transform loose leftover grapes — which would otherwise be considered food waste — into a best-selling, no-sugar-added dessert.
They're called frozen cotton candy grapes, and the half-green grape, half-Concord grape blend — flash frozen on site to preserve the "cotton candy" taste — sold out in three days last year.
Now, they're back for $3.49 a bag in Aldi's freezer section (until they sell out), and The Cool Down got the exclusive story behind the viral sensation from Bill Duesenberg, Aldi's director of corporate buying for produce.
The dessert that made TikTok go crazy is back ... Last year, tons of different postings went viral on TikTok about the different benefits of frozen grapes as healthy, kid-friendly snacks — and more.
@selfcarewvlogss Love this idea!🌟#grapes#healthy#foods#healthyfoods#frozengrapes#cleangirl#preppy#trend#trendy#summer#vlog#skincare#makeup#Fyp#Fyp#virial ♬ ready or not - senia
"A lot of adults were using them for lots of different uses," Duesenberg told us. "We saw everything from them being dropped into a glass of Prosecco as an ice cube because it doesn't water your wine down — a glass of Chardonnay doesn't change the flavor."
The Aldi team jumped on the hype, providing its own no-sugar-added "cotton candy" version of the grapes that are prewashed and already frozen. This year, the grapes are back in stock with even more supply.
It all started on a routine vineyard visit … A few years ago, Duesenberg was touring the vineyards of one of Aldi's suppliers and noticed a lot of grapes that had fallen off their stems and weren't being used. Because of the higher sugar content of the cotton candy grape variety, they "naturally de-stem from the bunch." Duesenberg told us more than "15% to 20% of the bunch can have this detaching, which is called 'shatter.'" The supplier hadn't found a good use for them, so at that time they were "just food waste."
When the brainstorming began … the team's first thought was to cut down on food waste by creating to-go containers of loose grapes, but because of U.S. food regulations, that was a no-go.
"So we dug a little bit deeper … [using] strawberries as an example," Duesenberg said. Based on the grocery's success with frozen strawberries to balance out its fresh strawberry inventory between growing seasons, the team figured this fresh-frozen balance could work great for cotton candy grapes, too.
So they turned the temp way down … to ensure customers were getting "the best quality grape possible, frozen in the bag." We're talking negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit to make sure there's no crystallization.
By freezing cotton candy grapes on site, Aldi will prevent 50,000 pounds of loose grapes from being tossed this year alone. Because frozen products last longer, this process gives grape growers more flexibility with their growing seasons.
When the frozen grapes hit the shelves … it only took three days for the limited-edition product to sell out completely last year. So this year, Aldi has increased its reorders by 97% to make sure that when the product goes live nationwide on Aug. 14, everyone can get to taste the magic. There will also be a second release in November for anyone sleeping on the summer release.
Other stores may have frozen desserts but … "there is nobody else out there that's carrying this item," said Duesenberg. "That was the largest wow factor last year: 'Wow, Aldi's carrying a frozen cotton candy grape like this. This is ingenious.'"
These frozen grapes are also fair-trade certified and come in recyclable packaging. Duesenberg also mentioned that "one of the highly unique benefits that's come out of cotton candy grapes is they're grown with a canopy over them … to reduce water usage for the plants." The netting also "protects them from heat and adverse weather effects." Tactics like reducing water and energy usage play right into Aldi's overall goal to put sustainability front and center for customers.
Bottom line … unique solutions to reduce food waste and beat the summer heat get us one step closer to a cooler, healthier planet — especially for those of us with a sweet tooth.
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