You Won’t Believe Which Big Brands Make Costco’s Kirkland Items
Want to know which name brands are behind the Costco Kirkland Signature products we love? Here’s the inside scoop!
Costco shoppers, here’s a little-known secret: many Kirkland Signature items are actually made by big-name brands—just for Costco! 🙌 Even better? They often match (or even exceed) the quality of the originals at a much lower price. 😲 Buckle up, we’re about to reveal some of the major brands that could be hiding behind your favorite Costco finds.
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*Please note that prices below are for in-store purchases as online prices are often higher for Costco items.
1. Starbucks vs. Kirkland Signature Coffee
Kirkland Signature Medium Roast Coffee 40oz. bag – $19.39 (48¢/oz)
vs.
Starbucks Coffee 12oz. bag – $10.79 (89¢/oz).
Fun fact: select varieties of Kirkland Signature Coffee are actually roasted by Starbucks Coffee Company!
2. Diamond Naturals vs. Kirkland Signature Pet Food
Kirkland Signature Adult Dry Dog Food 40lb. bag – $39.99 (99¢/lb)
vs.
Diamond Naturals 40lb. bag – $42.99 – $54.99 ($1.37/lb)
Did you know? Kirkland Signature dry dog and cat foods are made by Diamond Pet Foods in U.S.-based facilities. No wonder it’s a top seller!
3. Huggies/Pampers vs. Kirkland Signature Diapers
Kirkland Signature Diapers 96-count – $10.99
vs.
Huggies (the Costco brand diapers tend to run about $10-$12 cheaper per box compared to Huggies or Pampers.)
Rumor has it that Costco’s diapers may actually be made by Kimberly Clark (the manufacturer of Huggies) and are just an “older generation” Huggies. While this is not publicly advertised or verified, many members rave about these diapers.
“I have tried them all, from Pampers and Huggies to up & up from Target. These diapers are the best. Not only do they have the fastening tabs, but also a Velcro-like spot on the diaper around the hip area offering a better fit. This helps the leg holes to stay closed while also letting the diaper move with my son’s movements. So far we have used sizes 2 to 4. I LOVE these diapers.”
4. Jelly Belly vs. Kirkland Signature Jelly Beans
Kirkland Signature Jelly Belly Jelly Beans 4lb. container – $13.99 – seasonal item!
vs.
Jelly Belly 2lb. bag – $20.99
5. Duracell vs. Kirkland Signature Batteries
Kirkland Signature AA Batteries 48-pack – $15.99 (33¢/battery)
vs.
Duracell AA Batteries 20-pack – $13.29 (66¢/battery)
According to this interview with the CEO of Costco, the Kirkland Signature Batteries are actually made by Duracell.
6. Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter vs. Kerrygold Stick Butter
Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Salted Butter sticks 4- 8oz. packs $11.99 ($2.99 each)
vs.
7. Specialty Cheese vs. Kirkland Signature Cheese
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese block – $11.79/ lb.
Seems like a great deal for cheese that is cut and packed in Italy and aged for over 24 months!
Have you ever browsed through the cheese cases at Costco? Our team has picked up a block of Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and noticed on the back of the package that it is specially selected by Formaggi Zanetti, a company in Italy.
8. Bumble Bee vs. Kirkland Signature Tuna
Kirkland Signature White Albacore Tuna 7oz. cans 8-pack – $17.99 (32¢/ oz)
vs.
Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Canned Tuna $1.99 (39¢/ oz)
Kirkland’s tuna is actually supplied by Bumble Bee Foods! Pocket the savings!
10. Pureology vs. Kirkland Signature Moisture Haircare
Looking to save on hair care? These Kirkland bottles are sulfate-free, paraben-free, color-safe—and rumored to be made by Pureology.
11. Grey Goose vs. Kirkland Signature Vodka
Check in-stores!
Love liquor deals? Many Kirkland Signature spirits are made in the same facilities as name brands. In fact, Kirkland’s French Vodka is bottled across the street from Grey Goose using the same equipment—and it shows in the taste! A 1.75L bottle costs just $19.99 vs. $47.99 for Grey Goose at Costco. 🍸 Just check with your local store, as not all Costcos sell liquor.
HIP TIP: The same goes for wine! For instance, this 750mL bottle of Kirkland Signature Friuli Grave Pinot Grigio regularly costs just $5.99 and sells for $10-$15 per bottle at wine stores.
12. Chinet vs Kirkland Signature Chinet Plastic Red Cups
Kirkland Signature Red Cups 240-count – $13.59 (under 6¢ each)
vs.
