The Brand Behind Costco's Beloved Kirkland Signature Chocolate-Covered Almonds

A 3-pound jug of chocolate snacks has no business being as craveable and delicious as Costco's Kirkland Signature milk chocolate almonds. But like other great Costco Kirkland brand products, there's a different company behind the scenes doing all of the hard work of actually making the food. We don't always know for certain what company was tagged for the job, leaving us with nothing but speculation, but that's not the case for the chocolate almonds, which are produced by Blommer Chocolate.

Despite the fact that Blommer Chocolate is the largest cocoa processor and chocolate ingredient supplier in North America, you won't find the company highlighted on our list of the best chocolate brands since it doesn't operate with the same customer-facing business model as, say, Hershey or Dove. The fact that it makes these chocolate almond treats without its brand name on the label is indicative of the style of chocolatier that it is. Because of the relative lack of consumer-facing products, you likely won't know you're eating Blommer Chocolate when you do, but there's a good chance that you've enjoyed some of its products anyway. The brand produces everything from specialty chocolates to chocolate chips and drops with a focus on business-to-business food supply.

Blommer Chocolate has its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, which at one point in time enjoyed the title of Candy Capital of the world. It wasn't that long ago that Chicago was also known as the Meatpacking Capital of the U.S., though both titles have since been ceded to other competitors. Until recently, Blommer Chocolate was operating four different chocolate factories across North America and another one in Shanghai. But as of May, 2024, its Chicago chocolate factory has been shut down. It's not entirely clear if this is a downsize or simply a transition as the brand is simultaneously expanding its other facilities, but the company is certainly shaking up its structure.

Interestingly enough, the restructuring is happening in the wake of Blommer Chocolate being bought out by the Japanese company Fuji Oil Holding, which operates as a global purveyor of oil and fat food ingredients. The 2018 purchase of Blommer Chocolate ended the company's status of being family-owned since 1939, a good, long run that pretty well embodies the country's transition into a global economy over the past several decades. Before purchasing Blommer Chocolate, Fuji Oil was the company's oil supplier. The acquisition of Blommer Chocolate was just one of many acquisitions Fuji Oil has succeeded in over the past few years, including major chocolate manufacturers in Brazil, Australia, and Malaysia.