The Costco Connection - September 2015

THE KIRKLAND SIGNATURE Men’s Italian Leather Belt first graced Costco warehouses in

2011. The style has gone through slight changes over the years, but the quality and value make this a must-have for members.

The belt is made up of two pieces of full-grain leather, with no inner filler. The upper portion of the belt is tanned and finished in Italy, then assembled in China. “It truly is one of the best belts in the industry,” says Ross Payne, Costco assistant buyer for apparel manufacturing.

SEPTEMBER 2015 ;e Costco Connection 39 WE ASKED COSTCO members to list their favorite Kirkland Signature items and how they like to use them. Here are just a few of the hundreds of responses we received.—Editor Kirkland Signature baby wipes. We use them to wipe up spills, wipe the counters, clean walls, wipe off dirty feet. Tons of uses that have nothing to do with a baby.—Kay Ryan

Kirkland Signature organic lemonade. I use it with the frozen organic fruit to make freezer pops!—Doreen Biondo

I think my favorite is the albacore tuna, for everything from sandwiches to casseroles.—Joyce Marie Lindsay

Kirkland Signature maple syrup. I use it in lots of cooking; it’s great.

—Elisha Maddock

Kirkland Signature cinnamon. I use it on everything from sticky buns to pork tenderloins to apple crisp.—Chantal Lirette

Almond butter. Perfect in smoothies!

—Mary A. Fry

The dried blueberries are awesome. I bake scones from my mom’s recipe from the early 1900s.—Mary Haggarty

One Kirkland Signature product?
That’s impossible! My house is one big
Kirkland Signature advertisement!
—Nichole Tews
Shrimply
delicious!
Crazy for
Kirkland
Signature
Typically, other belts in the market use
filler and are not full-grain leather. They also
use polyurethane-coated finishes or pig-
ments to cover the imperfections of lower-
grade leather, which is cheaper and less
durable. Kirkland Signature belts use an ani-
line dye and no pigment, so none of the
natural characteristics of the leather are cov-
ered. This type of finish requires the highest-
quality grades of leather.

The belt assortments are renewed each year by updating the style, buckle and finish of the belts. Kirkland Signature belts are comparable to high-end belts ranging from $90 to more than $100. At Costco, you’ll pay just $17.99. Colors: black (for a dressier look), brown (for a more casual look with khakis or jeans). Sizes: 32–44; extended sizes up to 50 are available on Costco.com. Item #981441.—Steve Fisher

The other ingredient, a cilantro lime marinade, is a proprietary blend of lime juice, sugar, anchovies, garlic, cilantro, salt, butter, cream, paprika, chili peppers, shallots, rice vinegar and sesame seeds.

“This product is great right out of the container, served on a salad or in a sandwich wrap,” says Todd Thommen, Costco Service Deli buyer. Item #41398.—CG

INTRODUCED IN THE Costco Deli in
2008, Kirkland Signature Cilantro Lime
Shrimp has become a signature item in the
fresh food section of the warehouse.
“We sell it at 466 locations, so it’s
pretty popular for us,” says Donald
Dvorak, of Costco’s perishable foods
research and developement team. “I think
what members like about it is not just the
flavor but the freshness of it. It has that
wow factor.”
Each container holds more than 2½
pounds of precooked, tail-off, deveined
Kirkland Signature shrimp. The Costco
shrimp-buying team approves shrimp pro-
cessors based on a series of site visits to
verify the facility will produce Kirkland
Signature shrimp to meet Costco’s high
quality and processing standards.

Additionally, Costco has food safety and social audits to assure the facility is operating in a safe and sanitary manner and meeting our social code of conduct. Each facility is required to have a program to screen the shrimp to ensure that they are free of chemicals and antibiotic residues, while Costco’s quality assurance department conducts its own verification testing to make sure the shrimp meets our high microbial, chemical and quality standards.