The Company Behind Costco's Kirkland Signature Organic Eggs

One of the biggest perks of having a Costco membership is exclusive access to its iconic Kirkland Signature range. These products encompass a significant portion of the bulk-buy chain's total sales and are manufactured by a huge range of suppliers, including some very famous names. The catch, however, is that Costco rarely reveals the famous brands behind its products. This has led dedicated fans to try matching products to manufacturers by cross-referencing packaging and ingredient lists. But the most reliable way to uncover the identity of a Kirkland manufacturer is through recalls. In one case, a serious recall identified Handsome Brook Farms as the supplier of Costco's Kirkland Signature Organic Eggs.

Back in 2024, Handsome Brook Farms voluntarily recalled nearly 11,000 retail organic eggs contaminated with salmonella, making it one of the largest food recalls in Costco history. The contaminated eggs had been distributed to 25 warehouses across five Southern states. While salmonella is most commonly linked to the improper handling of raw poultry, the bacteria can also be transferred directly from infected chickens to their eggs. The recall drew significant attention because salmonella infections can lead to severe — and, in some cases, even fatal — food poisoning, particularly among young children, older adults, and pregnant people.

Several major egg recalls linked to salmonella contamination have sickened consumers and raised widespread concern about food safety. Fortunately, in this case, no illnesses, hospitalizations, or deaths were reported, and Costco acted quickly to remove all affected eggs from store shelves before they could cause harm.

For the most part, Handsome Brook Farms has built a strong reputation for itself. What started with just seven hens eventually grew into a network of small local farms supplying pasture-raised eggs across the country. That pasture-raised model became the backbone of the brand's identity, both because of the hens' quality of life and the richer nutritional profile often associated with the eggs themselves.

But despite its sustainability credentials and loyal customer base, Handsome Brook Farms has still faced multiple recalls over the years, including one that was even larger than the major salmonella incident. In 2017, the company recalled nearly 16,000 dozen eggs over potential mold contamination. Unlike the salmonella recall, which received the FDA's most serious Class I designation, the mold-related issue was classified as a less severe Class II recall.

Beyond recalls, Handsome Brook Farms has also been at the center of a high-profile lawsuit. In 2016, the Organic Consumers Association filed a suit against the company, claiming that it misleadingly labeled its eggs as "pasture-raised." The suit alleged that certain eggs sold under the brand's name may have come from suppliers that did not meet the company's advertised welfare standards. In a surprising twist, Handsome Brook Farms acknowledged that some eggs sourced in 2016 did not fully meet its pasture-raised criteria. The suit was privately settled in 2018, and Handsome Brook Farms pledged tighter oversight of its supply chain. In 2021, the company earned an impressive B Corp certification score of 99.0, re-cementing its reputation as a socially responsible brand.