Why You Might See Brand Names On Certain Kirkland Signature Products

If you're a Costco member, you know it often offers unbeatable deals on high-quality products. While the chain's Kirkland Signature brand already has a good reputation on its own, Costco often partners with well-known and beloved brands to bring you these products. However, you won't always see the names of these brands besides Kirkland Signature on a product.

When looking at Costco products made by big brands, you'll see that some, such as its jelly beans, include the producer's brand name (in this case, Jelly Belly) on the packaging. Others, however, don't include this label, and the connection may only be rumored or only come to light due to something like a recall. For instance, we only know that Townsend Farms makes Costco's Three Berry Blend frozen berries because of a 2019 recall.

The reason for this, as proposed by Costco shoppers on Reddit, is simple: marketing. For some brands, it's advantageous to keep their branding on the Costco products, as it gives them more exposure and furthers their reputation as a great product when the quality is still high. But for other brands, having cheaper Costco versions of their products could essentially create competition with themselves, so they aren't as forthcoming about making the Costco product. In addition, if it's one of Kirkland's worst products, it makes sense that a brand wouldn't want to be tied to it. It all comes down to the company's goals and the deal each strikes with Costco.

While some brands keep their involvement with Costco hidden (and may never come to light), many brands are totally upfront about making Kirkland products. For instance, several different types of Kirkland Signature coffee are made by Starbucks, and the Starbucks logo is clearly visible on the sides of boxes containing this product in the warehouse. Considering that most people go to Starbucks for freshly-made coffee rather than beans, offering Kirkland-branded coffee beans doesn't create significant competition for the chain.

Another notably branded product is Kirkland's Ocean Spray cranberry juice, which bears the second brand's label just as large as the first's. Since Ocean Spray is known as a high-quality brand, this partnership means Costco shoppers are more likely to buy and earn both Costco and Ocean Spray lots of money. The same goes for its Jelly Belly-branded jelly beans.

However, for every proudly co-branded Kirkland product you see, there's probably another one made by a big brand that isn't so obvious. It's worth researching Costco's products and rumors on its producers to see if a name brand you love at other stores secretly sells its products cheaper at Costco. Given how cheap Kirkland products can be, you might save yourself a few bucks on your next grocery run.