The Companies Behind 11 Popular Sam's Club Member's Mark Products

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Member's Mark is the private label of Sam's Club. In earlier years, people considered private labels to be generic and of lower quality than national brands. But, they are usually a lot cheaper, and often of similar if not even better quality than the name brand.

As the economy rose and dipped over the years, consumers' perception also evolved. People started looking positively toward private labels. This change is largely thanks to brand owners like Sam's Club, which changed their approach to developing private label products. Since the items are only available to members, Sam's Club gets them produced at the highest quality possible while maintaining low price points. This keeps members happy, ensures their continued patronage, and turns them into word-of-mouth marketers.

Sam's Club has expanded the Member's Mark brand, which now has over 1,200 products. But Sam's Club is not the manufacturer of all these items. It partners with various manufacturers (some well-known, others more niche) to produce some of its private label items. Below are 11 known food manufacturers and companies that are behind Member's Mark products.

The secrecy surrounding the companies behind private label brands like Member's Mark are often broken by FDA recalls. By law, food manufacturers must inform the relevant government agencies, suppliers, and the general public if any of their products are contaminated or discovered to have hazardous defects. This was how it was revealed that The Ambriola Company is the maker of Member's Mark grated pecorino Romano.

The company announced a recall in December 2025 after routine testing revealed that various cheese products tested positive for listeria. Listeria is a disease-causing bacteria that survives cold temperatures. If buyers bought the contaminated cheese, refrigerated it and then later ate it, they would be at risk of infection. They might experience symptoms ranging from persistent headaches and nausea to vomiting, diarrhea, and convulsions. Fortunately, this incident was nowhere near the scale and severity of the worst cheese recall in U.S. history and nobody reportedly got sick because of the contaminated products.

The recall announcement also revealed that The Ambriola Company is also the cheese producer for Locatelli, Boar's Head, and Pinna. It was quite a huge recall order, too, with the affected products already distributed across 20 states.

While Sam's Club doesn't advertise the manufacturer of its Member's Mark baby formula, anyone who's truly curious about its source can trace it back to Perrigo. Perrigo is the third-largest producer of baby formula in the United States and Canada, as well as the largest manufacturer of organic formula in the U.S. Perrigo is also behind Store Brand Formula, the company's sub-brand for generic infant powdered milk.

The Store Brand Formula website is very forthcoming about its private label brands, which include Kirkland (Costco), Up&Up (Target), Parent's Choice (Walmart), Well Beginnings (Walgreens), and Member's Mark. Store Brand Formula is FDA approved and strictly follows regulations and testing requirements for infant milk. What's great about Member's Mark, and other generic labels for that matter, is they offer nutritional benefits comparable to branded products at a lower price.

Private labels establish their respective quality standards and may co-create formulations to create a product unique to its brand. This is why the ingredients and nutritional benefits of store brand formulas are very similar, as one Redditor discovered after comparing Member's Mark to Parent's Choice. A private label may also work with Perrigo to produce a brand-exclusive product, which another Redditor claims is what Costco did for Kirkland Signature ProCare.

It makes perfect sense for a private label to reveal its manufacturer if the latter is a famous and well-trusted brand. Sam's Club most likely thought the same, because it made sure to indicate the distillery on the label of the Member's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Barton 1792 Distillery is "the oldest fully-operating Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky." Its facilities of 29 barrel aging warehouses and other buildings are sprawled over 196 acres. Founded in 1879 and named after the founding year of the state of Kentucky and, Barton 1792 is well-known among connoisseurs because of its quality ingredients and premium-tasting bourbon. Its 1792 Foolproof, for example, was hailed the World's Best Bourbon in 2018. Additionally, the process of making bourbon is highly precise and regulated. It must be made from crushed grains (at least 51% corn), fermented in cypress wood tanks, and aged in charred oak barrels. Barton 1792 has perfected this process, and if you need proof, just consider that its portfolio has an estimated 51 brands and labels.

Having such a prestigious company to produce a warehouse club's private label liquor is a huge advantage for Member's Mark. But even without knowing the established name behind it, the drink stands for itself. One verified customer on Sam's Club website describes it as "comparable to whiskeys that cost in the $30-$50 range." At only $18 a bottle, the Member's Mark is a definite must-buy.

