New Jersey finally has a state juice – and it’s all thanks to a group of students in Cinnaminson.

Back in 2020, while learning about the history of New Jersey, a class of 5th graders at Eleanor Rush Intermediate School learned about how students in the ’70s and ’80s created state symbols through legislation. The students wanted to contribute their own symbol, so they began writing letters to state politicians asking them to adopt cranberry juice as the state beverage (which later became state juice). Students even traveled to Trenton to testify on why the legislation should be adopted.  

The legislation was finally approved in August, a full 3 years after the students had their idea. 

The students cited the fruit’s historic significance in the garden state: 

• The Lenni Lenape people from South Jersey harvested wild cranberries to use in remedies, foods and drinks. 

• New Jersey’s Elizabeth Lee was one of the first people to create jellied cranberry sauce.  

• New Jersey is the 3rd largest cranberry-producing state in the country.