• Katherine and Harry Jenner beat hundreds of hopefuls to appear on Aldi’s Next Big Thing
  • Six part series sees food and drink suppliers compete to stock Aldi stores nationwide
  • The final episode of the series will air on C4 on Thursday 24th November at 8pm

Katherine Jenner, 33 and her husband Harry Jenner 35, from Solihull, will appear on Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Thursday 24th November.

The duo are owners of ‘Burning Barn Rum’, a craft rum brand that rose from the ashes of a barn fire on a family farm in Eastcote. After a terrible fire happened on Harry’s father’s barn, which housed his toffee-apple business, the couple were inspired to start a brand-new business, tapping into the growing demand for rum.

Now, the husband-and-wife team will pitch their award-winning products to Aldi with the hope of being listed in stores nationwide.

Hosted by Anita Rani, of Countryfile and BBC Radio 4 and Chris Bavin, of Britain’s Best Home Cook and Eat Well for Less, the six part series sees suppliers compete from categories such as dinners, baked goods, treats and store cupboard essentials.

Products are presented to Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, who deliberates on factors such as price, packaging, shopper demand, and the ability to scale up, before whittling contestants down to just two.

The finalists are then given four weeks to address any feedback, before presenting improved products to Julie who decides which product will appear as a Specialbuy in all stores.

Katherine and Harry will be competing against other products in the treats category, including Yorkshire Pudding Beer and chocolate bars stuffed with crisps.

Katherine says: In September 2015, flights into Birmingham Airport were diverted due to a huge column of black smoke rising from a barn on the flight path.

“Big bags of sugar from the existing family business fed fuel to the fire and the barn and business were completely flattened within two hours. We were really motivated to forge something positive from it, so we started our own craft rum business.”

Having started off by experimenting with different flavours in their kitchen, the couple realised they had found “something pretty amazing” after using apple wood to produce a smoked rum. The artisan rum is now award-winning, having scooped a Great Taste Award last year and Silver Award at the London Spirits Competition.

Harry says: “The special thing about our rum is the flavour. Our smoking process is completely unique, we developed it ourselves. 

“To be stocked somewhere like Aldi would be a real step change for us. It would be phenomenal to get that level of recognition from a supermarket buyer. To be stocked on shelves nationwide is essentially the dream.”

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK says:I’m really looking forward to the treats category because it’s so broad and there are so many opportunities for creativity. The challenge is how will the producers bring the wow factor that we’re looking for.”

The multi-category competition is part of Aldi’s ongoing commitment to locally sourced products. Aldi has pledged to prioritise home-grown suppliers as it works towards spending an additional £3.5 billion a year with British businesses by the end of 2025.

To find out if Burning Barn Rum made it on to Aldi’s shelves watch Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4, Thursday 24th November 8pm.

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