Member's Mark American Vodka is American-made, specifically in Louisville, Kentucky. More importantly, its label previously indicated that it was made by I.W.A. Distilling Co. Ltd. If this company doesn't ring a bell, perhaps this next one will: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Inc.

What's the link between the two? I.W.A. Distilling Co. Ltd. is one of the many trading names of Buffalo Trace. Anyone who's a longtime fan or connoisseur of spirits would know that Buffalo Trace is a beloved and respected brand for bourbon. Buffalo Trace is also one of Sazerac's signature collection brands. Sazerac is one of the biggest alcoholic beverage companies in the United States.

Fun fact: Sazerac also acquired Barton 1792 Distillery, the company behind Member's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, in 2009. If you stand by national brands whose reputations are built over decades of refining flavor profiles, notes, and textures, these links to Buffalo Trace and Sazerac should sweeten the deal — and for as low as $12 for a 1.75 liter bottle, the Member's Mark American Vodka is literally a steal.

Rossen Reports on YouTube recently uploaded a video revealing the companies behind several Member's Mark products. The host, Jeff Rossen, claims that the Sam's Club-exclusive purified water is bottled by the California-based Niagara Bottling LLC. It is one of the country's leading water and beverage companies and has 40 bottling factories all over the U.S. and Mexico.

Niagara Bottling as a brand may seem unfamiliar, but it is actually the supplier behind many private label brands for bottled water, sports drinks, and other beverages. The company entered into private label partnerships in 1990, and it has since served as the third-party producer of store brands like Member's Mark. Other retailers that are reported to carry Niagara Bottling-made products are Target, Walmart, 7-Eleven, Albertsons, and Costco.

Niagara Bottling doesn't exactly reveal its association with private labels, but customers have noticed similarities in product packaging, which lends credibility to speculations. For example, except for the label, Niagara Bottling's 16.9 ounce purified water bottle looks identical to the Member's Mark 40-pack, 16.9 ounce water bottles.

There are also reports on Reddit about mix-ups of store brand bottles in bulk packages, suggesting that the brands were bottled in the same facility. One Redditor allegedly found a Member's Mark water in a pack of Kirkland bottles, while another said Niagara bottles sometimes end up in Member's Mark packs.

Another company that Rossen Reports mentioned as a third-party provider for Sam's Club private label products is Hebrew National. The hot dog company, which was founded in 1905 and acquired nearly a century later by Conagra Foods in 1993, reportedly makes frozen beef franks and hot dogs for Member's Mark.

Interestingly, the Member's Mark beef franks do not have the 100% Kosher label, which is a stamp of pride for all Hebrew National products (the slogan on its website reads, "We remain strict," and the recipe for their kosher hot dogs has stayed the same since 1905). This understandably makes some people doubt Hebrew National and wonder who's truly behind Sam's Club franks and hot dogs. But the nutrition labels support Rossen Reports' claim: Hebrew National and Member's Mark hot dogs have exactly the same macros. They only differ in weights, which is typical of a customized private label product.

Take a look at the nutrition labels of Member's Mark 3-pound beef hot dogs and Hebrew National Bun-Length Beef Franks. Both have exactly the same macros. They only differ in weights, which is typical of a customized private label product.

In 2018, a product recall announcement revealed that Rich Products Corporation is the manufacturer of Member's Mark Italian Style Meatballs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announcement recalled 3,420 pounds of frozen meatballs that had been distributed across nine states because of a suspected listeria contamination. Rich Products Corporation discovered the problem after distribution, and promptly informed the FSIS about the issue. Fortunately, there had been no reports of illnesses due to the recalled meatballs.

Rossen Reports claims that Rich Products is still the producer of Member's Mark meatballs. The YouTube channel also pointed out Rich Products' branded (and more expensive) meatballs are sold alongside Member's Mark. If you don't mind a generic brand made by the same company, and potentially tasting similarly with the branded counterpart, Member's Mark would be the more practical choice.

More recently, in 2023, Rich Products once again issued a recall that revealed another product it made for Sam's Club: the Member's Mark Breaded Mozzarella Sticks. The problem this time was an error in product labeling. Nowhere in the packaging did it mention that the mozzarella sticks contained soy and egg. Food products with undeclared ingredients, especially those among the nine major food allergens, are considered dangerous because they might cause severe allergic reactions.

