Green Giant, the UK’s #1 sweetcorn brand[2], is celebrating a huge milestone, with 2025 marking 100 years of Jolly the Green Giant. The lovable brand icon has long been depicted in advertising roaming the Green Giant valleys with his infamous “Ho Ho Ho!”, surveying the harvest to ensure each can contains only the sweetest and crunchiest corn.
Jolly symbolises a long-standing dedication to quality that is the very core of the brand’s DNA, which has played a significant role in Green Giant’s enduring success. Therefore, Green Giant is ensuring the 100-year anniversary does not go unnoticed, with a stand-out in store activation complete with a visual refresh, and the brand’s biggest ever on-pack promotion.
To mark the centenary, Green Giant has rolled out a limited-edition consumer promotion designed to drive excitement and category value. Live now and running to 31st December across UK & Ireland, quad-packs of Green Giant’s best-selling Original and Salt-Free Sweetcorn offer shoppers hundreds of chances to win £100 cash prizes, with the prize pool totalling £25,000.
Green Giant’s ‘100 years of irresistible sweetness’ campaign is off to a strong start, having recruited new shoppers to the brand in its first four weeks, with household penetration up +0.1pts[3]. The brand has also seen its value share increase by +1.5 points[4], a jump which follows 52 weeks of sustained share growth[5].
For a whopping 100 years, Green Giant has been a trusted staple in family cupboards, known for delivering sweet, crisp kernels that elevate any meal. With a retail sales value of £47.7M in the past 52 weeks[6], over half of buyers purchase Green Giant corn three or more times a year.
Green Giant’s sustained success can be attributed to its uncompromising quality, from field to fork. Its unique corn variety is all grown and produced within a 200km radius of the factory in the rich soils of southwest France, by 300 dedicated farmers from the Euralis cooperative – a long-standing and committed partner for over 45 years.
Each cob is picked at perfect maturity to increase kernel size and canned within 12 hours of harvest to lock in natural goodness. Unlike other brands, Green Giant cuts its corn for flavour, not yield, preserving its iconic crunch and nutritional integrity.
Furthermore, Green Giant’s corn is unique on the market. Each ear is grown from 100% non-GMO seeds of the brand’s own proprietary variety that is IP protected and completely free from pesticide residues. To give consumers full confidence in the quality of the food they’re serving their families, every tin offers full traceability, from harvest to canning, through an on-pack QR code.
Maeve Judge, marketing director at General Mills, said: “Celebrating 100 years really is something special, not least because it demonstrates the enduring trust in Green Giant as a quality brand, synonymous with the sweetest, crunchiest corn!
“Our commitment to quality is as strong now as it was when Green Giant was first founded and we take great pride in the unique & delicious variety of corn consumers have grown to love from Green Giant.
