The Popular Brand Behind Costco's Espresso Blend Coffee

Grocery store brands don't generally become cult favorites; they're typically bought for their price and convenience, not for their quality. But Costco's Kirkland Signature is the exception, a marriage of affordability and quality that has garnered a seriously loyal following. Customers flock to the retail warehouse to collect bacon, vodka, dog food, detergent, and all manner of other Kirkland goods — and at the top of many grocery lists is the Kirkland Signature coffee. Beloved for its flavor, the espresso blend is dark and intense, smooth and sweet, and the quality shouldn't be surprising given that coffee giant Starbucks has long been behind the beans.

One of the secrets to Kirkland quality is the partners behind its goods, because Costco's products are often manufactured by big industry names. But unlike many of these items (whose manufacturers are hidden and unconfirmed), for a long time, the espresso blend coffee had its brand partner displayed right on the bag. Below the dark roast label, the Starbucks Coffee Company logo proclaimed that it was the expert behind the roasting. The online listing for the espresso blend was even called "Kirkland Signature Roasted by Starbucks." You could get all the quality and flavor of the beloved coffee chain for only a fraction of the price. However, that may no longer be the case.

If you pick up a bag of Kirkland Signature espresso blend coffee now, you'll find that the Starbucks logo is gone. The "Roasted by Starbucks" declaration has also been removed from the product's online title, and if you scroll down the page far enough, you'll see several one-star reviews, lamenting the lack of quality and blaming the alleged new roaster. These days, Kirkland Signature is the only logo on the coffee bags. Of course, it's worth noting that this doesn't mean that Starbucks is no longer the supplier for the espresso blend and other roasts — the company could still be a Kirkland roaster and the branding just removed from the bags.

Starbucks isn't the only company that has historically supplied Kirkland's coffee, though. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (whose parent company is also the owner of Keurig) is behind the K-Cup pods, and California-based Rogers Family Company is a confirmed supplier of Kirkland's origin-specific coffee. The Kirkland Signature coffee brand has always been a collaboration of multiple partners, and now the espresso blend's roaster has just gone the way of so many Kirkland suppliers — from front and center to shrouded in mystery.

By keeping some brands a mystery, Costco has elicited plenty of online debate surrounding the origins of Kirkland products, from who churns the vanilla ice cream to who makes the Greek yogurt. Internet sleuths love to share their theories, and occasionally, brands will emerge with a confirmation or denial of involvement. For a long time, customers believed that Grey Goose was behind the Kirkland vodka — but Grey Goose came out to deny the claim. However, Costco did confirm that Duracell was behind its battery brand, and lots of other Kirkland products have a brand's logo right there on the package (like its Ocean Spray cranberry juice or its aluminum foil from Reynolds).

For many others, though, the origins will remain mere speculation. It might never be known whether Lululemon actually makes Kirkland leggings or whether L'Oréal lends its expertise to Kirkland's shampoo and conditioner. Internet sleuths are unlikely to give up on their arguments around Kirkland's alcohol manufacturers — and now that the Starbucks label is gone, the espresso blend coffee might meet the same fate.