Harry Specters coming to your TV screens

Award-winning luxury chocolatier with a cause competes in Aldi’s Next Big Thing competition on Channel 4.

We’re beyond excited to participate in the new TV series Aldi’s Next Big Thing, which launches on Channel 4. 

As a luxury chocolatier with a cause, we’ve always cared deeply about our social mission: to create meaningful employment for young autistic people. 

So, sharing our story on TV and being given the opportunity to sell our chocolates in the UK’s fourth-largest grocer is a huge milestone for us. 

About the show

Aldi’s Next Big Thing is a brand new factual series that will see the supermarket uncover and ultimately stock exciting new products from the UK’s best (and undiscovered) food and drink businesses - propelling them into the big time.

The show follows the best local British food and drinks suppliers competing to win a life-changing deal to see their product on sale in Aldi’s 995 stores nationwide. 

Harry Specters competes against bakers, condiment makers, dairy and alcohol producers and everything in between during the show. 

You’ll be able to follow our journey as we visit Aldi’s headquarters and pitch our chocolates to an expert judging panel. We then face a crucial factory visit to see if our chocolates can be mass-produced. 

We don’t want to give too much away but do tune in to see what happens. It’s emotional! 

It’s on every Thursday at 8pm on Channel 4 - we feature on the final episode on 24 November. 

Harry Specters’ co-founder Mona Shah says: “We’re delighted to be on the show. Competing against all the other brilliant small businesses in the competition was quite a daunting experience as we didn’t know what to expect. But it was great fun, and we do love a challenge here at Harry Specters.”

Anita Rani, the show’s presenter, says: “This has been an incredible journey from start to end. From getting to know the suppliers, visiting their places of production, and even being part of the team at Aldi headquarters. I’m excited to hear viewers’ reactions to the stories and to find out if they love the winning products as much as we do.”

Why Harry Specters took part

We’re very proud of the social enterprise we’ve built over the last ten years, and we wanted to spread the word - not just about our delicious and ethically-sourced chocolate, but about the amazing people who make them. 

We are Britain’s first and only luxury chocolatier that mainly employs autistic people. 

Our team handled the challenge of participating in Aldi’s Next Big Thing competition with awe-inspiring determination and calm. It’s a testament to how far we’ve come since Harry Specters started in November 2012. We’ve given confidence and hope to over 300 young autistic people who have worked for us. They’ve learnt new skills, made new friends and realised that being autistic shouldn’t stop them from enjoying and holding down a meaningful job. 

Our truffles and bars have won countless awards, but the people behind the scenes, cooking, mixing, moulding and packing our chocolates, deserve the glory. 

Watch the trailer

Changing lives through chocolate

We're on a mission to change lives through chocolate. How? By creating meaningful work for young autistic people in our buzzing factory in Cambridge. 

Our chocolates are carefully crafted especially for you by someone who sees the world a little differently. Each piece is a work of art, lovingly handmade, using only fresh and ethical ingredients.

Our founders Shaz and Mona Shah were inspired by their autistic son Ash to start Harry Specters - a name he invented on a whim. 

Neurodivergence is often misunderstood. So when the world turns a blind eye, we offer confidence and hope. Where society sees wackiness, we see brilliance. When people feel like they don’t fit in, we listen and give them a chance. 

Enjoy our chocolates; love the cause.