This Is The Real Company Behind Costco's Kirkland Signature Nut Bars

Sometimes, customers want to know about a brand because they think one of their favorite products has seriously gone down in quality, like Kirkland bacon. Or, as in the case of the Kirkland Signature Nut Bars and the brand behind Costco's much-loved chocolate covered almonds, they want to know because they are pleased with the quality of the product.

The Kirkland Signature Nut Bars are made by family-owned Leclerc Foods, a Canadian company. It has facilities located across North America and has been in the business of making sweet treats for 120 years. It's not surprising it was chosen to create Costco's iconic Nut Bar. We would be remiss, however, if we didn't mention KIND's dark chocolate nuts and sea salt bars while talking about the Kirkland bars. The two are so similar that many consider the Costco version a dupe of the KIND bars, which have been on the market longer. We can't be certain that Costco alluded to the wildly popular KIND bars when commissioning the bar to Leclec, but if it did, Leclerc Foods clearly understood the assignment.

Leclerc Foods first opened its doors in 1905 when its founder, Francois Leclerc, started selling cookies (made from his wife's popular jelly cookie recipe) out of his home in Quebec City. The cookie sales were a massive success. Since then, the family has gradually expanded the business, moving from cookies to other products such as granola bars and crackers. Riding its wave of success in the 1990s, Leclerc began forging private-label partnerships, like the one the company has with Costco today.

Some of Leclerc Foods' most-loved products include its Célébration milk chocolate butter cookies and maple leaf creme cookies. The latter is not surprising considering Leclerc's home country, Canada, produces the most maple syrup in the world. The original jelly cookie recipe that started it all? It's still has a solid fan base and is sold as the classic jelly sponge cookie. Despite all the success and expansion, Leclerc Foods prides itself on keeping that homemade touch to its products. This includes making its own granola and puffed rice in house, allowing more efficiency and better quality control.