Who Makes Costco's Kirkland Brand Frozen Pizza?

Costco shoppers understand that while there are plenty of frozen pizza brands you can buy in your local grocery, the big-box store's private-label pies deliver on both flavor and an unbeatable price. Yet knowing that the membership warehouse outsources the manufacturing of its Kirkland Signature products does make people curious about the business responsible for making them. The retailer has a company that makes its batteries, after all, and an iconic brand at least once produced coffee for Costco. So, who makes Kirkland frozen pizza?

Although the bulk discount grocer is rather secretive about its partnerships that make the Kirkland Signature brand possible, signs point to Palermo's Pizza as the entity behind its frozen pies. A press release from the United Steelworkers Union in 2012 disclosed that striking members of the Palermo Workers Union visited Costco Wholesale headquarters that year after instigating a national boycott against Palermo's Pizza products. At the time, the wholesaler sold more Palermo's Pizza than any other retailer in the U.S. It was revealed in the press release that Costco's Kirkland Signature frozen pizza was included in the national boycott from the union, indicating the company was — and possibly still is — the source that makes Kirkland Signature frozen pizza.

In 1964, the Fallucca family founded what is now Palermo's Pizza in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is still owned by the Fallucca family today and is dedicated to providing folks with an exceptional pizza experience through its hospitable business model and Italian culture. Palermo's has never confirmed it is who makes Kirkland frozen pizza, but it also never denied the association laid out in the Steelworker Union's 2012 press release.

While Costco doesn't sell Palermo's Pizza outright in its warehouse these days, that doesn't mean the company isn't still in charge of producing the Kirkland Signature brand. The packaging of Costco's private-label product has changed since it stopped carrying Palmero's, which could indicate a shift in manufacturing responsibilities. It could also simply mean it was time for the packaging to get a scheduled facelift. The membership warehouse's food court offers a terrific deal if you want your pie made in-house — as long as you don't overspend and buy Costco pizza by the slice — but if you are looking for something to take home and enjoy later, who makes Kirkland frozen pizza doesn't matter quite as much as its appetizing taste and affordability.