In the latest episode of "Big Brand Bullies Small Business," Aldi finds itself accused (AGAIN) of shamelessly stealing a product idea. This time, it even includes a trademarked tagline.
The Backstory
Back in 2017, Pleese, a Surrey-based (that's in the U.K., kids) brand with big dreams, had a revolutionary idea: a cheesecake you could eat like ice cream - but the dessert was more like a frozen candy bar, and they shelved the idea for giant "overload cheesecakes" that became wildly popular - they even made one for the Queen. Fast forward to 2020, and Pleese finally launched its masterpiece - frozen cheesecakes in tubs, bursting with flavor, special sauces, and yummy biscuit chunks.
Joe Moruzzi, managing director of Pleese, took to the brand's Instagram recently to share the news of Aldi's thievery. Moruzzi shared photos and video of his brand Freezecakes, next to Aldi's "Freezecake" (which only omits the letter s), along with the same no-so-coincidental "It's Not Ice Cream" tagline on the packaging. Two posts later, another employee took to the brand's IG to share the news that they won't be bullied and included info that the company only has five employees versus Aldi's thousands.
He says, "We're here to stand up for small businesses, and I hope this is a note to encourage any copycat ideas to be less intrusive and detrimental to small brands that have worked so hard and made many sacrifices to get to where they are."
A History of Aldi Supermarket Swindles
As I said, this isn't the first time the supermarket giant has been accused of trademark infringement. In 2022, Aldi and Marks & Spencer tangled over their suspiciously similar caterpillar cakes (remember Colin and Cuthbert?). That case even reached the High Court. While the details of the settlement remain shrouded in secrecy, one thing's for sure: Aldi has a history of, shall we say, "borrowing" ideas.
What's the Takeaway?
Previously, other rulings have argued that Aldi's copycat products weren't close enough to be mistaken for the often more expensive original, but I'm not so sure that's true in this case. The name, the slogan, and the packaging colors are all too similar for my liking and it leaves a seriously sour taste in my mouth over something that should be downright delicious. Perhaps Aldi should dedicate more resources to original product development instead of straight-up product espionage. According to the Daily Mail, the product is not currently on sale in Aldi, and reps are in touch with Pleese.
Support the Little Guys: Where to Buy Pleese Freezecakes
If you're in the U.K., the original Pleese Freezecakes are available at Waitrose, Co-op, and Consort Frozen Foods.
