The Big Brand Behind Costco's Kirkland Signature Frozen Shrimp

It's no longer a secret that an India-based seafood exporter is the brand behind Costco's Kirkland Signature shrimp, but that's not the whole tale. Kader Exports Private Limited owns various shrimp farms and processing plants across the country, including the coastal town of Bhimavaram, a major hub for many seafood exporters. India is a prominent shrimp exporter not just to the United States, but worldwide — and they're not alone. While India supplies the U.S. with about 40% of the shrimp we consume, all of Asia is known for shrimp farming. Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand likewise influence the global shrimp market, with ideal climates for the task and profitable production methods that can harvest many varieties 24/7, 365 days a year.

Processing occurs after these farms harvest the shrimp, where they are sorted and packaged in bags with just the right labels. Those packaged shrimp are then sent across the Atlantic to U.S. ports. From there, they're transported to Costco stores, then to your cart, then to your kitchen, then, well, you get it. Kader Exports understands this well, as the company is only one arm of a larger entity called the Liberty Group of Seafood Companies. According to its website, Liberty Group includes five other seafood export companies from around the globe. Evidently, it's common to use contract packers (aka co-packers) to handle all sorts of large-scale food-production logistics, including selling miles upon miles of classic shrimp cocktails to Costco seafood lovers.

There is a heavy global demand for seafood, and Costco is not the only company in the United States relying on farmed shrimp to meet its customers' needs. Walmart sources shrimp farmed in Ecuador, the number one producer of farmed shrimp in the world. It is no surprise then, that, in 2023, the U.S. imported 131 million pounds of shrimp, which amounts to around 60,000 metric tons. 

This raises concerns about safety and transparency, especially considering that recalls do occur. Lidl's cocktail shrimp was recalled in 2023, and the canned shrimp sold at Safeway and Albertsons faced a similar fate that year as well. No large-scale shrimp retailer is free from scrutiny. In 2020, Kader Exports recalled multiple batches of their frozen, cooked shrimp, some of which were under the Kirkland Signature brand. Thankfully, we can enjoy other types of shrimp from Costco, such as the Kirkland Signature Wild Gulf Shrimp. 

Of course, as with all foods we produce and consume, commercial shrimping comes at a cost. If shrimp are not farmed, they are trawled, using large nets that sweep the ocean floor — and that can be problematic, too. The numbers do not lie, which means the shrimping industry is a prime target for reducing carbon footprints and embracing new technologies. One way the industry does this is through biofloc shrimp farming, a form of aquaculture that uses air and water to minimize shrimp waste. If this is, indeed, the future of shrimping, maybe Kader Exports will join in as well.