Michigan Grown Cranberries Shape America’s Holiday Plates

Of course, we all know Michigan is famous for our blueberries and cherries, but when did we become known for their cranberry produce too?

This holiday season, whether you’re team jellied or homemade, remember there’s a bit of Michigan in every can of Ocean Spray.

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As you stock up for all your holiday dinner essentials at your local Meijer or Harding's stores, be sure to grab a couple of cans of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce too, just for good measure. It may fly under the radar for some, but for others no holiday meal is complete without it!

A fun fact I just learned: blueberries and cranberries are of the same genus, vaccinium. 

One can assume that if Michigan grows a lot of blueberries, then we must grow plenty of cranberries too, right? According to the Michigan Ag Council cranberries are grown on nearly 250 acres across our state and can be grown, "in the Upper Peninsula, lower part of the northern peninsula and Southwest Michigan."

One local farm in Southwest Michigan, DeGrandchamp Farms, is not only a leading producer of blueberries, but also cranberries. According to Michigan State, what originally started in 1958 as a 12-acre blueberry farm,

is now one of the leading producers of blueberries in Michigan. They ventured into cranberry production in 1994...They grow over 40 acres of cranberries

In fact, DeGrandchamp Farms is an official grower for Ocean Spray!

The farm says the majority of the cranberries they harvest are then cleaned and shipped off to Ocean Spray to be used in any of their products. Just think about it: cranberries grown in Michigan could be in your next can of Ocean Spray.