It’s always fun to shop the newest items at Costco, whether it’s a seasonal bakery find or an unexpected salty-sweet snack. But, if you’re a seasoned shopper, you know there are also staples to never leave the store without. And, one of the products that has a permanent place on our Costco list is the Kirkland Signature Bacon.
Costco’s hickory-smoked bacon is a top pick for its affordability and great taste. It has an ideal fat-to-meat ratio and a delicious smoky-sweet flavor. In fact, it even won a Consumer Reports taste test for the overall best bacon brand—stacked up against popular brands like Oscar Mayer, Wright, and Trader Joe’s.
“What makes it better, in all honesty, is they do choose a better hog,” said meat industry expert Ryan Stegall. “They focus on the hog, from start to finish, being a higher quality than the rest of the competition.”
Now, Costco fans are well aware that in order to bear the iconic red and black Kirkland label, grocery items must meet high-quality standards. What customers forget (or don’t consider) is that Kirkland products are often outsourced. Third-party vendors are usually responsible for everything up to the final packaging.
And these aren't just random suppliers—there are some massive food industry moguls at work behind the Kirkland logo (if you’ve ever heard the rumor that Grey Goose makes Kirkland Vodka, you know what we're talking about). These vendors offer their top-tier goods at much lower price points, ensuring that your membership holds its value.
So, if you’ve ever thought Costco’s bacon tasted like bacon you’ve had from other supermarkets, you might be correct.
Who Makes Kirkland Signature Bacon?
We previously reported that we suspected the supplier was industry leader Hormel because Costco and Hormel used to have a co-branded bacon line together back in 2005, as confirmed by Supermarket News.
However, a brand representative for Hormel reached out to debunk the rumor: Hormel does not make Kirkland bacon after all.
And, truthfully, there’s not one clear-cut answer. According to Stegall, “Costco traditionally utilizes single-source suppliers for most of their other products, however, because of the meat industry, it’s very difficult to use a single source depending on where they’re going to get it from.”
But, we do know that of the several regional suppliers, Smithfield is one of the largest, contributing an estimated 75 to 80% of the bacon sold under the Kirkland Signature label. Smithfield is one of the leading suppliers of premium pork products with bacon sold at Target, Kroger, and almost all major grocery stores, so it only makes sense for Costco to trust the company as a primary producer.
We’ve contacted Smithfield for comment, but have yet to receive a response.
If Smithfield really is the brand ‘bringing home the bacon’, this means shoppers are getting Smithfield-level quality at a much lower price point—and that’s something we can all shop happy about.
Smithfield is one of the leading suppliers of premium pork products with bacon sold at Target, Kroger, and almost all major grocery stores, so it only makes sense for Costco to trust the company as a primary producer.
But, we do know that of the several regional suppliers, Smithfield is one of the largest, contributing an estimated 75 to 80% of the bacon sold under the Kirkland Signature label.
Nationally known companies like Starbucks, Duracell, and Reynolds produce an exclusive version for Costco that meets its strict standards for quality and price point. Costco's goal is to make Kirkland's products "equal or better quality than national brands" while striving for comparative savings of at least 20%.
Hormel was also the first known manufacturer of Costco's bacon, though that public partnership has ended. It's just as possible, however, that Costco has moved on to a different bacon manufacturer — it's a mystery.
In fact, it even won a Consumer Reports taste test for the overall best bacon brand—stacked up against popular brands like Oscar Meyer, Wright, and Trader Joe's. Now, Costco fans are well aware that in order to bear the iconic red and black Kirkland label, grocery items must meet high-quality standards.
In 1995, Costco cofounder and former CEO Jim Sinegal, inspired by a Forbes article on branding, decided to create a single, unifying brand called Kirkland Signature, named for the Seattle suburb where Costco's original headquarters were located.
That's what Costco buyer Mark Klauber and his team were searching for when they collaborated with Westland Milk Products in Hokitika, New Zealand, to create Kirkland Signature™ Grass-Fed Butter, launched in 2021.
The European company Sofidel also manufactures some of Costco's toilet paper. In the U.S., Kirkland toilet paper is harvested and manufactured not too far from Kirkland, Washington, the birthplace of Costco itself and the namesake of the Kirkland brand.
Costco's Kirkland Signature Bath Tissue is the warehouse store's top-selling item, with over a billion rolls sold annually due to its affordability and quality.
Bacon and other cured meats are treated with nitrites, not nitrate. So called “uncured bacon” is usually treated with celery juice, a source of natural nitrites.
The production of bacon has been an iconic part of Hormel Foods Corp. since the company's very beginning, when George A. Hormel founded the company in Austin, Minnesota, 128 years ago, in 1891.
Crafted with top-quality pork belly, this bacon is smoked with hardwood chips and cooked to perfection. Boar's Head Naturally Smoked Bacon packs farm-fresh flavor into each fully cooked slice.
Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/bacon-strips-GettyImages-1016971314-4x3-acfc92f6e6544dfab0f24a8e6e2f4ae2.jpg "Update: This Is Actually the Brand Behind Costco’s Kirkland Signature Bacon (1)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ar-Bacon-Costco-4x3-dcf783043152440184d47e1df73147bd.jpg "Update: This Is Actually the Brand Behind Costco’s Kirkland Signature Bacon (2)")
