British Columbia Opens the 2016 Cranberry Harvest Season

Ocean Spray Expects the Global Industry Will Harvest Just Over 13 Million Barrels of Fruit in 2016


RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sept. 27, 2016) -

Editors Note: Four photos for this release will be available on the Canadian Press picture wire via Marketwired.

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., a Grower-Owned cooperative officially kicked off the iconic cranberry harvest this week in British Columbia. Over the next six to eight weeks more than 80 farm families will harvest about one million barrels of cranberries, up slightly over last year's crop of about 990,000 barrels. A barrel is the standard measure for cranberries and is equal to 100lbs or 45Kg. Most of the province's cranberries go into Ocean Spray® products, which are sold in more than 100 countries.

Ocean Spray recently announced its latest global crop estimate for the 2016 cranberry harvest. If conditions remain as expected, Ocean Spray predicts the industry will produce approximately 13 million barrels of cranberries. Ocean Spray anticipates its Grower-Owners will deliver around 8 million barrels of cranberries to the Cooperative's receiving and processing facilities this year. A barrel is the standard measure for cranberries and is equal to 100lbs or 45Kg.

"Our Cooperative of family farms and the cranberry industry as a whole continues to grow by consistently delivering a high quality crop," shared Dan Crocker, VP of Cooperative Development and Global Ingredients. "As a cooperative, Ocean Spray is focused on selling that crop by growing demand for our Grower-Owner's fruit through both new product innovation and continuing to introduce the cranberry to new markets, geographies, and consumers worldwide."

In addition to the 80 British Columbia farms, Ocean Spray Grower-Owners are located throughout all cranberry growing regions including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin in the United States, as well as Eastern Canada (Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) and Chile. Regionally, Ocean Spray expects Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Quebec to experience significantly larger crops than 2015 with all other growing regions remaining steady. The Cooperative wrapped up the South American harvest in June with Ocean Spray receiving just under half a million barrels of fruit in Chile.

Regional Estimates for the 2016 North American Cranberry Harvest are as follows:

British Columbia 1 million barrels
Eastern Canada 2.6 million barrels
Total Canada: 3.6 million barrels
Massachusetts 2.1 million barrels
New Jersey 540,000 barrels
Oregon 480,000 barrels
Washington 170,000 barrels
Wisconsin 5.8 million barrels
Total USA: 9.1 million barrels

About Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray is the world's leading producer of cranberry products, but it's not your typical company. Founded in 1930, we are proud to be an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the net proceeds derived from every berry sold. Our 2,000 employees are united with these family farms in a shared purpose to ignite a passion for our cranberries around the world. For more information visit: www.oceanspray.ca or www.oceanspray.coop.

To view the photos associated with this press release, please visit the following links:

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Contact Information:

Kellyanne Dignan
Mobile: 617.803.3444
kdignan@oceanspray.com

Dunnberry Farms delivers some of the first cranberries of the 2016 harvest to Ocean Spray's receiving station in Richmond, BC, Tuesday, September 27, 2016. Dunnberry Farms was formerly part of Mayberry Farms and has now been passed on to a third generation of cranberry growers. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/Ocean Spray Cranberries Workers harvest cranberries at Richberry Group in Richmond, BC, Tuesday, September 27, 2016, the beginning of the British Columbia cranberry harvesting season. Over the next six weeks, the province will harvest close to 100,000,000 pounds or 45,000,000 kilograms of cranberries most of which are made into Ocean Spray(R) products. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/Ocean Spray Cranberries A worker harvests cranberries at Richberry Group in Richmond, BC, Tuesday, September 27, 2016, the beginning of the British Columbia cranberry harvesting season. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/Ocean Spray Cranberries Cranberries floating in the water at Harvest Red Farms in Richmond, BC, Tuesday, September 27, 2016. Harvest Red Farms is one of more than 100 Canadian Grower-Owners of the Ocean Spray Cooperative. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/Ocean Spray Cranberries
Company ProfileOcean Spray Cranberries