Virgin Coconut Oil, Grass-fed Butter and Extra Virgin Olive Oil: My Awesome Costco Trip

I’ve written a couple of posts about shopping at Costco. (See real food finds at Costco and wild fish at Costco.) Yesterday, however, Jesse and I had such a great Costco trip that I need to revisit the subject again. If you, too, are a Costco member, I greatly hope that your local Costco also carries the bounty that I just discovered at mine. If not, I’d consider suggesting that they start carrying some of these products. 🙂

Grass-fed Butter

When we entered the dairy aisle, this wonderful sight greeted us:

Beautiful Kerrygold butter

Our local Costco (in Superior, Colorado) hasn’t had Kerrygold butter in nearly a year, so suffice it to say I was EXTREMELY excited about this. I LOVE Kerrygold butter. While raw, grass-fed butter would be the absolute best butter option, raw butter is ridiculously expensive here ($21/pound from my local dairy, and that requires you to drive to the dairy to make it yourself) and I just can’t afford it. While not raw, Kerrygold butter is exclusively grass-fed and thus is chockfull of vitamins and other nutrients. It’s also absolutely delicious. The price at Costco is amazing: $2.27 for a half pound. When I can’t get Kerrygold at Costco, I buy Organic Valley pasture butter from my local Vitamin Cottage, but I don’t think it’s as tasty and it’s a lot more expensive–$3.35 for a half pound.

I don’t know how long this butter will be at Costco, so we bought nine pounds. (I’m not sure how long that will last us, but probably not as long as you’d think.) If you live near the Costco in Superior, get yourself there right away to stock up on some Kerrygold!

(Oh, and if do you end up buying a lot of butter, be prepared for some snide comments. The woman behind me in line remarked that I “must be a Paula Deen fan” and then proceeded to tell her husband that Paula Deen was “the one who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.” Argh. The person ringing us up nearly also says something as well; sometimes they’re quite nice about it but other times you’d think I was buying heroin or something. But whatever. I can handle some snideness in exchange for my Kerrygold.)

Nutiva Coconut Oil

As if nine pounds of Kerrygold butter wasn’t enough excitement for the day, when we got to the oils aisle we saw this:

Nutiva virgin coconut oil

Nutiva coconut oil! I have to say I was completely shocked. Who would’ve thought Costco would start carrying coconut oil? And a virgin, high-quality coconut oil at that. We’ve been buying Nutiva for the last year—it’s really delicious stuff.

The price was fantastic: 26 cents an ounce. I normally buy my Nutiva coconut oil through Amazon subscribe and save, which at the time was the best price I could find. I just looked it up now: 48 cents an ounce.  Needless to say, I will be buying all of my virgin coconut oil at Costco now if they continue to carry Nutiva.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Have you heard about how many extra virgin olive oils don’t actually meet extra virgin standards? (See this post if you don’t know what I’m talking about.) This has made me wary of buying just any extra virgin olive oil. I actually bought Chaffin Family Orchards during their “olive oil futures” sale last fall, but my stash is about to run out so I was in the market for something new. I was delighted to find this right next to the coconut oil:

California Olive Ranch olive oil

I didn’t know a lot about California Olive Ranch, but I’ve eaten it at my parents’ house so I figured it was worth trying. (My mom is a health-conscious olive oil connoisseur, so I’d trust her to pick out a good variety.) When I got home I did some of my own research. According to this study, California Olive Ranch’s oil passed as truly extra virgin, unlike many other brands of olive oil. I was also very impressed by what I read on their website. As far as I can tell, California Olive Ranch is the real deal. And the price at Costco was great: only 22 cents an ounce.

The variety of olive oil that Costco is carrying is the Miller’s blend, which the bottle describes as “bold and peppery.” I’m not sure if that means it will be too aggressive for our normal olive oil applications, but I’m really not worried. Jesse and I both like the taste of unrefined olive oil, and if it ends up being not mild enough for things like salad dressings I’m sure it will still go well with vegetables. Last night it was delicious on broiled zucchini.