Solo Cups 100-pack – $13.99 (13¢ each)
13. Blommer’s vs. Kirkland Signature Milk Chocolate Almonds
Kirkland Signature Milk Chocolate Almonds 48oz. jar – $23.99 (49¢/ oz)
Word on the street is that Costco’s yummy Kirkland Almonds are made by the Blommer Chocolate Company, which has been making gourmet chocolates since 1939. This huge jar comes to about 49¢ per ounce which is a total bargain compared to grocery and department stores, which sell smaller bags of lesser quality for much more.
14. Niagara vs. Kirkland Signature Purified Bottled Water
Rumor has it Kirkland Signature Bottled Water is actually Niagara in disguise, and in a taste test, they’re nearly identical. Big savings for the same sip! 💧
15. Persil vs. Kirkland Signature Laundry Detergent
Kirkland Signature Laundry Detergent Pacs 152-count $22.99 (15¢ per load)
vs.
Persil ProClean Laundry Detergent Discs 62-Count Pack $19.47 (31¢ per load)
We are big-time fans of Persil here at Hip2Save, so when we heard that the Kirkland version is possibly made by the same company that makes Persil, we were stoked! The German company Henkel that produces Persil is rumored to be the manufacturer of Costco’s UltraClean Line.
16. Reynolds vs. Kirkland Signature Reynolds Food Service Foil
Kirkland Signature line at Costco 1000 sq. ft. $34.99 (3¢ per sq ft)
vs.
Reynolds $27.79 (5¢ per sq ft.)
Want even more Costco items we think are worth every penny?
Now, not all Costco brand items are made by name brands, but their superior quality attests that they may as well be! In some cases, their prices and quality even outperform household name brands. Here are just a few other Costco brand items we love that you won’t find anywhere else.
1. Women’s Athletic Clothing
Rumor has it that Kirkland Signature leggings are of identical quality to Lululemon. With the same logo placement, as well as thick Lycra spandex fabric and an additional rear key pocket with a zipper, you can’t beat the quality for under $19!
2. Charisma Bath Towels
There’s nothing like stepping out of a hot shower and into a soft, absorbent towel—and Costco’s Charisma 100% HygroCotton Bath Towels deliver just that!
Regularly $11.50 (often on sale for $5.99), these 30″ x 58″ towels get softer with every wash and are made with hollow core cotton for maximum absorbency. Plus, Spot Stop color protection helps prevent discoloration from acne products and whitening agents.
Love the towels? Check out their sheets and blankets, too!
3. Kirkland Nut & Granola Bars
If you’re looking for granola bars that taste just as good as Quaker, be on the lookout for Kirkland Signature’s Soft & Chewy Granola Bars (in-club only). You can pick up a 64ct box for $12.59 (= 19¢/bar) and they’re the perfect size for lunches (a tad smaller). Plus, I love that they’re made with NO artificial flavors or colors!
4. Kirkland Paper Towels
One of the products I love to grab while shopping at Costco is their Kirkland Signature Create-a-Size 2-ply Paper Towels with 160 sheets per roll. The Kirkland brand regularly sells for around $2 per 100 square feet, whereas the Bounty Advanced Paper Towels sell for $3.45 per 100 square feet.
Although you may be able to find cheaper prices on paper towels at other stores during a sale and/or with coupons, we think the Costco paper towels are more absorbent!
5. Kirkland Wipes
If you’re a fan of Costco’s diapers, you’ll likely love the Kirkland Signature Baby Wipes! In fact, all of their wet wipes (including disinfectant wipes and face wipes) are made with Tencel, an ultra-soft and smooth fiber derived from 100% plant-based materials using a manufacturing process that effectively reuses and recaptures resources such as water. Plus, they’re made in the U.S.A!
6. Kirkland Gasoline
Despite the myth, off-brand gas is just as effective as name brands—ALL fuel must meet strict regulations for quality.
Costco goes a step further, selling only TOP TIER detergent gasoline, which helps clean your engine. Plus, their gas is typically over 20¢ per gallon cheaper than competitors. In fact, a national survey ranked Costco as the #1 cheapest place to buy gas in the U.S.!
Want more? Go here for even more ways to save on gasoline!
Look out for these other Costco products that Hip2Save readers love:
- Kirkland Hazelnut Spread
- Kirkland Baby Formula
- Kirkland Sparkling Water
- Kirkland Tortilla Strips
- Kirkland Real Mayonnaise
- Kirkland Rotisserie Chicken
- Kirkland Cage Free Eggs
- Kirkland Kitchen Trash Bags
- Kirkland Bath Tissue
- Kirkland Triple Action Joint Pills
- …and MANY others!
