Who Supplies Costco's Kirkland Signature Farm-Raised Shrimp?

As anyone who's done a desperate 5 p.m. fridge raid only to find a few suspect-looking yogurt pots can confirm, the best of Costco's frozen seafood offerings can come in handy in a pinch. Peeled and deveined for fuss-free preparation, its Kirkland Signature Farm-Raised Raw Shrimp is one such convenient option. But if quaint images of sky-blue fishing boats and smock-wearing sailors come to mind, think again. Kader Exports is the company behind Costco's shrimp shipments, and far from a homespun operation, it's one of India's largest seafood exporters.

Kader Exports has been in the shrimp business since 1976 and now operates processing plants and farms across the world. It's headquartered in Mumbai, and while India might seem a random choice to the uninitiated, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council reported in 2026 that "India is currently the world's second-largest shrimp producer and exporter." Only Ecuador shifts more of the crustacean. American tariffs did threaten India's behemoth of a prawn business that year, but The Times of India reported that "among the fortunate few is Kader Exports whose consignments are still travelling to the US."

Kader's exporting capabilities are only one piece of the puzzle, though. It sources its shrimp from handpicked farms, allowing consumers to trace the product back to its point of origin. Shrimp pools thrive in India's warm waters, but it's not just the current climate that makes the country such a successful shrimp producer — there's also backing from government policies and places like Andhra Pradesh, which are also known for their innovative aquaculture techniques.

Calling bags of frozen anything "farm-fresh" may seem like a contradiction, but freezing shrimp as soon as possible is actually key to conserving its freshness and preventing a mushy texture. So, that's where the "fresh" in Costco's labeling comes from, but since its shrimp are peeled, they may lose some of their firmness during processing.

As for the "farm" part of the label, this simply refers to whether the shrimp is wild-caught or aquaculture-produced — a fancy way of saying raised and harvested in a manmade environment. Kirkland Signature's shrimp comes from a farm, but that doesn't necessarily equate to a drop in quality (like when customers noticed the breading ratio was off in Costco's panko shrimp). It's true that in the worst instances, chemicals from these farms can seep into and pollute local water systems, and farmed fish can spread disease to wild ones if they escape, but well-managed farms can actually benefit biodiversity and the ocean's ecosystem.

Costco isn't the only one getting in on the action; Kader also supplies Aqua Star, Unistar, Fresh Market, and Censea, among others. But next time you're browsing the warehouse aisles, keep an eye out for Kirkland Signature Farm-Raised Raw Shrimp. Our sister site Tasting Table ranked it number four in its list of 11 frozen shrimp brands, describing the taste as "sweet, rich, and clean, with a delicate creaminess".