If you’ve ever pushed an ALDI cart (after fishing out a quarter), you might have wondered what “ALDI” actually means.

While the name is instantly recognizable, its origin isn’t obvious—especially if you don’t speak German.

Turns out, the name has a cool backstory that begins with two brothers and a small post-war grocery store.

ALDI stands for Albrecht Diskont, or “Albrecht Discount” in German. It was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht, who took over their mother’s grocery

store in Essen, Germany, after World War II. With the country recovering from hardship, they focused on providing quality groceries at low prices.

In 1962, as their business expanded, the brothers combined their last name (Albrecht) with

their discount philosophy (Diskont) to create the name ALDI. It was a simple, memorable name that reflected their mission.

From the beginning, the Albrechts kept operations lean—cutting out extras like elaborate displays, name-brand items,

and excessive employee perks—to keep prices down. This stripped-down, cost-effective model helped shape ALDI into the

discount giant it is today. The name and the store’s philosophy have remained tightly connected ever since.