Kirkland Signature · Pantry

Who makes Kirkland Signature Microwave Popcorn, Movie Theater Butter, 3.3 oz, 44-count?

Probable Strong but indirect evidence

Evidence points to

Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing, LLC

Citable fact

As of October 14, 2026, evidence points to Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing, LLC as the manufacturer of Kirkland Signature Microwave Popcorn, Movie Theater Butter, 3.3 oz, 44-count, but no tier 1–3 source names the link directly.

Verified October 14, 2026

The common claim vs. the evidence

What’s commonly claimed, and what the evidence supports

The prevailing online guess names ConAgra (maker of Orville Redenbacher and Act II) or Ramsey Popcorn as the maker, reasoning from Midwest plant locations, and a widely repeated '2008 ConAgra Kirkland popcorn recall' story circulates as supposed proof. No tier 1-5 evidence supports either name: that 2008 recall appears only in roundup articles and matches no FDA enforcement record or credible recall retrospective. Costco's own catalog data instead names Weaver Popcorn (Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing, LLC of Van Buren, Indiana, one of the world's largest microwave-popcorn co-manufacturers), so evidence points to Weaver.

The sources

Evidence & sources

Each source is graded on the six-tier evidence rubric, where tier 1 is strongest. Sources are archived, so a citation still works if the original page moves or goes behind a paywall.

Tier 4 Costco Wholesale Kirkland Signature Microwave Popcorn, 3.3 oz, 44-count (item #100333888) Published · accessed July 5, 2026

Costco's own product data embedded in the listing names 'WEAVER POPCORN' in its manufacturer field on both the parent record and the item-level record for this exact product (UPC 096619167548), with a catalog startDate of 2017-02-05 (re-read in the January 2026 capture on 14 October 2026). Costco exposes this same field publicly as a 'manufacturername' search facet; reliability cross-checks against the Bloomberg-confirmed diapers listing ('FIRST QUALITY CONSUMER PR') and the exec-confirmed batteries listing ('DURACELL DISTRIBUTING INC'). Graded probable, not confirmed: machine-readable catalog data naming a supplier of record, with no press report or regulatory record independently naming Weaver for the Kirkland bag.

Archived snapshot ↗ Original ↗

Tier 4 Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing, LLC Our Story | Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing, LLC Published · accessed July 5, 2026

Corroborates Weaver's role as a private-label microwave-popcorn co-manufacturer without naming Kirkland or Costco: 'Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing is a recognized leader in the production and co-packing of popping corn, microwave popcorn, and ready-to-eat popcorn for numerous national brands, private label partners as well as all of the beloved Pop Weaver branded items.' Weaver (founded 1928, Van Buren, Indiana; acquired by AUA Private Equity in 2024) runs one of the world's largest microwave-popcorn co-manufacturing plants and produces microwave and ready-to-eat popcorn for national brands and private labels. Company-page corroboration of plausibility only; it does not itself establish the Kirkland link.

Archived snapshot ↗ Original ↗

Frequently asked

Who makes Kirkland Signature microwave popcorn?

Costco does not say on the bag, but the manufacturer field in Costco's own product-listing data (captured January 2026) names Weaver Popcorn: Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing, LLC of Van Buren, Indiana, which operates one of the world's largest microwave-popcorn co-manufacturing plants and produces microwave popcorn for national brands and private labels. Evidence points to Weaver; because no press report or regulatory record independently corroborates it for the Kirkland bag, the attribution is graded probable rather than confirmed.

Is Kirkland popcorn made by ConAgra (Orville Redenbacher)?

No evidence supports that. ConAgra circulates as a guess because it runs large Midwest microwave-popcorn plants, and roundup articles claim a 2008 ConAgra recall of Kirkland popcorn, but that recall matches no FDA enforcement record and is not documented in any credible recall retrospective. Costco's catalog data names Weaver Popcorn, not ConAgra, in the manufacturer field for the Kirkland bag.

Was Kirkland microwave popcorn ever recalled?

No recall of Kirkland Signature microwave popcorn appears in FDA's enforcement database or in credible recall retrospectives (checked July 2026). A frequently repeated claim of a 2008 ConAgra-made Kirkland popcorn salmonella recall traces only to roundup articles and matches no primary FDA record; the 2007 ConAgra salmonella recall those articles appear to echo involved peanut butter (Peter Pan and Great Value), not popcorn.

Prefer the name brand? Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter Microwave Popcorn The closest name-brand equivalent to this Kirkland Signature product.

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