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Many well-known manufacturers sell their goods at lower prices under different names at discount stores or supermarkets. If you know which no-name products these are, you can save a lot of money while shopping without any noticeable loss in quality. We’ll show you what to look for when buying no-name items.
No-Name Products—Which Brand Is Behind Them
No-name products often resemble the brand-name product in name and appearance, but cost up to 50 percent less. Discount stores buy leftover inventory from brand-name manufacturers or have products manufactured under their own brand. Here’s how to quickly identify who manufactures no-name products:
- Pick up two products that differ in price but have similar packaging. You’ll usually find the no-name product by looking toward the bottom of the shelf. The more expensive brand-name products are usually placed at eye level to maximize profits.
- Dairy, fish, and meat processing plants display an identification mark on the packaging. In the second line of the stamp, you’ll find two letters followed by a sequence of numbers, such as “BY 117.”
- This code identifies the facility. If you place a brand-name and a no-name product side by side and find the same stamp, the products were manufactured or processed at the same facility. You can also compare the manufacturer’s address.
- If the production facility does not have the same address as the brand-name product, the manufacturer may be a subsidiary. The only way to verify this is to search the commercial register.
- If both the branded product and the private-label product are manufactured at the same plant, the well-known manufacturer benefits because the production lines continue to run across multiple shifts; this higher output allows for the purchase of more goods, thereby saving on raw materials.
- Cooperation between two brands also offers lucrative advantages during negotiations on terms and conditions. Private-label brands often serve as leverage to secure better shelf space for manufacturers in supermarkets. All products placed at eye level for consumers increase the likelihood that the merchandise will be seen and purchased.
- Compare the ingredient lists and nutrition facts. For no-name products, the quantities of ingredients may vary slightly. There is no discernible difference in taste or quality. This is because generic brands typically save money only on packaging and advertising costs.
Generic Products and Their Manufacturers – Examples
Here is a short list of popular generic products that, after thorough research, can be linked to well-known and popular brand-name products:
- If you compare a package of rice pudding from “Milsani,” Aldi’s private label, with the well-known “Müller” brand, you’ll find that the products are manufactured at the same location. Milsani’s low-fat BiActiv yogurt, on the other hand, comes from Zott.
- Lidl’s discount brand “Milbona” also includes “Reine Buttermilch” under the Müller private label.
- Lidl customers can also find the well-known “Homann” pre-packaged salads under the discount brand “Vitakrone.”
- Rewe’s “Rougette Ofenkäse” and “Ja!” oven cheese bear the same identification mark .
- Behind the “K-Classic” processed cheese at Kaufland, the “Ja!” Allgäu processed cheese at Rewe, and the “Hofburger” sliced cheese at Aldi, you’ll find the major corporation “Hochland.”
- The popular dairy conglomerate “Bauer” manufactures not only its own products but also products for Netto’s “Gutes Land” brand, Rewe’s “Ja!” brand, Edeka’s “Gut und Günstig,” and Kaufland’s “K-Classic.”
- The cheesecake from “Coppenrath & Wiese” is also available under the “Grotemeyer’s Konditorei” brand at Kaufland.
- The butter cookies sold by Lidl and Norma under their private labels “Sondery” and “Delicia” can also be traced back to “Bahlsen.”
- The well-known canned food manufacturer “Bonduelle” also produces peas and corn at its own plant in Reutlingen for “King’s Crown,” Aldi’s private label.
- The cream cheese sold under Lidl’s “Goldessa” brand, Kaufland’s “K-Classic” brand, and Netto’s “Gutes Land” brand is supplied by the well-known manufacturer “Karwendel.”
