6 Publix Store Brands South Carolinians Wrongly Walk Past
Publix has over 70 stores in South Carolina, and its store-brand groceries sit next to the name brands in them.
Many shoppers scan past that shelf without a second glance.
That’s often a mistake, if you ask us.
These are the Publix store brands South Carolinians wrongly walk past.
1. GreenWise Organic Orange Juice
Publix sells organic orange juice under the GreenWise label, not a national juice brand.
The ingredient list reads one line: Organic orange juice.
A food writer at The Kitchn, who co-founded a lemonade company, wrote that no other brand tastes the same to her once she switched.
She means it.
The Kitchn put a 52-ounce carton at about $5 in the store.
2. Publix Brand Macaroni & Cheese
Publix sells a boxed macaroni and cheese labeled with its name, not Kraft’s or Velveeta’s.
The Takeout ranked 13 boxed macaroni and cheeses worst to best, and Publix finished seventh, the highest spot any store brand reached in the lineup.
Great Value, Market Pantry, and Good & Gather all landed lower on that list.
The reviewer described the noodles as nearly identical to a typical Kraft noodle, and the finished bowl as having the right amount of gooeyness.
The Takeout put the box at $1.07.
Kraft, Velveeta, and Cracker Barrel still beat it outright.
Every other store brand on the list didn’t.
How to Spot a Publix Store Brand on the Shelf
Publix sells its store-brand groceries under several labels, not one.
The plain Publix name goes on everyday staples like the boxed macaroni and cheese above. Publix Premium, Publix Bakery, Publix Deli, Publix Aprons, and Publix Smokehouse Selections cover other departments.
The GreenWise name goes on the coffee, the mango, and the burger in this list, and it doesn’t always mean organic.
3. Premium Ice Cream
Publix sells this ice cream under its own Premium label, not a national dairy brand’s.
Premium is the name on that ice cream line, not a tier that runs across the rest of the store.
Tasting Table found the eggnog Premium Ice Cream holds up well against Turkey Hill and Graeter’s, with a creamy texture and a balanced rum flavor.
The flavor stops short of a boutique pint’s density, though few shoppers notice at the freezer case.
Shoppers still reach for the name-brand pint first, pulled in by the bigger logo.
4. GreenWise Coffee
GreenWise Coffee sits in a green bag between rows of brand-name coffee.
A GreenWise item qualifies by meeting any one of several standards, so the bag is what says whether that coffee is certified organic.
Publix sells the beans under the GreenWise name rather than a national roaster’s.
A shopper chasing a familiar logo walks past the green bag without a second look.
Psst! How much do you know about Publix’s history? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.
Quiz
Publix Through the Decades
Answer these questions on how Publix grew from one Florida storefront into a Southern grocery giant. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
In which decade did Publix begin selling products under its store brand name?
5. GreenWise Dried Mango
Publix sells dried mango under the GreenWise label, not a national snack brand.
The bag sits in the snack aisle beside popular name-brand chips and granola bars.
It's unsweetened, with no sugar added to the fruit.
Chowhound's roundup of the chain's best items singled out the GreenWise mango, calling the slices just sweet enough, not too sweet and not too tart.
The label undersells it.
Many shoppers never turn the bag over.
6. GreenWise Meatless Burger
Publix sells a pea-based GreenWise Meatless Burger a few feet from Beyond and Impossible, the two best-known plant-based brands.
Publix introduced the burger in 2021, built from pea protein, with 19 grams of it packed into a single patty.
It's dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free too.
All from peas.
Impossible Foods lists the same 19 grams of protein for its classic beef patty, and Beyond Meat lists 21 grams for its Beyond Burger.
The gap between all three patties comes down to two grams, not two leagues.
Where GreenWise Went
Publix's GreenWise Market concept once had two stand-alone stores in South Carolina, one in Mount Pleasant and one in Lexington, both opened in 2019.
Both closed in August 2020, less than two years after opening, when Publix pointed to space constraints at each site.
The GreenWise name didn't leave the state, though.
It moved shelves.
South Carolina Publix stores still carry GreenWise products on regular shelves, including the coffee and the burger above, without a dedicated store to walk into.
Publix reports running 74 stores across South Carolina, and GreenWise items sit on ordinary shelves in them instead of in a storefront of their own.
6 Publix Meat Counter Mistakes That Cost South Carolinians Every Week
That neatly wrapped package in the Publix meat case looks convenient, but convenience doesn't always come with the lowest price.
Many South Carolinians don't realize there are ways to land cheaper packages at the same counter.
6 Publix Meat Counter Mistakes That Cost South Carolinians Every Week
9 Ways to Embarrass Yourself at Your First South Carolina Oyster Roast
A shovel scrapes across a sheet of hot steel at a South Carolina oyster roast, and a fresh pile lands on the table next.
There's no plate, no fork, and no waiter, just a knife and a crowd of locals who already know the moves a newcomer hasn't learned yet.
9 Ways to Embarrass Yourself at Your First South Carolina Oyster Roast
