Costco shoppers in Auckland stocked up on butter, but where is it coming from?
Tuesday, 20 May 2025
It has been pandemonium over the last few days at Costco as shoppers in Auckland were seen stocking up on ‘boxes upon boxes’ of cheap butter as the price for a block soars.
But where is this butter actually coming from?
The background
Mike Bloemendal told Stuff on Monday he thought the Auckland wholesale store would be quiet.
The North Shore man works for himself and has the flexibility to pop in when it’s not going to be so busy, but got snarled in a butter buying frenzy.
He saw dozens of people stocking up on “boxes upon boxes” of $9.99 per kilo blocks of butter.
“It’s like a shark feeding frenzy,” Bloemendal said.
Where is the butter from?
The butter is labelled under Costco’s own private label brand, Kirkland Signature. The brand encompasses a number of products including baby wipes, dishwashing liquid, pet food and dress shirts.
Its similar to how New World has its Pams line, or Woolworths’ Essentials and Woolworths Own.
The butter is made in collaboration with Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products.
According to the US food website the Daily Meal, the cows producing the milk for Kirkland Signature grass-fed butter are on a 95% grass-based diet, “with a small portion of non-GMO grain making up the rest. Hormones and GMOs are off the table — New Zealand doesn't allow either in dairy farming.”
After the milk is collected, it's brought to Westland's facility on the South Island, where it is then made and placed on Costco shelves around the world.
The Kirkland butter has taken off overseas, particularly in the United States.
In 2023, the butter made the rounds through Tiktok, with videos praising the butter's taste, highlighting its quality, and wondering how something that good came from Costco, according to Daily Meal.
Westland does not only make Kirkland products however, the brand also makes Westgold butter that is sold in Woolworths and Foodstuffs stores across NZ.
The butter sells at $9.95 for a 400g block.
Recent figures from Stats NZ show that climbing butter costs are hitting Kiwis in the wallet. Prices have leaped by 65% in just a year, or $3 more for a 500 gram pack.
Infometrics’ chief forecaster has said this is due to high demand for butter overseas, which is pushing up local prices.
Woolworths own brand butter was $8.50 for 500g, with Anchor’s costing $11. It was on sale on Monday for $9.90.
Westland has been approached for comment, while Costco management declined to comment for this story.