This Famous Brand Is Responsible For Costco's Kirkland Signature Cranberry Juice

One of the biggest thrills of grocery shopping at Costco isn't just getting a gigantic package of cereal or a king-sized pumpkin pie, it's finding out which big, name-brand companies are behind their vast line of Kirkland Signature dupes (it's one of our favorite Costco hacks, actually). Take Costco's Kirkland Signature Cranberry Juice, for example, which is made by cranberry giant Ocean Spray. Many companies prefer to make products for Costco behind the scenes, like Bumble Bee Tuna and Blommer chocolate, but you can be sure that Kirkland cranberry juice comes from Ocean Spray because they have their logo right on the label.

It's probably not too big of a surprise that Costco would work with Ocean Spray, as the cranberry kings account for as much as 80% of raw cranberry purchases in the United States and control around 60% of the cranberry juice market. While they're probably best known for their cans of jellied cranberry sauce with the upside down labels that show up on Thanksgiving tables every year, if you asked the average American who makes cranberry juice, chances are they'll say Ocean Spray. So between market share and name-brand recognition, it makes sense that Costco would choose to co-brand their Kirkland juice with the Massachusetts-based cranberry processors.

While it's nice to know which companies make Kirkland products, and thus what quality you can expect inside the packages, the real fun comes from comparing the savings between the name brand from a regular store and the Costco version. That's the stuff Costco shoppers live for. In the case of cranberry juice, a 96-oz. bottle of Kirkland Signature, Ocean Spray Cranberry Premium 100% Juice costs around $4.99, or 5 cents per ounce. A 64-ounce bottle of Ocean Spray 100% Juice, Cranberry costs around $4.99, which works out to about 8 cents per ounce. While that might not seem like much, multiply that 3 cent difference by 96 and you'll have more than enough money for a $1.50 hot dog meal at the food court (and almost enough to buy two).

Keep in mind that cranberry juice drinks come in a variety of blends. Some are a mixture of cranberry and other juices, like the Kirkland bottle, which is cranberry, apple, and grape juice. Other bottles might contain all cranberry juice, and some are cranberry juice cocktail, which is not the same. When you're doing a price comparison, always compare apples to apples (or cranberries to cranberries) so you can be sure about what's a deal and what isn't.