Where Does Costco’s Kirkland Signature Beef Really Come From?
Key Points
Harris Ranch Beef Company, one of California’s largest beef producers, is a major supplier of Costco’s Kirkland Signature beef.
Harris Ranch raises and processes its own cattle, helping Costco keep beef prices low while meeting demand for large quantities of meat.
Harris Ranch has faced criticism over its animal welfare practices, though the company says it follows humane slaughter standards and takes steps to ensure cattle comfort.
From pumpkin pie to toilet paper, there are seemingly endless items you can save money on at Costco. The bulk retailer’s meat department is a perfect example of how you can benefit from a membership. Costco’s immense buying power allows it to deliver better deals to customers, so shoppers can score USDA Prime rib eyes for $25.66 per pound or brisket for $7.27 per pound. If you buy meat in bulk and freeze some for later, you’ll save even more money per unit.
But where is all that beef coming from? As more consumers seek transparency in their food supply chains — and amid an American beef shortage that’s driving up prices — many shoppers may wonder how and where their meat was raised.
While Costco offers beef from third-party brands such as Kansas City Steak Co. and Pederson Natural Farms, most of its meat — including the best-priced beef — is sold under its private label, Kirkland Signature. However, Costco doesn’t have its own cattle herds. Instead, one supplier is behind most of the beef sold at the membership warehouse.
Where does Costco’s beef come from?
Costco sources its beef from several suppliers, but a large portion of it comes from Harris Ranch Beef Company. Costco has never disclosed how much of its beef comes from Harris Ranch, yet the producer is widely cited as the primary supplier of Costco’s beef and is listed as one of the chain’s “main beef suppliers” in a 2021 environmental study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Harris Ranch was established in Central California in 1937 by Jack and Teresa Harris. It’s now owned by Brian Coelho through the Central Valley Meat Holding Company, which acquired Harris Ranch from the Harris family in 2019. Central Valley Meat Company and Harris Ranch Beef continue to operate separately.
According to its website, the Harris Ranch Beef Company has annual sales exceeding $600 million and is one of the largest functionally integrated beef producers in the western United States. Moreover, Harris Ranch produces more than 200 million pounds of beef each year, making it the largest beef producer in California.
In addition to supplying beef for Costco’s Kirkland Signature label, Harris Ranch sells meat under its own brand on its website. Although the product is the same from either source, Harris Ranch Beef (marketed as Kirkland Signature beef) usually costs less at Costco, reflecting the low prices the bulk retailer is able to negotiate.
Harris Ranch has faced public criticism
The low prices on Costco beef may come at another cost: Harris Ranch has had a few moments of controversy in the past two decades. In a 2009 interview with The Cornucopia Institute, food journalist and author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma Michael Pollan spoke out about the “stench” of Harris Ranch that can be smelled from two miles away, describing “miles of manure-encrusted land teeming with thousands of animals and a giant mountain of corn and a giant mountain of manure.”
The Fresno Bee reported in 2021 that an animal rights activist group obtained footage inside Harris Ranch showing “excessive suffering” of animals.
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Harris Ranch, on the other hand, said in a 2024 press release that its beef cattle spend “70 to 80% of the time grazing on western ranches,” adding that the company takes “numerous steps to ensure cattle comfort.”
The beef supplier also noted in the release that its livestock-handling facilities were designed with input from Dr. Temple Grandin, an animal welfare expert. “Harris Ranch follows all humane slaughter practices as outlined in the Federal Humane Slaughter Act,” the statement reads.
Why Costco sources its beef from Harris Ranch
Representatives from Harris Ranch Beef Company and Costco did not respond to Food & Wine’s requests for comment. Costco does not acknowledge its relationship with Harris Ranch on its website, and the Harris Ranch website does not list Costco in its “where to buy” section.
Harris Ranch controls its own supply and processing chain, which means it raises the cattle and butchers them. This helps the supplier and Costco keep consumer prices low.
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As one of the country’s largest beef producers, Harris Ranch can also handle the high volume of meat Costco requires. All of the ranch’s beef is sourced domestically, helping the retailer reduce transportation costs and importation fees.
Harris Ranch isn’t Costco’s only meat supplier, and Kirkland Signature isn’t the only brand you’ll find in the warehouse’s meat department. But if you’ve ever wondered where your Kirkland Signature beef comes from, there’s a solid chance it was raised on a ranch in California’s Central Valley.
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