Ocean Spray’s 40th Grapefruit Harvest Underway in Florida
Grower-Owned Cooperative releases Ruby Cranberry Juice Drink in
conjunction with harvest season
LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ocean
Spray Cranberries, Inc., a Grower-Owned Cooperative, today announced
that its 40th grapefruit harvest is underway in the Indian
River region of Florida. Grapefruit Grower-Owners will deliver this
season’s red and white varieties over the next six months when the fruit
ripens and meets Ocean Spray’s strict quality standards. The Cooperative
anticipates receiving deliveries of approximately 1.5 million boxes of
grapefruit.
“Ocean Spray is proud to be a part of the Florida grapefruit harvest,”
shared Dan Crocker, Vice President of Cooperative Development. “Our
citrus Grower-Owners are a very important part of our cooperative family
and we’re excited to celebrate their hard work as well as the brand’s
four decades of leadership and innovation in the grapefruit juice
category.”
One of those innovations, Ruby Cranberry Juice Drink, launched this
September. “This is truly the ultimate Ocean Spray® beverage,” said Beth
Turenne, Manager of Global Citrus Marketing. “Consumers will be now able
to enjoy the crisp, clean taste of cranberries blended with sweet,
invigorating grapefruit in our newest beverage, Ruby Cranberry Juice
Drink.”
The Cooperative expanded membership to include citrus growers from the
Indian River Region of Florida in 1976, at the height of the “Grapefruit
Diet” craze. Over the past 40 years, Ocean Spray has launched a number
of successful citrus products throughout the world. Today, around 30
grapefruit Grower-Owners deliver their harvest to the Cooperative, many
of whom are second and third generation farmers.
Unlike cranberries, grapefruit aren’t native to North America. They were
brought to Florida from the West Indies in the 1820s. Florida made its
first shipment of grapefruits to the ports of New York and Philadelphia
in 1885, launching the beginnings of the modern commercial grapefruit
industry.
Grapefruit Facts:
-
Roughly 40 percent of the Florida grapefruit harvested each season is
used for juice. The other 60 percent is sold as fresh grapefruit. -
One acre of a grove can produce some 400-700 boxes of grapefruit. 700
boxes of grapefruit weigh in at almost 60,000 pounds. -
In a productive year, a single grapefruit tree can generate 1,300 to
1,500 pounds of fruit. -
Grapefruit is believed to be a hybrid of the pomelo with the sweet
orange.
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 2,200 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.
In fiscal year 2014, Ocean Spray posted gross sales of over $2 billion.
For more information visit: www.oceanspray.com
or www.oceanspray.coop.
Contacts
Ocean Spray
Sarah Gianti, 508-923-3139
sgianti@oceanspray.com
