Costco is one of the few large retailers that did not walk back its supplier diversity program in the 2025 round of corporate DEI cuts. In January 2025, more than 98% of shares voted against a proposal to study and unwind Costco's diversity practices, and the board recommended that vote unanimously. While Walmart, Meta, and Ford scaled back, Costco kept its Supplier Inclusion program running.
That makes Costco a real target for a certified diverse business. It also makes it competitive. Costco carries roughly 4,000 SKUs in a warehouse, a fraction of what a typical grocery store stocks, and every one of those slots is fought over. Getting in is less about filling out a form and more about showing up with a product a buyer can sell in volume, at a margin, with packaging built for a pallet.
Here's how the path actually works, and where diverse-business certification fits in.
Two doors, not oneThere are two ways into Costco, and you'll likely use both.
The first is the standard vendor path: you pitch a regional or category buyer who decides whether your product earns a slot. This is how almost everything on the warehouse floor got there. Buyers are organized by region and by category, and they hold the decision.
The second is Supplier Inclusion, Costco's supplier diversity program. It does not replace the buyer. It's a front door that flags your business to Costco's merchandising team as a certified small, diverse, or veteran-owned supplier, so your product gets evaluated through that lens. You still have to clear the same bar on price, volume, and quality. The certification gets you looked at. The product gets you in.
Treat Supplier Inclusion as a way to be found, not a shortcut around the buyer.
What Supplier Inclusion isCostco has run Supplier Inclusion since 2005. The stated goal is to work with small, diverse, and veteran-owned businesses to find and feature their products, both in U.S. warehouses and on Costco.com. Costco ties this to its "treasure hunt" merchandising, the rotating mix of unexpected items that pulls members back in. Small and diverse suppliers are a steady source of those finds.
To be considered as a diverse supplier, Costco asks that a minority- or women-owned business be certified through one of these:
- The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), which certifies minority business enterprises (MBEs)
- The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), which certifies women-owned businesses (WBEs)
- A similar federal, state, or local government minority certification program
That last line matters. Costco's published requirement points at NMSDC, WBENC, or a comparable government certification. If you're a veteran-owned business, Costco's program explicitly includes veteran-owned suppliers, and third-party veteran certification (for example through the NVBDC) or government status like SDVOSB is the kind of proof buyers look for. Confirm what counts the week you apply, since corporate diversity policy across retail is moving in 2025 and 2026.
If you aren't certified yet, that's the first task. Self-identifying as minority- or women-owned isn't enough for a corporate program; the certification is the proof. CertifyAll handles the filing across the major bodies once, so you're not rebuilding the same packet for NMSDC and WBENC separately.
How to apply to Supplier InclusionCostco runs the program through an intake application on its supplier diversity page (costco.com/supplier-diversity). You complete the form, confirm you meet the eligibility criteria, and Costco's merchandising team reaches out only if they need more or want to move forward. Costco is clear that completing the application does not guarantee a partnership, and that it won't process requests that don't meet the eligibility bar.
The corporate supplier diversity line is 1-800-774-2678, open Monday through Friday, 6am to 6pm Pacific. Costco also lists regional buying-office contacts covering Northern California, Los Angeles, San Diego, Texas, the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and beyond. If you know your product fits a specific region, the regional office is often the more useful call than the corporate line.
Do not skip the certification step before you apply. An intake form from an uncertified business is the fastest way to a dead end.
What Costco actually requires from a supplierCertification opens the door. These are the things that decide whether a buyer says yes, and they apply to every supplier, diverse or not:
- Volume you can sustain. Costco sells in bulk through hundreds of warehouses. Buyers need confidence you can supply a sudden, large order without quality slipping or your supply chain breaking. A product that sells well in 40 stores can sink a small supplier when it scales to 400.
- Sharp pricing. A common rule of thumb among Costco vendors is pricing at least 15% below your other retail channels. Costco's model runs on thin margins and member value, and buyers expect to pass that through. Bring your real cost structure.
- Costco-specific packaging. Multipacks, club-size units, and packaging built for pallet display, not a single grocery shelf. Plan for a separate SKU and separate artwork from your retail version.
- EDI capability. Costco runs purchase orders and logistics over electronic data interchange, typically the EDI 850 (purchase order), 856 (advance ship notice), and 810 (invoice). Missed ship notices or labeling errors trigger automatic chargebacks. This is where first-time suppliers most often stumble, so price the cost of EDI compliance into your plan.
- An active Costco membership. Suppliers are expected to be members. Gold Star runs $65 a year as of 2026; the Executive tier is $130.
None of this is unique to Costco's diverse suppliers. The Supplier Inclusion program helps you get evaluated. It does not lower the operational bar.
Roadshows: the realistic first stepMost suppliers do not land a permanent warehouse slot on the first contact. The realistic on-ramp is the roadshow.
A Costco roadshow is a temporary, staffed display in selected warehouses for a set window. Products run on consignment, meaning you're paid for what sells, and you typically staff the table or hire a demo team. It's a live test. If your product moves at roadshow volume and members respond, regional buyers notice, and a roadshow run that performs is one of the strongest cases you can make for a permanent listing.
The math is different from a normal wholesale deal, and consignment shifts risk onto you. But a roadshow gets your product in front of Costco members and buyers without asking a buyer to bet a permanent slot on an unproven brand. For a newer diverse supplier, it's often the most credible foot in the door.
Set realistic expectationsBe honest about the timeline. Buyers field far more pitches than they can place. A "no" or silence is normal and isn't a verdict on your business; it usually means the category is full or the economics don't pencil yet. Suppliers who eventually get in tend to do three things: get certified before they ask, lead with a product genuinely suited to bulk club retail, and prove demand somewhere smaller first, whether that's a regional chain, strong Costco.com performance, or a roadshow.
Certification is the part you can finish this quarter. Sort it out, then apply to Supplier Inclusion with a product and a price a buyer can actually say yes to.
Where to go nextCostco is one corporate program among hundreds that buy from certified diverse suppliers, and the same certification that qualifies you here qualifies you across most of them. Browse the corporate programs directory to find the companies in your industry that actively source from diverse suppliers, so you're not betting everything on one retailer. If you want to be discoverable by corporate buyers searching for diverse suppliers, list your business in our supplier directory. And if you're new to this side of supplier diversity, start with how to get into corporate supplier diversity programs for the broader playbook.
Get certified, get listed, and pitch the buyer with a product built for the warehouse floor. That's the path.
