LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., a Grower-Owned cooperative, announced today its latest estimate for the 2015 cranberry crop. If conditions remain constant, Ocean Spray believes the global industry crop will be around 12 million barrels. Over the next six weeks, Ocean Spray anticipates its Grower-Owners will deliver about 7 million barrels of cranberries to its receiving and processing facilities located throughout all growing regions. A barrel is the standard measure for cranberries and is equal to 100lbs or 45Kg.
“Harvest is underway in all our growing regions and we’re anticipating receiving a strong and high quality crop from our Grower-Owners in 2015,” shared Dan Crocker, VP of Cooperative Development. “The crop is in line with what we have been seeing in recent years. Our business continues to expand both domestically and internationally as we introduce the cranberry to new markets through our varied product portfolio. The 2015 crop will be sold in more than a thousand different products in over 100 countries around the word.”
Ocean Spray grower-owners are located throughout all cranberry growing regions including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as British Columbia, Eastern Canada (Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) and Chile. The 2015 South American harvest wrapped up in June with Ocean Spray’s Chilean Grower-Owners delivering just over 430,000 barrels of fruit. Regionally, Ocean Spray expects most growing regions to remain fairly steady year-over-year, and anticipates 2015 to result in a relatively stable crop from all areas.
The North American cranberry harvest begins in mid-September and will run through mid-November, culminating in time for Thanksgiving in the United States. Of the 400 million pounds – or 4 million barrels – of cranberries consumed annually by Americans, 20 percent – or 80 million pounds – will be consumed Thanksgiving week. Ocean Spray sells more cranberries the Wednesday before Thanksgiving than any other day of the year.
2015 marks Ocean Spray’s 85th harvest season as a Grower-Owned Cooperative. The Cooperative was founded in 1930 by three cranberry growers who combined their businesses, established new sales techniques and developed innovative products in the hope of creating a stable year-round marketplace for their fruit. Since its inception, the agricultural cooperative has become known for taking the cranberry, a fruit native to North America, and popularizing it with cultures around the globe. Today, Ocean Spray® is the world’s leading producer of cranberry juices, juice drinks and dried cranberries as well as being the number one brand in the shelf stable juice category in North America.
The Cooperative will be celebrating 85 years of Ocean Spray® Thanksgiving in conjunction with the harvest season through a fully integrated media and digital global campaign that includes its popular “Bogs Across America” pop up cranberry bogs which will be at the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival from Sep 25-Nov 16 and New York City’s Rockefeller Center® on November 3rd and 4th. The Cooperative’s global marketing team will also be sharing the beauty of the cranberry harvest through a unique 360 degree experience utilizing the Oculus Rift technology. The experience, called “The Most Beautiful Harvest,” is currently on a world tour and will visit more than ten cities on four continents.
Ocean Spray will also be celebrating 10 years of its popular television campaign featuring its comedic growers. The “Straight from the Bog” campaign debuted on October 18, 2005 marking the first time America was introduced to the fun-loving antics of America’s favorite cranberry growers. The two have gone on to star in close to 100 ads shot in six locations.
About Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray is a vibrant agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry and grapefruit growers in the United States, Canada and Chile who have helped preserve the family farming way of life for generations. Formed in 1930, Ocean Spray is now the world’s leading producer of cranberry juices, juice drinks and dried cranberries and is the best-selling brand in the North American bottled juice category. The cooperative’s cranberries are currently featured in more than a thousand great-tasting, good-for-you products in over 100 countries worldwide. With more than 2,000 employees and nearly 20 cranberry receiving and processing facilities, Ocean Spray is committed to managing our business in a way that respects our communities, employees and the environment. For more information visit www.oceanspray.com or www.oceanspray.coop and follow us on twitter at @oceanspraycoop.
