Who Makes Costco's Frozen Three Berry Blend?

Costco has an incredibly popular frozen foods department, everything from the Food Republic-favorite Kirkland Signature lasagna, to these frozen finds that belong in the air fryer. And as you might know, the Kirkland Signature brand products, including freezer items, aren't made by Costco itself, but instead are the product of many "ghost" manufacturers, who produce the items and slap the Kirkland logo on them, like Palermo Pizza Products did (and may still do) for Costco's frozen pizza. But what about another popular product, the Three Berry Blend of frozen fruits? The source for these bagged smoothie blends is a fruit manufacturer headquartered in Oregon, called Townsend Farms, Inc.

The way we know this is unfortunate, though. Unlike some Costco products, which actually state the manufacturer on the label (like the Kirkland Signature cranberry juice, which also features the Ocean Spray logo), the true maker behind this frozen fruit became known as the result of a 2019 product recall. The blackberries in the mix may have been contaminated with Hepatitis A, as testing revealed. While the recall was regrettable, no one was reported to have gotten sick from it, and yet another Kirkland product maker was revealed as a result, for those who like to know what's going on behind Costco's scenes.

While it's a relatively big fruit outfit that supplies Costco's, as well as other major grocery chains', private label goods, Townsend Farms actually isn't the source for every frozen fruit product in the warehouse's freezers. Its Kirkland Signature frozen blueberries and strawberries, for example, come from the Scenic Fruit Company, based in Gresham, Oregon (which has been in operation for almost 100 years) — though only some of the blueberries come from Scenic Fruit; there are other suppliers in Washington State and California, too.

But, of course, there is so much more in Costco's freezer department than just fruit. Its Kirkland Signature Super Premium vanilla ice cream is another fan favorite, and the cool treat gets churned out by Humboldt Creamery, located in the very northern part of California (only about 125 miles from the Oregon state line). Thanks to the steady climate in Humboldt, the cows there produce some of the finest cream around, which is never more apparent than when tasting the superior vanilla ice cream.

Finally, outside of sweet products, Costco's Italian Sausage and Beef Lasagna scores high marks with shoppers (and with Food Republic), but it might surprise you to learn that it's actually not made in the U.S. No, the source of this frozen meal is Zinetti Foods, which is based in Canada. Costco began partnering with Zinetti Foods in 2019, and the pasta purveyors up north have been churning out these beloved lasagnas for the members-only club ever since.