Soda (or “pop” as some know it by) is one of the most popular beverages in the world, the perfect accompaniment to pizza, popcorn, or even vanilla ice cream. Americans especially can’t get enough; we always look for the cheapest price.
German discount grocer Aldi has made soda part of its Everyday line of products, so you can always count on finding some there. But you might wonder what you’ll find on shelves when you visit. See below for an overview.
Aldi Soda
Aldi carries 10 types of soda as part of their Everyday product line, including a mix of store labels and name brands. Aldi sells their soda under the label Summit and carries Coca-Cola products as well. Prices range from around 70 cents to no more than $5.18.
To get more in-depth about the types of soda, where you can find the different sizes, whether or not Aldi’s soda is good quality, and even what I could find about who manufactures it, keep reading!
What Types Of Soda Does Aldi Have?
Aldi carries two different brands: one store label, Summit, which has three flavors, and one hugely recognizable name brand, Coca-Cola. They carry three flavors from that brand as well.
Summit
- Cola – 12-pack for $2-3; Aldi’s take on regular Coca-Cola
- Cola – 2-Liter bottles for 67-79 cents each
- Diet GT Cola – 12-pack for $2-3; Aldi’s take on Diet Coke
- Citrus Twist Lemon Lime – 12-pack $2-3; Aldi’s version of Sprite.
I want to note it appears that Aldi used to sell a few other flavors under the Summit label, including Mountain Frost (Mountain Dew dupe), Dr. Dazzle (Dr. Pepper), and Sudz Root Beer, but these have vanished from shelves and their website.
Aldi has a history of cost-cutting efficiency; if something isn’t selling, they move it out, so it’s likely these other flavors weren’t making any money.
Coca-Cola
If you’ve heard that 10 percent of Aldi’s stock is name brand but weren’t sure quite where those products are, the selection of Coca-Cola soda certainly contributes.
- Coca-Cola – 12-pack for $5.18
- Coca-Cola – 2-Liter for $1.82
- Coca-Cola – Mini-can 6-pack for $2.92
- Diet Coke – 12-pack for $5.18
- Sprite – 12-pack for $5.18
- Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite – 20-oz. bottles for $1.88
Aldi Finds
I have also seen Aldi carry different specialty sodas as Aldi Finds. I have seen root beers, ginger beers, flavored sodas, and sparkling sodas (with flavors like Blood Orange and Cranberry).
Aldi Finds change weekly, and specialty sodas might not always exist when you shop. You can stay informed by checking out Aldi’s weekly ad circular that comes in the mail or visiting their website.
Is Aldi Soda Cheap?
Prices vary for Summit Cola, but you will commonly find them priced between $2 and no more than $3.
Walmart sells a Sam’s Cola 12-pack for $2.46, which is right on par with Aldi’s Summit label, or perhaps a few cents more than you might find Summit cola in your store.
However, when it comes to Aldi’s name-brand prices, savvy shoppers have a good deal of luck finding better prices elsewhere, especially considering store sales and manufacturers’ coupons (the latter of which Aldi does not accept).
One example is that a 12-pack of Diet Coke costs $5.18 at Aldi; my local Tops runs a buy 2, get 3 free on 12-packs once every two or three weeks.
While they tend to ratchet the price to $7 or $8 per case, I’m still getting five 12-packs for about $15 or $16, or $3.20 at most per 12-pack.
Buying the name-brand soda at Aldi isn’t always going to be the most economical option then.
Where Can You Find Aldi Sodas In-Store?
The majority of Aldi’s soda is located in one place, most commonly on a shelving unit facing the freezer section, near the other beverages (like bottled water). Here is where you will find the 12-packs, Aldi and name brand, and 2-liters.
However, the 20-oz. bottles are located elsewhere. I noticed one day after my local Aldi had received its renovation that they had installed nifty-looking new coolers up near the registers.
This is where Aldi sells its single 20-oz. bottles, making it perfectly convenient to grab a cold drink while you’re waiting in line (the coolers also contain water bottles, sparkling waters, and more).
Is Aldi Soda Good Quality?
If the taste of Coca-Cola is the ruler against which we measure the “goodness” of Summit Cola, you’re in luck: As it happens, Summit is a reasonable substitute.
A writer over at The Aldi Nerd taste-tested Aldi’s Summit cola, and she found that the taste was pretty similar to the famous red can. Her one caveat was that it lacked the same amount of carbonation.
So if you drink soda for the bubbles and the fizz, the Summit label might not be for you. If that doesn’t bother you so much, then it’s likely worth a try!
The writer also had her husband try the diet version. His take was that it didn’t taste like either Coke or Pepsi but had its own unique flavor.
The writer didn’t dig much deeper than that, but if you’re suitably intrigued, at only $2-3 per 12-pack, why not have your own taste test?
What Are The Best Aldi Sodas?
If we’re judging “best” based on “tastes most like the name brand” then it seems that Aldi’s Summit Cola takes the cake.
If you really want some soda cans to stash in the fridge and don’t want to have to stop at another grocery store, you should be pretty happy with the Summit Cola – far happier than Diet Coke fans who try the Diet Cola.
Who Makes Aldi Soda?
Despite some deep digging, I can’t find the source for Aldi’s Summit soft drinks.
However, Aldi no doubt partners with a company like Refresco (a.k.a. Cott), which provides mass manufacturing/bottling/canning/private labeling of soft drinks for supermarkets (in this case, Refresco works with Walmart on their store brand cola).
Now that you know about Aldi’s soda, you can also read our related articles on Aldi ice cream, coffee pods, and almond milk.
Conclusion
Aldi soda is a great deal, if you like regular Coca-Cola, as you can get a 12-pack for dollars cheaper than any regular-priced name brand.
Be on the look-out for Aldi Finds specialty sodas, and consider skipping Aldi’s selection of name brand soda for better deals elsewhere.
