What Brand Is Behind Costco's Kirkland Signature Frozen Pizza?

Costco offers a wide range of frozen pizzas, and as is true of many other products under the warehouse's roof, it also sells a Kirkland Signature version. Costco's in-house brand covers countless products, many of which are made specifically for Kirkland Signature by other brand names. So, what's the brand behind Kirkland Signature's frozen pizza? This might seem like a simple question, but the answer is anything but.

In the past, Kirkland Signature frozen pizzas were likely made by Palermo's, a family-owned pizza brand based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Evidence for this came in November 2012, not from either company but from striking Palermo employees who announced a visit to Costco headquarters. A press release from that time described the strikers as "members of Palermo Workers Union who make Costco Frozen Pizza."

Since then, however, things have changed. Costco revamped its Kirkland Signature pizza by 2023 with new packaging and a crust somewhere between thick and thin, among other changes. It no longer bears a resemblance to any of Palermo's frozen pies, which are all either thin or rising crust. Costco also no longer sells Palermo-brand pizzas, further suggesting the partnership has reached an end.

There are some small but noteworthy differences between Kirkland Signature's frozen pizzas and Palermo's. Using each brand's cheese pizza for a baseline comparison, the Kirkland pie contains ferrous sulfate — an essential mineral — to fortify the crust with iron, but this ingredient is nowhere to be found in Palermo's thin crust cheese pizza. The Costco frozen pizza also uses whole milk mozzarella cheese while Palermo's uses skim milk mozzarella.

Additionally, Kirkland frozen cheese pizzas are nearly 4 ounces heavier than the corresponding Palermo pizza. A 2023 Reddit review noted that the crust on the revamped Kirkland pizza was thicker than the Palermo-made thin crust version, which perhaps accounts for the extra weight. That thicker crust makes the pie a great candidate for upgrading frozen pizza with your own toppings, like fresh sausage or shredded chicken.

Unfortunately for Kirkland, its pie scored poorly in our ranking of Costco frozen pizzas because of a relatively plain flavor profile, especially compared to the winning mushroom truffle pizza from Roncadin. It's unlikely — though possible — that Palermo's produces a unique, Costco-exclusive line of pizzas. But since neither Costco nor its partners typically reveal their business agreements, the provenance of this simple and somewhat disappointing item remains a mystery.