The Popular Brand Behind Costco's Kirkland Coffee Pods
Private labels that produce a quality product at a lower price than a big brand version can breed customer loyalty. If you're a Costco shopper, you know the Kirkland brand is what members are reaching for. In fact, the Costco must-buys that fall under this umbrella have been valued at about $75 billion. But what might surprise you are some of the big brands behind popular Kirkland products at Costco. They range from Bumble Bee tuna to Huggies diapers, Jelly Belly jelly beans, and everything in between. When it comes to this warehouse retailer's Kirkland coffee pods, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is the brand behind the brand.
Per Today, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters became a Kirkland brand behind the brand in 2012. The coffee pod maker created a light breakfast blend and a dark roast single-serve coffee pod for use with the coffee maker's single-cup brewing system. Since then, they've added a medium blend and a decaf option. While prices may vary depending on where you live, if you order them online, for just $31.99, you can get a box of 120 pods.
There's maybe another coffee brand that supplies Costco
If you're a fan of K-Cup pods but are looking for a more sustainable option, you'll be happy to learn that Keurig is discontinuing its plastic cups. It will take a couple of years before you see them, but the company's plan is to create K-rounds, which will be made from compostable materials. Hopefully, this spills over to the Kirkland K-Cups; however, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is not the only big-name brand that Costco turns to for coffee.
While the warehouse has not confirmed it publicly, a Go Banking Rates article reveals Starbucks is another roaster behind Costco's Kirkland Signature coffee brand. Using big names to create these products demonstrates Costco's commitment to quality, consistency, and quantity. But did you know Costco's Kirkland brand was almost called something else? It was almost Seattle Signature as a hat tip to its headquarters, but the name was taken. So, to keep paying homage to Washington, they went with Kirkland, home to one of their largest stores.