VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Oppy and Ocean Spray® marked two decades of partnership in the U.S. this year, honoring their shared commitment to delivering the finest cranberries to families across North America, while commanding majority market share throughout the fall and early winter.
The companies are seeing a very healthy growing season throughout the Pacific Northwest and Wisconsin, with volume increases expected compared to last year, shared Oppy’s Category Manager and Senior Sales Representative Tony Illiano, who manages Oppy’s cranberry program with Ocean Spray. Both regions have experienced good pollination and bud set which has translated into good sizing.
With crop now shipping, Illiano noted that this year’s U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is the earliest it’s been in five years, landing on November 23. “We highly recommend that retailers get their orders in promptly to capitalize on the brand status of Ocean Spray in their stores,” he said.
Thanksgiving isn’t the only holiday that will happen earlier than usual. “Friendsgiving” has become an emerging celebration trend, typically observed a week prior to traditional festivities. Ocean Spray’s Senior Manager of Fresh and Natural Specialty Channel Brendan Schulke said that Friendsgiving continues to become an integral and expanding aspect of its cranberry campaign.
“This year’s marketing campaign centers around injecting fun into festivities, with initiatives like new shipper units, TV and digital promotional support, brand collaborations, influencer marketing, events, and virtual experiences. Consumers have also been able to take advantage of shoppable recipes, instant giveaways, in-store POS with shelf talkers and tags, and social content,” Schulke shared.
Ocean Spray is offering a top prize of $10,000 with its “Buy three, win big” promotion showcased on the front of each pack. Through purchase and receipt verification, shoppers can instantly win the jackpot or thousands of fun-driven prizes including gift cards for Uber, Spotify or Airbnb.
“Oppy and Ocean Spray have been working together for more than 50 years — it’s really become an essential part of what powers our growth. Retailers take comfort in knowing they can trust both Ocean Spray and Oppy to bring exceptional quality to their customers — I believe our expertise in selling cranberries together is unmatched,” said Schulke.
Illiano echoed, “I am honored to continue our strong partnership for U.S. sales and distribution. It’s been such a successful collaboration that we’ve found new ways to work together outside of cranberries by growing into other premium products.”
With over 50 touchpoints at retail, Ocean Spray’s presence in the produce department has expanded significantly to include strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, citrus and grapes through its partnership with Oppy.
About Oppy
Growing, marketing and distributing fresh produce from around the globe for 165 years, Vancouver, BC-based Oppy discovers and delivers the best of the world’s harvest. With over 50 million boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables grown on every continent moving through its supply chain annually, Oppy offers popular favorites from avocados and berries to apples and oranges year-round, alongside innovative seasonal specialties. Over the years, Oppy has introduced North Americans to a number of items across its diverse produce range, including Granny Smith, JAZZ and Envy apples, as well as green and gold kiwifruit. Go to oppy.com to learn more.
About Ocean Spray
In 1930, Ocean Spray was founded by three maverick farmers — bonded by bold cranberry love. Since then, we’ve grown into a vibrant global agricultural cooperative, built on the strength of roughly 700 farmer families in the United States, Canada, and Chile. Together, we’ve worked to preserve the family farming way of life for nearly 100 years, and for generations to come. Today, our cranberries show up in more than a thousand deliciously nourishing products in over 100 countries worldwide. United by passion and purpose, Ocean Spray is committed to trailblazing the power of the mighty cranberry through its offbeat taste and uncanny nutrition to feed happier lives for all. Born Tart. Raised Bold.™
