Costco Connection - December 2012

Think global, buy local

Costco seeks out regional food suppliers

Psst! HERE’S A secret
you may not have known about
Costco: The warehouses don’t all carry
the same products. For members who
visit different warehouses on their vaca-
tions, though, this comes as no surprise.
While Costco is known for its selection
of national brand-name products and the
expanding line of private-label Kirkland
Signature™ items, filling out the shelves
and the deli and cooler cases are a number
of locally sourced specialty items that are
unique to a given area of the country.
Costco has buyers based in each of its
eight regions who are tasked with deter-
mining the best mix of products for their
respective areas. According to Tim Rose,
senior vice president, foods and sundries,
this arrangement allows buyers to respond
to regional tastes and preferences: Do
members in their region tend to prefer
their salsa spicy or bland?

Another key advantage is that buyers can seek out specialty products that set Costco apart from its competition and give members one more treasure-hunt experience as they discover that terrific local sausage or artisan cheese or special coffee that their salsa spicy or bland?

e
comes from their own backyard.

Connecting
To learn more about
becoming a Costco supplier
and for a list of regional offices,
go to Costco.com and click
on “Vendors & Suppliers”
at the bottom of the
home page.

safety requirements, social accountability
(“We want to make sure the people who are
producing a product for us are paid well”)
and manufacturing capacity (“We have a
rule that we don’t want to be more than 25
percent of somebody’s business”).
“I think [members] like to have those
treasure-hunt items that Costco offers and
to come across new, exciting, innovative
things coming from their local areas, and
we’re supporting the businesses in their
communities,” Tim notes.
On the pages that follow, we’ll intro-
duce you to eight companies, one from
each of Costco’s regions, that were nomi-
nated by their buyers. Some of their
products can be ordered from the compa-
ny’s website if they aren’t available where
you live. Otherwise, look for them when
you visit a new Costco warehouse on
your vacation.—Anita Thompson