Here's Who Makes Costco's Kirkland Brand Maple Syrup

When you buy a product with Costco's Kirkland brand on it, that doesn't mean that Costco itself produced the product, be it batteries or coffee. And Costco is often a little coy about which companies are actually behind many Kirkland products, although online sleuths have often figured it out. Sometimes it can be a major brand — Starbucks has been known to produce Costco's Kirkland brand coffee, for instance — but it can also be little-known companies behind those high-quality Kirkland products.

It's the latter that's the case for Kirkland maple syrup. Two Canadian companies supply maple syrup to Costco: The Maple Treat and Citadelle. While it's no household name, The Maple Treat is a subsidiary of Lantic, Canada's largest sugar company. The Maple Treat is very well-established, claiming to be the world's largest bottler of maple syrup, selling to over 58 countries. The company produces most of its syrup in the French-Canadian province of Quebec but has one producing plant in Vermont, and it sources syrup from some 1,500-plus farmers (who supply maple sap). It boasts that its syrup has no chemicals, preservatives, or other additives. 

The Maple Treat sells syrup independently of Costco with its own branding, rather than Kirkland's, and also produces crunchy maple flakes for use in cooking and baking (although these are not sold through Costco). Overall, it's a highly-established company, as is Citadelle.

Citadelle is also a well-established maple purveyor, in existence for 100 years. It's a cooperative of Quebec maple farmers, some of which are family farms that have been involved over several generations. Citadelle boasts using no additives in its syrup and carefully assesses its syrup for consistent flavoring. Citadelle has organic certifications from Canada and the USDA, and also sells other maple products like cookies and spreads. Like The Maple Treat, it sells its maple products independently of Costco and Kirkland, using the brand name "Maple Delights & Cie."

Since both Citadelle and The Maple Treat don't have huge public profiles, it's a little tricky to assess how reputable they are. However, the maple syrup industry is quite regulated in Canada, with its own formalized grading system. Quebec also requires independent evaluations of maple syrup companies' products; The Maple Treat openly notes that it does these evaluations too, even though some of its production is outside Quebec. Plus, both companies are large and well-established, so there isn't any obvious cause for concern — especially considering that Kirkland maple syrup has often received very positive reviews, with minor exceptions for some complaints about Costco's maple syrup bottle cap making it awkward to pour. So, if you're trying to pick a good store-bought maple syrup, you'd do well with Kirkland's.