What Company Makes Costco's Kirkland Brand Honey?

Sweet, floral, and an ideal topping for buttered toast or Emeril Lagasse's delicious grilled peaches, honey possesses a rich, natural flavor and is created almost entirely by bees. People have been consuming honey for thousands of years and, as research from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas suggests, it could even be one of the reasons why homo sapiens developed into the big-brained species we are today.

While the importance of pollinators to our food supply is several books-worth of knowledge, suffice it to say that reports outlining their decline since 2006 had folks running to the store (or their local beekeeper) to buy a jar of this precious liquid gold. In recent years, a lot of people have developed a renewed interest in this generally wholesome foodstuff. After all, honey has almost miraculous antimicrobial properties that can do everything from aiding digestion and managing allergy symptoms to healing small wounds and lowering diabetic markers, according to a review in the Nutrients journal. 

With the increased interest in honey, it's no surprise that there are multiple types of this natural ambrosia available for purchase at Costco, the massive retailer beloved for its expansive Kirkland Signature brand. However, while the wholesale club stocks at least two store-brand honey products, it's not entirely clear what companies make them. What we do know is where each one comes from.

The short and snarky answer to the question of who makes Kirkland brand honey would be that it's made by bees, of course! But who processes the honey and sells it to Costco? In 2019, the Kirkland brand 100% U.S. Raw Unfiltered Honey was supplied (at least in part) by Rice's Honey, a company based in Greely, Colorado, known for its Live Local Honey. However, this Costco product no longer seems to be available on the store's website, so Rice's Honey is likely no longer a supplier for the company. Unlike the honey Costco was sourcing from Colorado, the purchasable Kirkland brand bee-made sweeteners aren't sourced from the U.S.

As of the publication of this article, there are two Kirkland Signature honeys available at Costco. One is a large 5-pound plastic jug of Wildflower Honey and the other is Organic Raw Honey sold in three 24-ounce plastic bottles modeled to be cute little honey bears. Kirkland's Wildflower Honey is sourced and packaged in Argentina, while the Organic Raw Honey comes from a company in Brazil. Both products are True Source Certified, meaning they've been audited and confirmed to be real honey produced and harvested by trusted beekeepers. They are also labeled 100% U.S. Grade A, which is the highest possible quality standard provided by the federal agency.