Who makes Kirkland Signature 100% U.S. Raw, Unfiltered Honey (3 lb)?
Kirkland Signature 100% U.S. Raw, Unfiltered Honey (3 lb) is rumored (unverified) to be made by Rice's Honey (Local Hive); no tier 1–5 evidence supports the claim as of August 10, 2026.
The common claim
What most answers say — and what the evidence supports
The widely repeated answer is that Rice's Honey — the century-old Colorado packer (founded 1924) that rebranded as Local Hive — supplies Costco's Kirkland Signature raw, unfiltered honey, usually citing a 2019 Costco Connection article that named Rice's. The circumstantial case is real but partial: by every account the Kirkland honey is a regional, multi-supplier program, and Rice's is named only for certain warehouse regions (Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Colorado, and Utah), with other states served by unnamed packers. No label, company statement, or regulatory record in hand confirms Rice's for any given bottle, so Rice's Honey is rumored (unverified) to pack a portion of the line. Separately, Costco relabeled the honey from '100% Local' to '100% U.S.' and refunded buyers in 2022 after a self-audit found some bottles were not from the state claimed.
Evidence & sources
Every source is graded on the six-tier rubric and archived, so the citation holds even if the original moves or paywalls. The tier badge grades the source; the status grades our confidence in the maker.
Tier 6
Food-media attribution (tier 6, no linkable primary): "Colorado-based honey giant Rice's Honey — which scored well on our review of raw honeys — is responsible for a portion of what goes into bottles of Kirkland Signature 100% U.S. Raw, Unfiltered Honey." Describes Rice's as "more of a honey processor" working with a US beekeeper network, and notes Costco once billed the product as "100% Local" before moving to the "100% U.S." label. Names only a portion of a regional, multi-supplier program.
Tier 6
Traces the attribution to a Costco publication it does not link (tier 6): "According to a 2019 Costco Connection article, one of its honey suppliers is Rice's Honey (per Moneywise)." "The catch" is that Rice's supplies only certain warehouse regions (Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Colorado, Utah), leaving other states to unnamed packers. Also documents the 2022 relabel: Costco "offering a full refund to any customer who had purchased the honey between 2019 and 2022 and completely dropping the local from the name."
Frequently asked
Who makes Kirkland Signature raw honey?
Is Kirkland honey really local?
Did Rice's Honey change its name?
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