Ocean Spray (cooperative) facts for kids
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| Agricultural cooperative | |
| Founded | 1930 in Hanson, Massachusetts |
| Founders | Elizabeth Lee, John Makepeace, and Marcus Urann |
| Headquarters |
Lakeville-Middleborough, Massachusetts
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United States
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Key people
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Tom Hayes, President and CEO |
| Products | Cranberries, grapefruit |
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. is a special kind of company in the United States. It's owned by farmers who grow cranberries. Its main office is in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
More than 700 farmers from places like the US, Canada, and Chile are part of Ocean Spray. About 2,000 people work for the company. They produce a huge amount of cranberries – about 70% of all cranberries grown in North America!
Ocean Spray makes many products, including cranberry sauce, fruit juices, fruit snacks, and dried cranberries. They have also created many new things, like the first mixed fruit juices, the first juice boxes, and even sweetened dried cranberries called Craisins. Their cranberry juice even won an award for its great taste!
The Story of Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray started in 1930 in Hanson, Massachusetts. Three cranberry farmers wanted to sell more of their cranberries. These farmers were Marcus L. Urann, Elizabeth F. Lee, and John C. Makepeace. They had already made a cranberry sauce. Together, they formed a cooperative to create more products from cranberries. In that same year, Ocean Spray made the first cranberry juice drinks.
In 1963, a person named Edward Gelsthorpe worked with Sylvia Schur to create Cranapple juice. This new juice helped cranberries become even more popular. People started enjoying cranberries all year round, not just during holidays.
In 1976, Ocean Spray welcomed grapefruit farmers from Florida to join their cooperative. Later that year, the company's main office moved to Plymouth, Massachusetts.
In 1989, the Ocean Spray headquarters moved again to its current spot. This building is located right on the border between Lakeville and Middleborough.
In 2004, Ocean Spray members decided not to join forces with PepsiCo for their drink business. However, in 2006, they did sign a 25-year deal with Pepsi. This deal was for Pepsi to help distribute Ocean Spray's single-serve juices.
Also in 2004, Ocean Spray bought the processing parts of another company called Northland Cranberry. This included a juice factory in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
Modern Operations
Ocean Spray finished making the Wisconsin Rapids processing plant bigger in 2008. The plant is now twice its original size, making it the largest cranberry processing facility in the world! This plant is also very good for the environment. It has a special system to clean wastewater and uses energy-saving lights. It even uses gas from a nearby landfill to power its boilers. With this expansion, the plant now makes Craisins in addition to juice concentrates.
In 2012, Ocean Spray contributed to a group that was against a proposal called Proposition 37. This proposal wanted to make companies label foods that contained genetically modified ingredients. Ocean Spray was part of the discussion about food labeling.
Ocean Spray has other juice-filling factories in different states. These include Henderson, Nevada; Sulphur Springs, Texas; Allentown, Pennsylvania; and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
In October 2020, Ocean Spray became very popular on social media. This happened when Nathan Apodaca made a TikTok video. In the video, he was skateboarding and drinking Ocean Spray while listening to the song "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. The video quickly became a huge hit!
Images for kids
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A cranberry processing plant near Babcock, Wisconsin.
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An Ocean Spray facility in Tomah, Wisconsin, with cranberry fields nearby.
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An Ocean Spray product displayed in Israel.
