The Kerrygold Irish Cheddar Cheese Copycat You Can Find At Aldi

Ireland is revered for producing quality dairy products, and Kerrygold is a favorite export brand for good reason. Whether it's butter or cheddar, the Irish versions are rich and creamy, with an amazing flavor thanks to the long grass-growing season on the Emerald Isle that allows cows to graze longer (which in turn leads to excellent milk — and from there, amazing cheese and butter). Aldi, the budget-friendly supermarket, is said to have a private-label cheese that rivals Kerrygold Irish cheddar.

The Aldi Emporium line has an assortment of mature Irish cheeses. They come in different levels of agedness and therefore different levels of sharpness, from the mild and creamy "Mild" to the sharper "Mature" and sharper yet "Vintage." The cheese isn't just Irish-style cheddar, it is actually produced and imported from the island – it's made with milk from Irish grass-fed cows. If you're in the mood for a Kerrygold Irish cheddar, they'll likely fit the bill. There's even speculation on TikTok and elsewhere online that Kerrygold actually makes the Aldi-labeled cheddar.

Former cheesemonger Meredith Bethune told Business Insider that Aldi's Irish cheddar is her favorite non-brand-name alternative, describing the Emporium cheese as having the piquancy of English cheddar and the butteriness of American cheddar. The Mild cheddar is, as advertised, mild. It's a smooth, creamy cheese just like Kerrygold's Dubliner (which actually isn't classified as a cheddar!). The Mature cheese is harder, sharper, and more crumbly. This is because as cheese ages, it loses moisture and the flavor continues to develop. The enzymes and cheese-making bacteria in the cheddar continue converting lactose, a dairy sugar, into lactic acid. According to Ireland's National Dairy Council, a mature cheddar is generally ripened for six to nine months.

A vintage cheddar, on the other hand, is ripened for nine months to two years. It's not clear how long Aldi's cheddar is aged for, but it is the most crumbly and sharpest of them all. Kerrygold's aged cheddar is aged for a year, while its Reserve cheddar is aged for two. Bethune prefers the longest-aged variety, saying "In my eyes, the older the cheese, the better," but some shoppers find the sharpness too much. One customer on the Aldi subreddit admitted that the vintage version is too strong for them to eat on its own, like with a cracker, but they love it grated onto things. Another, on the other hand, said they couldn't distinguish a difference between the mature and vintage styles — but they're both really good.

In short, no one really knows. Ornua Foods makes Kerrygold and UK cheddar brand Pilgrim's Choice, and it does private label for "a wide selection of retailers," according to its website. It's possible it manufactures Aldi's Irish cheddar, but it's unconfirmed.

More than three-quarters of Aldi's products — 77.5% in 2022 — are private-label products. Aldi notes this on its website, where it claims that over 90% of its products are private label. This practice, it says, allows the company to provide the same high quality but without the same high cost as a national brand. Of all national retail grocers, there's no other store that even comes close to Aldi's span of private label products; even Trader Joe's didn't surpass 60% in 2022.

Though there are few confirmed Aldi suppliers, there are rumors. We know that Aldi's all-purpose flour is produced by ADM Milling Company because of a 2019 recall and that there's a connection between Aldi's Earth Grown Vegan brand and SmithFoods because of an allergy alert, but the others are all best guesses. It's said that Aldi's ice cream is made by House of Flavors in Michigan, that L'Oven Fresh bakery products are made by Bimbo Bakeries, that Aldi's Clancy snacks are made by Barrel O' Fun, and that its Millville cereals are made by Post. Who knows, maybe the Emporium Irish cheddar assortment is made by Ornua as a Kerrygold cheese packaged for Aldi.