Note that this is not a comprehensive list of all Kirkland Signature items – just some of the most popular items. Also, keep in mind that Costco’s inventory changes often and prices may vary by region and warehouse. Visit your local warehouse for product pricing and details.
Now it’s your turn! Which Costco products are your favorite?
Ready to shop? Check out this Costco membership deal first!
What a fun article! Can y’all do Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark Brand next?!
They have done a Sam’s one already
That’s great, I can’t find it though. Would you mind linking it?
Thanks for the feedback and the suggestion, Jessica! I’ll be sure to pass that along to the team!
Thank you!!!! My hubby only wants name brand batteries but this is ammo to buy Kirkland! Awesome!!!
Oh good! You’re so very welcome!
I didn’t think the Kirkland batteries were that great. They didn’t seem to last long at all 😞
The Kirkland batteries suck — they leak WAY worse than the name brand. Even if made by Duracell, they’re not the same quality. Wait and stock up on Duracells at Office Depot when they’re free after rebates.
We think that gas from Costco lasts longer than other places, we just seem to be able to drive longer on the same amount of gas. We love the organic salad kits, cooking oils, milk, cheese, yogurt, we seem to get really good deals on the dairy.
That’s awesome, Hilary! I love their dairy products, too!
Costco gas definitely doesn’t provide better fuel economy, especially not in the United states where gasoline is carefully regulated. It’s certainly perfectly fine gas where detergents are concerned, but then again, almost all gas is. Unless your car is sitting for extended periods, or a vintage model, the ethanol content, and it’s corrosive nature, is totally irrelevant. The only difference where fuel economy can occur with gas is with regards to octane with high-compression engine designs. Modern performance vehicles of the past fifteen years usually have enough computers in them to de-tune high performance motors via the ECU to prevent damage from using too low of an octane, but can experience a miniscule loss in efficiency, or a minor loss in power output. The de-tuning is a byproduct of the engine running more conservatively to prevent knock and pings. Higher octane fuel is simply more resistant to pre-ignition as they’re closer to a pure hydrocarbon. Modern performance cars are effectively quasi-“flex fuel” vehicles. But for the rest of cars, octane ratings don’t matter at all. In fact, lower octane fuel contains more theoretical chemical energy. So it’s conceivable that cars with less performant motor designs see minor regressions from high octane fuel. The myth that high octane fuels burn hotter and clean out deposits is a myth from when E10 was being introduced since the ethyl alcohol does burn hotter on its own. Any way you look at it, Costco gas does not provide a tangible benefit for engine wear or fuel efficiency, as the matter of fuel octane is totally unrelated to brand, and a non-issue in most cases regardless. All that being said, if you already have a membership, Costco gas can be substantially cheaper, especially in places with higher fuel prices. As long as there is a Costco that isn’t too far out of the way, almost everyone should find that the annual membership more than pays for itself just with gas savings. But don’t believe any claims about “better gas” in the U.S.. That’s all snake oil.
Thanks for the info!
My son has to take Miralax daily for constipation and I can get 2 huge bottles of Kirkland brand for the same price as 1 in any other local store for name brand Miralax and it works the same. Same as many other allergy meds including Flonase, Zyrtec, ect. Love the savings on generic meds.
SWEET! Thanks a ton for sharing your experience with us, Stacey! SO glad to hear how well the store brands have worked!
GREAT to know, Stacey, since I have to take all of those meds And then some, too. Thanks!! 😍💉💊🧪
Costco brand organic orange juice is the best!
Great to know, Sekia! I’ll have to try that next time!
Sent hubby to get the Kirkland mouth wash, he was told they no longer carry it. It was as good as the brand names. I now have to go buy Listerene.
We just returned from Kauai, HI, and the gas at Costco was 70cents less per gallon(!) than the other gas stations in the area. Also, the food at the Costco concession stand was priced similar to the mainland, and had more menu selections. With Hawaii being so expensive, eating a few meals at Costco really helped to keep costs down.
Wow! I had not thought about that, but it’s a great idea for Hawaii!
We also rented a car thru Costco at significant savings compared to other sites, and they included a second driver free.
Thanks I’ll be going back in March this is really helpful
We also got gas at Costco while in Hawaii, lol. Where we were (Kona) it was like 50 cents cheaper at the time!
