The European Aldi Feature That We Wish US Stores Had

Aldi is one of the biggest supermarket chains worldwide. The German giant has been one of Europe's go-to grocers for decades, and Aldi is rapidly expanding its footprint in the United States. There's one perk found in European stores that we don't get stateside, though: the orange juice machines.

No, I'm not talking about the inexpensive juicers that occasionally pop up in Aldi's aisle of shame. You can buy the juicers found in European Aldis, but only from restaurant supply stores and only if you're willing to spend $10,350 on a 222-pound behemoth that'll take up a sizable portion of your counter space.

Most folks can't afford to drop ten grand on a juicer, but European shoppers can take the machines for a spin. In many European locations, customers can squeeze their own fresh orange juice. A window at the front of the Willy-Wonka-esque juicers lets shoppers watch as large plastic cogs squish the oranges which drop from a wire mesh basket at the top of the machine. Customers just have to catch the juice in plastic bottles. The result? Fun, ultra-fresh orange juice for just a few euros. 

An influencer demonstrated the juicers in an Instagram Reel captioned: "The most beautiful Aldi I've ever seen." The location is, indeed, the most beautiful Aldi I've ever seen, with clean, bright, well-organized aisles and a gleaming, stainless steel juicer. "The Aldis in Spain alone would make me want to move there," the influencer gushed, citing the juicers as the "number one reason."

Internet commenters agree on one thing: The orange juice is really, really good. "It was some of the best tasting orange juice I have ever drank," wrote one Redditor on the r/Aldi subreddit. "Aldi in the U.S. needs to have one of these machines in every store."

If you want to try fresh-squeezed orange juice yourself without buying a juicer, you might have some luck at Whole Foods. Some locations have self-serve juicers, but they're not available nationwide. Whole Foods isn't known for the steep discounts that bring shoppers to Aldi, though, so you might end up paying a premium for the same juice. 

Will American Aldi stores adopt the European juice machines? I certainly hope so. Americans have an ally, too. Some citrus industry blogs speculate that self-serve juicers could help boost customer loyalty by adding an interactive element. So, if we customers can't lead the charge, maybe Big Citrus will.