Yahoo Finance The Brand Behind Costco's Kirkland Organic Blueberries
Decoding the brands behind beloved Costco items has quickly become one of our favorite pastimes. So far we've learned the companies that make the chain's alcohol, Kirkland bottled water, and Kirkland London dry gin -- but there's also plenty to uncover once you make it out of the beverage section. Costco's Kirkland organic blueberries are known for being freshly frozen, USDA-certified organic, and a great deal, as a three-pound bag will only set you back about $9.
But to learn more about these fruits, we'll need to discover the brand that harvests them. According to Moneywise, Scenic Fruit Company is the supplier behind these Kirkland organic bags. This company sources its blueberries from the Pacific Northwest (specifically near Mt. Hood in Oregon) and churns out 10s of millions of pounds every season. It specializes in private label manufacturing for organic and non-organic products, which means it sells its items to other companies (like Costco), who rebrand them under names like Kirkland. In addition to blueberries, Scenic Fruit Company packages a plethora of frozen berries (like black raspberries, blackberries, Marion blackberries, and boysenberries), plus fruits like mango and pineapple.
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From Local PNW Farms To A Major Global Retailer
In March 2023, Scenic Fruit Company issued a major recall through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has since been completed and terminated. The items in question were mostly the brand's organic strawberries, which are also sold at Costco under the Kirkland name. However, we also know the company supplies Trader Joe's with fruit (specifically the organic tropical fruit blend with pineapple, bananas, strawberries, and mango), as well as Aldi, Simply Nature, and Vital Choice. In addition to the big brands, Scenic Fruit Company sells to local markets under its own name. Beyond basic fruit bags, it offers smoothie packages with mixes like mango, raspberry, and strawberry.
The FDA notice is in the past and Scenic Fruit Company has a successful history that goes back far longer than its recall days. It's been around since 1931 when it was established with a mission of bolstering local farmers, but it was initially created as a seasonal cannery. These days, founder Leonard Lauderback's granddaughter, Maridean Eisele, runs the company. It still sources its blueberries from family-owned locations like Lazy D Farms in Oregon, where a fourth-generation farmer named Doug Nofziger cultivates seven different types of the fruit. So if you've got a hankering for local Pacific Northwest frozen blueberries, all you have to do is head to your nearest Costco.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
