Costco is bringing back a cult-favorite sweet treat previously discontinued by its store-exclusive Kirkland brand — exciting bargain-loving frequent shoppers.
Kirkland’s Signature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips are back on Costco shelves for the first time since 2024, when skyrocketing cocoa prices made it difficult for the company to make a significant profit on the product.
Discount-seeking Reddit users were in disbelief, with one commenter posting: “Don’t even mess with me… my store hasn’t had these in over a year” on r/Costco on August 4.
“I like those so much better than Nestle,” wrote another commenter, adding “If they are coming back that would be great!!!”
The return is particularly cost-saving because alternatives are significantly more expensive — baking enthusiasts complain about Ghirardelli and Guittard chocolate chips for this reason.
“I prefer Ghirardelli but the price kills me,” wrote one commenter on a r/Baking thread about the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.
“I first bought some for $1 on an after-Christmas markdown at Kroger right before the pandemic. I will never forget that deal for a 10 oz bag.”
Shoppers on Reddit report that the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips have returned to stores in Texas, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington and Virginia.
There is no publicly available timeframe as to when the chips will return to all stores nationwide.
The cocoa crisis is to blame for the fan-favorite ingredient’s two year absence.
In 2024, the cocoa market faced a severe crisis driven by a historic supply deficit, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Global inventories had dwindled to their lowest levels in over 30 years following poor harvests, pushing prices to the record-breaking highs.
While there were initial signs of recovery — with a 33% increase in bean arrivals at Ivory Coast ports, where a huge chunk of the world’s cocoa trading happens — the situation remained precarious.
US cocoa futures jumped from a multi-year baseline of roughly $2,500–$3,000 per metric ton to a peak between $11,500 and $12,000 per metric ton by mid-to-late 2024, according to historical market data from Intercontinental Exchange Futures US.
Costco did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Read the full article here
