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If you’ve ever shopped at a discount grocer like Aldi, you may have noticed that many of the brands that appear on the shelves are ones you’ve never heard of. And there’s a reason for that. Aldi intentionally stocks lesser-known brands so it can pass savings onto its customers.
See, the brands people tend to know and love often gain popularity as a result of expensive marketing campaigns and fancy packaging. But that can drive the cost of those products up. As such, it often pays to choose generic brands over name-brand products in the course of your shopping for food and household essentials.
If you’ve ever done any shopping at Costco before, you’ve probably seen the Kirkland name on a host of products. Kirkland is Costco’s signature brand, and loading up on Kirkland items will often result in a lower credit card tab than buying those well-known brands whose manufacturers tend to do a lot of advertising.
But let’s face it — consumers tend to take comfort in the brands they’re already familiar with. And here’s some good news in that regard. A number of the Kirkland products you might come across at Costco are actually made by brands you most likely already know. Here are a few that fall into that category.
1. Kirkland coffee
People tend to be picky about their coffee, and that’s understandable. But you may find it interesting to know that a number of the coffee offerings you’ll see from Kirkland are actually made by none other than Starbucks. Examples include Kirkland’s Signature Espresso Blend Coffee, Dark Roast and Signature House Blend Coffee, Medium Roast.
2. Kirkland cups
Many people recognize Chinet as an established name in the world of disposable plates, bowls, and cups. But Kirkland’s iconic 18-ounce red plastic cups — the ones you’ll often see at parties and barbecues — are made by Chinet, so you can rest assured that they’re bound to be high in quality (or as high in quality as a plastic cup is capable of being).
3. Kirkland aluminum foil
Aluminum foil is a staple item in many households, and you may be eager to save money the next time you need to buy some. But if you’re worried that buying Kirkland aluminum foil is going to result in a product that gives out on you in exchange for that lower price point, fear not. Kirkland’s Signature Foodservice Foil is actually made by Reynolds, who wrote the book on aluminum foil that holds up.
4. Kirkland jelly beans
Jelly beans make an excellent snack, and the more variety you get, the better, right? You can buy a massive jar of Kirkland jelly beans that gives you access to 49 distinct flavors to tickle your taste buds. And if you’re worried about taste, rest assured that Kirkland’s jelly beans are made by none other than Jelly Belly, a fan favorite.
5. Kirkland cranberry juice
When you think of cranberry juice, you probably think of Ocean Spray — it’s been a leading juice cocktail brand for years. Well, you may be happy to know that Kirkland’s cranberry juice is made by Ocean Spray, so you’ll get the same sweet, tangy taste you’ve come to enjoy, whether as a drink on its own or as part of a concoction.
So there you have it. When you buy these Kirkland products in particular, you can rest assured that you won’t be compromising on quality.
That said, even those Kirkland products that don’t have a recognizable name behind them may be products worth bringing home. Remember, Costco prides itself on customer service and is so committed to member satisfaction that it will pretty much take back any item that doesn’t meet your expectations. So you can rest assured that the Kirkland products it puts out are high in quality in their own right.
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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale and Starbucks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Some guy told me that Kirkland balls were really Pro V 1’s made by Titleist. I find that hard to believe, but he believed it.
I play Pro V’s for free because they are popular and a lot of people are too lazy to look for their errant shots. I find a lot of them. Don’t know about Kirklands. I find a lot of them too.
As far as I know, the golf balls are made by Acushnet which is the same company that produces Titlest balls. And they’re probably Pro V 1’s. I played them for years when I still played golf. They performed just as well and they were a lot less expensive. A dozen Pro V 1’s would cost $70 in a pro shop. I carried a mid-teens handicap and played several days a week. The only other ball that came close was from Bridgestone.
Cosco blows.
At least spell it correctly. COSCO is an entirely different company.
I worked at a baked goods distributor warehouse and am not surprised.
We handled standard white bread for national, regional, store, house & generic brands,
same bread different wrappers, retail priced hi (nat’l) to lo (generic)
and all from the same bakery location in Kentucky.
I remember going to a “Budget Bakery”, and there were loaves of bread with all different names. Some had the “brand name” (Hostess, Wonder, etc.), and others had the “store brand” name (Sentry, Kohl’s, Roundy’s, etc.) on the wrapper.
Kirkland coffee is made by Keurig Green Mtn not starbucks
The Costco coffees that are made by Starbucks are the thre mentioned in the article. In fact the bag of coffee beans on the Kirkland Medium Roast Breakfast even says roasted by Starbucks. No Keurig coffee was mentioned.
Coffee, jelly beans cranberry juice. My, my what an insightful list of products I’ve never bought. Give us some real world examples of Kirkland stuff. They keep replacing name brands with Kirkland stuff all the time. Each time I shop at Costco more Kirkland stuff has pushed other stuff away! For me, to quote Jack Nicholson “I’d rather have a needle stuck in my eye than shop at Costco!”
Right??? I always thought their biggest claim to fame was that the French Vodka is Grey Goose.
The Kirkland French vodka is the only one I buy now. It is as good as Absolut and a lot less money. Also the Kirkland Sauvignon Blanc from Marborough New Zealand is the same as the Kim Crawford brand (a Costco wine area worker told me) and it is delicious. I buy most of my wines and vodka at Costco. In fact, of all their food and drink products, I can truly say they have been hig-quality and very good.
COSTCO used to have the Kirkland Decaf beans right in the stores but now you have to go on line to buy them. They are Starbuck’s as it says in the bag. However, the fact that it is not in the store is ridiculous as well as COSTCO’s failure to stock products continually. It is beyond the pale to have to but them at a grocery store versus the COSTCO that you are used. The only thing left that I can buy regularly is the chicken breast (6 1 pounders). Their steaks are not as well marbled and some have even been tastless. If the chicken goes so do I
Kirkland is a Chinese owned brand. Prove me wrong.
Thanks for the information. Now I know it is prudent to ban them.
Thanks for the regurgitation. Wanna list the 30 or so other Costco products that are made by big brands, or are you too lazy for that?
Is the Kirkland Hazelnut spread made by Nutella. It tastes better than Nutella.
Starbucks coffee? IMHO their coffee is terrible.
All of Costco products are generic – They manufacture nothing !