Redditors speculate that Member's Mark High Protein Nutritional Shake is manufactured by the same company that makes Premier Protein High-Protein Shake. According to reviewers who were able to try both, the flavors of both brands are very similar.

The health benefits highlighted on the respective packaging are also identical. Both offer 30 grams of protein, 1 gram sugar, and 160 calories per serving. Even the nutritional benefits are nearly the same, save for the little differences in the weights and percentages of some macros.

If these similarities are not enough, the third common factor — packaging — strongly implies that these ready-to-drink shakes were produced in the same factory. Member's Mark and Premier Protein use identical carton bottles. The shape of the bottle, plastic lip at the top, and screwed-on cap are the same, except for the printed labels and colors of the plastic components (Member's Mark has a red cap while Premier Protein's is white).

Premier Protein shake is produced by Premier Nutrition Company, LLC. It is a subsidiary of BellRing Brands, Inc. According to its 2025 SEC filing, Sam's Club is one of the company's biggest customers. Walmart (including its affiliate Sam's Club), Costco, and Amazon (which implies that BellRing Brands also produces private label products for these retailers) make up 74% of the nutrition-focused consumer packaged goods company.

Sam's Club has so far stayed quiet about the source of its coffee pods, and there haven't been any coffee product recalls that could be traced back to the wholesale retailer. And yet, Rossen Reports on YouTube claims that Member's Mark coffee pods are produced by Westrock Coffee Company and Treehouse Foods, Inc.

Westrock is "The leading beverage solutions partner for the most iconic global brands," per its website, while Treehouse candidly informs the public that it "produce[s] and sell[s] a comprehensive portfolio of private brands foods and beverages." These disclosures of partnerships with private label brands align with the statements of the research- and reporting-oriented YouTube channel Rossen Reports.

Rather-be-Shopping.com, a website dedicated to consumer shopping and savings tips, also identifies these two companies as the third-party provider of the ground coffee used in Member's Mark coffee pods. The website also claims that Member's Mark K-cups are made by Treehouse and Green Mountain Roasters, which acquired Keurig in 2006. Green Mountain Roasters and Keurig later merged, and the new company was renamed as Keurig Green Mountain Inc.

Chicken is highly vulnerable to bacteria like campylobacter and salmonella. It can easily get contaminated, whether due to unclean equipment at production plants or mistakes made when storing raw cuts in the fridge at home. Unfortunately, some incidents still fly under the radar despite all efforts to ensure the freshness, quality, and safety of raw and cooked chicken products.

Something similar happened to Member's Mark's canned Premium Natural Chunk Chicken Breast in Water. Minimally processed and canned, the chicken breasts were revealed to have come from Downs Food Group due to reports of extraneous contamination. The company received two reports from customers who discovered hard plastic inside the cans purchased from Sam's Club. Thankfully, the complainants didn't suffer injuries, nor were there any related injuries reported afterward. Through the FSIS, Downs Food Group immediately announced a recall for the 96,384 pounds of canned chicken that had already been shipped to various Sam's Club locations.

Downs Food Group manufactures white-label frozen prepared foods and fully-cooked proteins for partner brands. "For over 70 years we've been helping build some of America's top frozen food brands," its website says.

The last company that's behind a Member's Mark product was also revealed because of a food recall. The FSIS announced a huge recall initiated by Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp., also operating as Smithfield Foods. The meat processing and packaging company issued the recall after receiving a complaint that one of its bacon bits products contained metal. The initial recall only consisted of five private label products, including Member's Mark.

Unfortunately, the bacon bits were also used as ingredients for other food products like frozen pizzas, salads, pastas, wraps, and cheeseburgers. This brought the total recalled volume to 185,610 pounds of packaged food products distributed to 62 retailers all over the country, including 7-Eleven, Dillons, Dollar General, Publix, Target, Walmart, and Meijer.

Smithfield Foods is known for its packaged meats and proudly declares its affiliation with iconic meat brands like Nathan's Famous, Farmer John, Smithfield Culinary, Curly's BBQ, and more. The company's packaged meats segment is behind its (undisclosed) private label products. Member's Mark is one of them.