by CHRISTINA GUERRERO

From research to supplier comparison to sourcing, many factors go into the creation of a Kirkland Signature™ item. Surprisingly, food trends sometimes inspire a new product for the private-label line. Hemp hearts and cauliflower crust pizza are two new gluten-free Kirkland Signature items in Costco warehouses this year.

We heart hemp
Known for their health benefits, hemp hearts were a food trend that first took off in Canadian Costco warehouses, and in the last few years, they have become very popular in the US too.

Hemp seeds can be eaten raw or cooked. Use them as a substitute for bread crumbs when crusting fish and chicken. Add them to salads, smoothies, granola, oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, cakes, pasta, pancakes, baked goods, chili, soups or stews.

“They do have a lot of uses,” says Indesh Singh, Costco Canada foods buyer. “You only need 30 grams of hemp seeds to get a full serving, so it’s not like you need to eat a lot of it.”

After seeing the success of conventional hemp hearts in Canada and organic hemp hearts in the US, the buyers decided to create gluten-free Kirkland Signature Organic Hemp Hearts. Singh says, “The biggest driving factor was that, within grains, hemp hearts were the fastest-growing item.”

This not only converted the hemp hearts in Canadian warehouses to an organic product, but also created a 28% savings for members compared to the previous brand. This also allowed Costco to expand the supply chain with suppliers from two different countries: Canada and Lithuania.

The Finola variety of hemp has a very natural, nutty, earthy flavour. Each crop goes through more than 30 different tests during the production process to ensure members are receiving a high-quality product. Since hemp plants have multiple uses, when the hemp seeds are processed, the leftover parts of the plant can be used in the production of biofuel or as animal feed, so there’s no waste.

Cauliflower pizza crust
With the keto craze and other low-carb or gluten-free diets rising in popularity, carb substitutes, such as cauliflower, moved up the list of member wants. This April, the Kirkland Signature Deluxe Cauliflower Crust Pizza made its debut.

“The Kirkland Signature buying team is paying attention to current trends, and we’re trying to make sure that we’re developing items that are in line with those trends,” says Martin Beam, Costco corporate foods buyer

After seeing the popularity of the frozen Milton’s Roasted Vegetable Cauliflower Crust Pizza in the US, the Canadian buyers knew a frozen deluxe pizza was something they wanted to pursue. The preferred option was a gluten- free, cold-pressed cauliflower crust.

Beam says, “cold-pressed is a highwater- content dough that is pressed into a pan with a little oil in the bottom and then sent through the oven. The crust’s texture is crispy and light.”

After the initial baking, the crust is topped with rich tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, a combination of zesty pork pepperoni and savoury seasoned sausage, a variety of roasted vegetables (red, yellow and green bell peppers, mushrooms, onions and zucchini) and Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

“Even if you’re not looking for that vegetable crust, it has a really good texture and it delivers a delicious combination of flavours,” he says.