Irish Aldi stores recently picked up 62 awards at the international 2015 Great Taste Awards, more than any other retailer in Ireland the company has announced.

Aldi’s product range has now won a total of 240 Great Taste Awards in the last six years, proving Irish consumers don’t have to spend a small fortune to enjoy the very best groceries.

Winning products include Aldi’s O’Shea’s Irish Stout, produced by Carlow Brewing Company, which received two gold stars and Aldi’s Specially Selected Dry Cured Irish Bacon Loin – Unsmoked, produced by Honeyvale Foods, which also received two gold stars.

Aldi Ireland’s Group Buying Director Rob Farrell said Aldi is extremely proud that our products have been recognised by some of the world’s leading food experts and critics.

“These 62 awards demonstrate the outstanding quality of the many Irish producers and suppliers we work with. The spread of award winners across our full product range recognises the true strength of our product offering,” he said.

Dubbed the “Foodie Oscars”, the Great Taste Awards are widely acknowledged as the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers.

Over 10,000 food and drink products were blind tasted this year, with the winners chosen by a panel of over 400 experts including top chefs, cookery writers, food critics, restaurateurs and fine food retailers following a rigorous judging process.

Aldi said that it remains strongly committed to growing its Irish supply base and increasing the number of Irish products available.

Since 2008 Aldi has almost doubled the number of Irish suppliers it works with, helping to maintain over 34,000 jobs across the Irish food industry, it said.

More than 50% of Aldi’s supplier spend is with Irish suppliers, producers and manufacturers. All of Aldi’s fresh meats, fresh poultry, eggs, bread, flour, and many of its teas, coffees, soft drinks, waters and snacks come from leading Irish suppliers.