(Side note: According to that research I mentioned earlier, Kirkland organic extra virgin olive oil also passed the extra virgin standards. I’ve never bought it before but now I’m thinking it’s probably also an excellent choice! I didn’t notice the price but I’d bet it’s less expensive than the California Olive Ranch.)

Color Me Impressed

When I wrote my first post about Costco, I mentioned that while a lot of the food that Costco carries is processed junk, they also have a pretty good selection of real foods. I’m so impressed that their selection of real food seems to be expanding all the time. As the real food movement grows who knows what we’ll be seeing at Costco! I, for one, am very excited. While I buy a lot of my food from local farmers, that just isn’t possible for everything so I’m glad that Costco can help me afford and access the healthy foods that we need.

Do you shop at Costco? What real foods deals have you scored lately?

———————————————————————————————————

STANDARD FTC DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only ever endorse products that are in alignment with Whole Natural Life’s ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. Please also note that Whole Natural Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

37 Responses to Virgin Coconut Oil, Grass-fed Butter and Extra Virgin Olive Oil: My Awesome Costco Trip

  1. Taryn says:
    Nice finds! I saw the coconut oil there the last time I was there- too bad I had just gotten two on amazon! I may have to make my way over to the Superior store to get some butter. yum. (I am surprised they gave you a hard time about the butter. I really can't imagine it. That is just terrible.)
    • Meghan says:
      Yeah, I don't think I've ever bought butter there without someone remarking on it...people are usually just amused (or think I'm doing a lot of baking) but that other customer was just mean!
      • Terr says:
        Hi Meghan, It's been a while, but I had to comment about that (expletive) customer. What is it about "small town politics" that makes people feel that they have the right to spew their opinions about you and others? Your personal purchases are none of her business! Paula's diabetes is none of her business? And, I'm SICK of people taking their hatred out on Paula, because she cooked down-home foods for years. As I've said tonight to another person, I swear that people INVENT reasons to be ignorant! BTW, had to give up the MOM underarm thingy. It wasn't quite doing the job. OH well.
        • Meghan says:
          Thanks for sympathizing, Terr. I really hate it when people make comments like that about my diet---there's really no good response. And it makes me sad that I have to endure disdain when buying real foods like butter while people who have their carts stuffed full of things like soda get to be the "normal" ones. Too bad about the milk of magnesia. I just it just emphasizes that everyone is different!
  2. Janis says:
    Your Costco is so much cooler than ours! I really liked it when I shopped there. I'll look next time at the local Costco, But I'm not hopeful.
  3. Milehimama says:
    Came over from Traditional Tuesdays- I just posted my top Costco finds too! Sadly my Costco doesn't carry coconut oil. I hope they get some soon!
  4. Congrats on the great shopping trip! We don't have Costco here. That's the same extra virgin olive oil I buy. While it's not organic, it is GMO-free. I cannot for the life of me find extra virgin olive oil that is certified as real olive oil AND is organic. So I choose the real stuff. And it's good stuff. :)
  5. Here is hoping that my Coscto starts carrying the coconut oil! I noticed the Kerrygold last month when I was there. Now I am anxious to get back and ask! Thanks for the heads up!
  6. AndiRae says:
    I'll have to stop at Costco after work and see if they have the butter or coconut oil. I've been getting my coconut oil at Trader Joe's and just this past week discovered Kerrygold there (St. Paul, MN location) for $2.99/half pound (I think that's the exact price; I didn't need to get any at the time, but I remember being favorably impressed with the price versus what I've been seeing for it elsewhere - $4.59-$4.99/ half pound).
    • Meghan says:
      Yes, in my experience Trader Joe's has awesome prices on Kerrygold. We don't have any Trader Joe's here (although one is opening in 2013!) but my parents and in-laws both do so I've shopped there when visiting. Like you said, Kerrygold in other stores is usually more like $4.50 or $5 for a half pound.
  7. LaurenL says:
    I love buying the olive oil at Costco! My Costo also carries big bags of quinoa and a quinoa/wild rice mix that I love. I haven't checked for the butter, but will the next time I shop there. I just wish they carried almond milk!