When we were in Kauai this spring with a big family group we bought several pizzas through the concession stand and it fed us all for SO little money! You can even call ahead on the way home from the beach to order them and pick them up through the drive through (the concession is outside there). So cost effective, so convenient!
We had hoped to take advantage of the big gas savings (gas is expensive on Kauai) but the Costco gas pumps close pretty early in the evening, so take that into account.
I learned from Costco today that their Kirkland fruit snacks rotate with the Welch’s fruit snacks. I haven’t seen it on the shelf for a few months which is a bummer bc my kids prefer the Kirkland ones (and so do I!!).
So interesting! Hopefully they’ll bring them back soon!?
Thank you SO much! I LOVE pureology hair products but now with 4 kids I just cannot afford it. I’m going to run out and try Kirkland’s shampoo and conditioner, I already favor their other products like paper towels and diapers but never thought to try hair care products. We also use their allergy medication, my husband has to take daily allergy relief pill and we get a whole year for less then $10
You are so welcome and I hope you love their hair line, krystal!
I’m not sure how it compares to Pureology (I’ve never tried it), but I really like the Kirkland moisture shampoo and conditioner! My naturally curly hair feels/looks healthy and I never have a dry itchy scalp in the harsh norther winters anymore.
Has anybody else noticed a change in the Kirkland toilet paper? The last batch I bought about 3 weeks ago is more like a one ply, it’s awful. Wondering if I just got a bad batch, or if they changed it. I’ve been buying it for years and loved it, but I’m afraid to buy it again!
Yes 😕 same here! I thought it was just me. 😆
Agreed! I noticed a difference also 🙁
Yep same here 🙁 Pretty sure they changed it. Won’t be buying it anymore. Will just have to wait for instant savings on another brand I guess.
I bought their toilet paper and happy with the quality. Also, soymilk, almond milk, liquid dish soap are very good too. My kids like Kirkland soymilk and I prefer their almond milk so we dont buy Silk or Almond Breeze anymore.
The laundry detergent is definitely up there in quality with Tide. It’s one of those products where brand does actually matter these days. Both do a decent job at stain removal. But the mayonnaise isn’t really comparable with Hellman’s. Besides, if you want good mayonnaise, you’re so much better off making it yourself. It’s really easy, and there’s simply no comparison with store-bought mayo.
I bet home-made mayo is great!
I love the dish washing liquid. It smells nice and gets the baby bottles really clean without using a ton. Handwashing got much easier when we switched from Dawn to kirkland.
Great to know!
Their chocolate chips are waaaay better than Toll House. But they only seem to stock them during the holidays. Will stock up this year when I see them .
Ohhhh I’ll definitely look for those around the holidays! 😋 Thanks!
I wish I had a Costco near me… can you do this artice for BJ’s? 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion, Lissa C! I’ll pass this on to the team!
I am an avid Costco shopper, I go once a week. I have several pairs of their leggings and Tuff brand. While they are decent leggings/ yoga pants and I wear them on a regular basis, they are not Lululemon.
What brand is the equivalent to your Kirkland American Cheese? This is for a child with Autism
I’m curious how the prices compare with Aldi. Specifically for paper products. What do you think?
I shop at both, Aldi and Costco. You have to be familiar with both stores as there are things that are cheaper at each. In general, quality seems to be better at Costco though. I get nuts, paper products, spices, oats, baking products, and some cheese at Costco. I get produce, eggs, and some cheese at Aldi.
And milk is more affordable at Trader Joe’s. Luckily I have them all very close to my house so I can shop around, usually one store a week
The right comparator for Kirkland Chicken & Rice is the Diamond Naturals Chicken & Rice, which sells for $35 on Chewy. It’s also nearly identical to Tractor Supply’s 4Health (also made by Diamond). You can rotate through the chicken & rice in any of those labels (Kirkland, 4Health, DN) without the dog even noticing as they have the same ingredients. The Nature’s Domain compares to grain-free — either DN or even Taste of the Wild (which is also made by Diamond).
I noticed the chicken and rice with vegetables should not compare to the grain free. Good information about the tractor supply brand. It is close to me and costco is not so I am going to give it a try.
Thanks so much for posting! I just bought the dog food and will compare with my subscribe and save that is coming from amazon by diamond. What a huge savings! I was hesitant to purchase their dog food or “feed” as some people call it that I learned from another post here 😉 but blended with some of his last dog food, he ate it last night and seemed fine with it. He has been picky over some other brands.
The butter is not made by Kerrygold.
What wonderful news for people that shop at Costco. I love finding out tips like that. Still not paying to shop at a store but it is interesting.