Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. is a grower owned beverage manufacturing company that produces bottled and canned juices. It also sells dried berry snacks and cereals. The company is based in Massachusetts in the US.
History
The history of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. dates back to the 19th century, when Captain Henry Hall started his experiments with cranberries. He founded new methods to grow bigger and juicier cranberries which were soon emulated by Benjamin Thomas and John Webb from New Jersey. Many others in the neighboring states also followed the growing method recommended by Hall, including lawyer Marcus L. Urann, who would become known as the ‘Cranberry King’. He started his own company to sell cranberry sauce in 1912 and became the head of Ocean Spray Preserving Co. in Massachusetts. Later, it merged with its chief competitors, Enoch .F. Bills Company and Makepeace Preserving Company and formed the Cranberry Canners, Inc. in August 1930, with Urann serving as president.
In the 1930s, more products were introduced including Ocean Spray Cran and Cranberry Juice Cocktail. During the 1940s, the company started to purchase more cranberries from growers in Washington, Wisconsin and Oregon. It also added dehydrated cranberries to its product line. At the time, the company had 15 manufacturing and distribution facilities. In 1946, the name of the company was changed to National Cranberry Association (NCA).
The company name was changed again on Nov 9, 1959 to Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc, which was also when Urann retired and George .C. P. Olsson became President. The company suffered a great temporary loss due to an allegation regarding the use of a potentially harmful weed killer, which was later withdrawn as there wasn’t any proof. In the 1960s, the company started to produce cranberry juice, and it succeeded in attracting health conscious customers. During the 1980s, the sales peaked to $500 million. In 1985, it purchased Mine Fruit Products, Inc. in Washington. To improve the overall development of the company, it launched a new campaign, Right Turn Only (RTO).
In 1987, John .S. Llewellyn Jr. became the CEO of the company. It also signed an agreement with PepsiCo, Inc. to market its products. More products were introduced in the 1990s. The company sales reached $100 million during this period. It also bought Processing Technologies International in 1998.
Stats
Company headquarters: One Ocean Spray Drive, Lakeville-Middleboro, MA, USA
Ownership: Private
Annual revenue: $1.44 billion
Number of employees: 2,500
Geography: North America, Caribbean, Oceania, Africa, Middle East and Europe
Demography: Natural and Organic
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