  8. reb says:
    I actually had a friend send me a text message when she saw the Kerrygold butter at the Costco in Aurora as I had lamented the fact that it wasn't showing up in any of the Costco's I've been to. I'm so excited it's finally here! We've been getting the Kalona Supernatural butter (vat-pasteurized, grass-fed, and organic) at Whole Foods (you get a bulk discount if you buy at least ten of it and it was on sale) and I've gotten comments too, though nothing negative...usually just, "you must really like butter!" or "are you making candy?" :) I saw the coconut oil the last time we were there and was really excited as we were doing the Amazon Subscribe and Save for that brand as well. The olive oil sounds great! I'll have to see if they have it at the one near my house!
  9. Gena says:
    Late post here. Just discovered your blog - great one! Do you/can you freeze your kerrygold butter if buying in large quantities? Thanks...
    • Meghan says:
      Hi Gena, I've frozen it in the past. Most of the time I don't bother, though, since butter lasts for a while. (The stuff I just bought says it's good until June 2013.) I like to stack it against the back wall of my fridge. Stuff like lettuce gets frozen if it's back there but it's a perfect spot for butter!
  10. [...] markets and CSAs to get real food? Well, you just might want to try your luck finding real food at Costco, like this blogger does. Virgin coconut oil, grass-fed butter, and quality olive oil from a food [...]
  11. [...] • You may have guessed I am all about sharing good sources of Real Food and here is one of them! You might be surprised at what one Real Food blogger found in the form of Real Food at Costco! [...]
  12. Betsy says:
    I just bought a lot of butter at Costco, too. Thankfully I didn't get any snide comments. I usually stock up in the spring when I'm more confident that they're stocking it. This year when I went in all they had was the tubs. I think it's the same good butter, but I just prefer the blocks. I'll have to check for the coconut oil locally when my current stash runs low.
  13. ~Kate F. says:
    I think it's funny that people don't understand the concept of stocking up when you find a good price on something. I bought 20+ pounds of butter once because it was unbelievably cheap. I just froze it and laughed while everyone paid 2-3x the amount for their weekly butter. They're the crazy ones. :)
  14. Deborah M says:
    Just switched from BJ's Wholesale Club to Costco, due largely to your posts with your great finds :) Unfortunately, it turns out my local Costco here in south Florida does not carry Kerrygold :( I immediately put in a request on one of their comment cards. Hopefully they'll get it soon!
    • Meghan says:
      Ah, that's too bad, Deborah! I hope it shows up soon. Hopefully you also found some other good things to buy, though?
      • Deborah says:
        I did, thankfully! Large jars of coconut oil, Maranatha Almond Butter, JIF all-natural peanut butter, and a ton of other goodies. The only thing mine lacked was any grass-fed butter and no uncured bacon. Will have to use the free 60-day passess BJ's is always putting int he papers so I can still get uncured bacon.
  15. Deanne says:
    Do you have the item number for the coconut oil at Costco, mine doesn't carry it and they asked if I had the item number for them to look it up to see about getting it. Thanks
  16. LeakyGutGal says:
    I was so totally happy to find that my local Costco also has started carrying coconut oil, PLUS it is ORGANIC! Can't beat that! I live in Long Beach, California. The brand is HAIN Pure Foods and it is, specifically, organic, extra virgin, cold pressed and unrefined. Only $15.79 / 54oz jar. Life is good! :)
  17. Amanda says:
    Thank you! I'm learning more and more each day. We love Coconut oil! We also use Grapeseed now, instead of Olive.
  18. Jeni Grimes says:
    I am hoping my Costco has the California olive oil the next time I go....that is the kind I just switched to and purchased it at Whole Foods Market. I love Costco!
  19. Mel says:
    Just found out that my local Costco discontinued the Coconut Oil. It was there one week, and gone the next. I was told they have no plans to re-order unless people call and complain.
  20. Christine says:
    Great post, but just wanted to add a comment on the Kerry Gold butter. It is grass fed, but not exclusively. I did thorough research on this subject, and the company itself admits that (for obvious reasons) the cows are still fed GMO grains a few months of the year in the off months when grass is not as abundant, but it's still pretty healthy, and better for you than most other traditional spreads and butters out there that are not organic or grass-fed.

Leave a reply