What Brand Makes Costco's Chocolate-Covered Almonds?

Half the fun of shopping at Costco is figuring out the brands behind the warehouse giant's private-label products. For example, Santa Lucia is the brand behind Costco's iconic tequila, and for the longest time, Starbucks supplied the Costco Kirkland Signature coffee products. Sourcing its house labels from big brands allows Costco to maintain its reputation for reliable quality. 

In turn, reputable manufacturers are driven to work with Costco because of the retailer's high-volume demand and vast customer base. Costco's Kirkland Signature brand has something of a cult following, with millions of shoppers exchanging information on new products at warp speed on social media accounts dedicated to #CostcoFinds. To that end, its craveable chocolate-covered almonds are made by the Blommer Chocolate Company.

Costco spilled the (cacao) beans on the partnership with Blommer in a 2013 edition of The Costco Connection magazine. The biggest supplier of chocolate ingredients and processor of cocoa in North America, the Blommer Chocolate Company not only dishes up amazingly rich and scrumptious chocolate treats, but also wins high marks in the areas of environmental sustainability and fair trade practices as well.

The Blommer Chocolate Company began in 1939 in Chicago as a family business. Over decades, the company grew by leaps and bounds due to its commitment to quality and emphasis on customer satisfaction. Nowadays, Blommer sources its chocolate from farms that refuse to utilize child labor. The company also contributes to programs that help eradicate poverty among its farmers by promoting initiatives dedicated to clean water, better healthcare, and educational access. Its One Tree Planted program plants a tree for every ton of chocolate, while its its Sustainable Origins program focuses on soil quality, water conservation, and reforestation.

On West African cacao farms, the beans that will become your Costco chocolate are grown in a specific region as part of a program involving 15 farms and more than 5,000 farmers. Costco made a commitment to switch over to single-origin chocolate, and keeps close tabs on all its chocolate suppliers, of which Blommer is one. Another area of importance to Costco is maintaining the traceability, or chain of custody, on its chocolate from fields to warehouses, all the better to assure the quality of the finished product.

While Costco's beloved holiday peppermint bark got whacked by the inflation stick, the Kirkland Signature chocolate-covered almonds are still a great deal: $22.99 for three full pounds. Stuffing ourselves with days' worth of chocolate and supporting two great companies? Sounds like a treat that can't be beat.