Costco owns Kirkland coffee: Starbucks is a documented historical roaster for selected blends, while Costco reported expanding its own coffee manufacturing in 2025; current roasters vary by product and are not fully disclosed. [1][2][3]

Who makes Kirkland Coffee?

Owner: Costco Wholesale owns the Kirkland Signature private label. The brand owner and the factory making an individual product are separate roles. [1]
Made by: Historically, selected Kirkland blends carried a Starbucks roasting credit. Costco’s 2025 shareholder letter describes expanded coffee manufacturing, without naming a current roaster for each Kirkland bag or pod. [2][1][3]
Made in: Costco’s 2018 disclosure describes coffees sourced from multiple origins. Bean-growing origin, roasting location and packing location are different facts; a current bag-to-roastery map is Unconfirmed. [4][1]

Last checked 2026-10-21 · 4 sources · English source review

Kirkland Coffee supply chain map

Select a node to inspect its role and evidence. Arrows show ownership or manufacturing relationships, not shipment volumes.

Brand

→ Owner

→ Manufacturer

→ Factory

Kirkland Coffee

Evidence: [1][2][3]

Text version of the map

Kirkland Coffee (Brand): Costco owns Kirkland coffee: Starbucks is a documented historical roaster for selected blends, while Costco reported expanding its own coffee manufacturing in 2025; current roasters vary by product and are not fully disclosed. [1][2][3]
Kirkland Coffee → Costco Wholesale (Owner): Costco Wholesale owns the Kirkland Signature private label. The brand owner and the factory making an individual product are separate roles. [1]
Costco Wholesale → Kirkland Coffee manufacturing (Manufacturer): Historically, selected Kirkland blends carried a Starbucks roasting credit. Costco’s 2025 shareholder letter describes expanded coffee manufacturing, without naming a current roaster for each Kirkland bag or pod. [2][1][3]

Who owns Kirkland Coffee?

Costco Wholesale owns the Kirkland Signature private label. The brand owner and the factory making an individual product are separate roles. [1]

Ownership guides: Kirkland Batteries Kirkland Bourbon Kirkland Diapers Kirkland Dog Food Kirkland Golf Balls Kirkland paper towels Kirkland Tequila Kirkland Toilet Paper Kirkland Vodka Kirkland Signature

Who actually makes Kirkland Coffee products?

Costco’s March 2011 presentation shows Kirkland coffee with Starbucks branding. March 2024 reporting describes removal of that branding from some packaging, but explicitly says the continuing Starbucks role was unclear. [2][3]

Where are Kirkland Coffee products made?

The 2018 sustainability report describes numerous Kirkland coffees sourced around the world. The 2025 letter adds an expansion in coffee manufacturing capacity, without allocating each SKU to a plant. [4][1]

Is Kirkland Coffee made in China or the USA?

Neither the historical Starbucks packaging nor the newer Costco manufacturing disclosure supports calling every Kirkland coffee US-roasted or China-made. The roasting and packing location of a particular current SKU is Unconfirmed. [2][1]

Same factory, different label

A historical roasting credit supports a supplier relationship, not an identical recipe to Starbucks-branded retail coffee. The reviewed sources do not establish a shared current roast specification. [2][3]

Compare the sourced ownership and manufacturing guides: Kirkland Signature Kirkland Batteries Kirkland Toilet Paper Kirkland Tequila Kirkland Bourbon Kirkland Vodka Kirkland Dog Food Kirkland Golf Balls Kirkland Diapers Kirkland paper towels

Ownership timeline

2011-03: Costco’s investor presentation showed Starbucks-branded Kirkland coffee packaging. [2]
2024-03-13: Reporting described a packaging change and uncertainty about Starbucks’ continuing role. [3]
2025: Costco reported expanding its coffee manufacturing capabilities. [1]

Frequently asked questions

4 questions about this supply chain, answered from the records above.

Who makes kirkland coffee?

Historically, selected Kirkland blends carried a Starbucks roasting credit. Costco’s 2025 shareholder letter describes expanded coffee manufacturing, without naming a current roaster for each Kirkland bag or pod.[2][1][3]

Who owns Kirkland?

Costco Wholesale owns the Kirkland Signature private label. The brand owner and the factory making an individual product are separate roles.[1]

Who makes Kirkland?

Who manufactures Kirkland?

Sources and scope

Year-only source dates denote the report’s coverage year. Dated disclosures establish the facts described at that time. Plant output, contracts and ownership can change; this is a selected map, not a complete supplier census.

[1] Costco Annual Report 2025 — 2025 · Primary source · Reviewed 2026-10-21.
Costco owns Kirkland; 2025 shareholder letter marks 30th trademark anniversary and expanded meat/coffee manufacturing.
[2] Costco Today investor presentation March 2011 — 2011-03 · Primary source · Reviewed 2026-10-21.
March 2011 Costco investor slides show selected Kirkland coffee packaging carrying a Starbucks roasting credit.
[3] CoffeeTalk: Kirkland Starbucks labeling changes — 2024-03-13 · Reporting · Reviewed 2026-10-21.
March 2024 reporting notes removed Starbucks labeling and explicitly unresolved continuing supplier role.
[4] Costco 2018 sustainability archive — 2018 · Primary source · Reviewed 2026-10-21.
2018 category-specific Kirkland sourcing, globally sourced coffee and paper certification; not a tissue-mill directory.

Unconfirmed

Current roaster and plant for each blend, bag size and pod; whether removed Starbucks branding corresponds to a supplier change.