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Ocean Spray - Celebrating More Than 75 Years in Business

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it appropriate to post about Ocean Spray and the importance it has to the local community. Not only to the local growers that belong to the cooperative, but also to those employed at the corporate headquarters and processing plants in Lakeville and Middleboro Massachusetts.

Ocean Spray Corporate Headquarters Lakeville MA

Ocean Spray has been a part of the local community for much longer than I can remember. In fact, they are getting very close to celebrating their 80th year in business. Congratulations Ocean Spray! Everyone in Middleboro, Lakeville, Plymouth, Rochester, Carver, Wareham, Halifax and the surrounding communities all know that cranberries have been an important commodity to this region of the country.

Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative and is owned by approximately 600 cranberry and 50 grapefruit growers, and employs approximately 2,000 people worldwide. With growers and facilities located throughout North America and parts of Canada. According to information posted on their website.

I used to live on Route 28 in Middleboro, and when the cranberries were being harvested, many of the trucks traveling to the nearby processing plant would pass by several times a day. Each truck would lose a few berries from their load, which resulted in a trail of the crimson fruit along the side of the road. Hence the name "cranberry highway" became synonymous with Route 28.

Every year when my family gathers for Thanksgiving, there is a blessing before the grand feast and cranberry juice cocktail is used for the toast. There is also cranberry sauce, and a cranberry gelatin to go along with the traditional meal of turkey, homemade mashed potatoes & gravy, squash, green beens (one of the only vegetables my brother will eat), and usually ham. Not to mention the homemade pies: apple, chocolate creme, and cherry cheesecake. Yum.

Did you know, that cranberries can be good for your mouth, heart, bones, stomach and urinary tract? I knew they were good for me, but I didn't know how good. Check it out - cranberries are good for you.

You know what is even better? Supporting your local growers, and keeping people working. Visit their website for some great Ocean Spray - Recipes. You might even be inspired to cook something new for dinner. Enjoy.

Call on Judy Jennings for all your real estate needs. I proudly serve Plymouth county, Barnstable county and part of Bristol county in Massachusetts.

Call me: 508-947-2295, ext. 210
Email: Judy Jennings
Visit my website: FocusedonRealEstate.com

Posted by Judy Jennings - Realtor® Serving Plymouth & Barnstable Counties on 11/03/2009 01:08 PM

Comments (47)

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Originally posted at: Call on Judy: Ocean Spray - Celebrating More Than 75 Years in Business

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47 Comments on Ocean Spray - Celebrating More Than 75 Years in Business

NOV

What a great and informative post - I never knew where Ocean Spray was headquartered or even where cranberries are grown until your post! Thanks for sharing!

Judy...Great topic for a localism post, Ocean Spray is so well know, but not everybody understands the connection to the Plymouth (and surrounding areas)...Super information thanks for letting us know.

Judy, I loved your post. I didn't know that Ocean Spray was a cooperative, that it also included farms around the U.S., or that it included grapefruit farms which I suppose would be in FL, CA, AZ. I just assumed Ocean Spray was a canner and bottler in the Northeast which purchased cranberries just as some wineries may purchase grapes or grapejuice. Interesting. I learned something. Charlie Gantz, Greenwood, IN; J.D., M.B.A.

It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the cranberry sauce! It has always been a fav of mine. I wasn't aware that Ocean Spray was in Massachusetts!

Judy--It is great to know more about a local company that we tend to take for granted. Where would we be without them? Great post.

You are absolutely right about the health benefits . I drink a glass a day when taking my other supplements !!!

Judy - Ocean Spray has an interesting history. I am a fan of their juice!

Thanks for such a great topic. I love cranberries. I make my own cranberry sauce every year and just picked up two new recipes to incorporate them into for fall. They look great as decorative accents but they don't last long enough in my house - we gobble them up!

I love cranberries. My wife makes the best cranberry chutney every year at Thankgiving.

I love cranberry juice, jelly, etc! Awesome stuff! I grew up on Ocean Spray and continue to drink it all the time, in fact I have two bottles in my fridge right now! Great information in this post and I like the pix too!

Judy, this is so great. I look forward to fall and cranberry season. Just picked up bags of the berries at Stop-n-Shop and will freeze them so I'll have some wel into winter. Last year, I started to gather a collection of cranberry sauce recipes - love it, love it, love it. (No canned, corrugated cranberry jelly for me!)

Judy, I grew up in Massachusetts and remember the cranberry bogs around Edaville Railroad in Carver. Excellent and informative post.

Susan, Steve, Charles, Sharon, kathy, Michael, Jason, Christianne, Tim, Jeani and Kathryn - Ocean Spray is a very well known brand and makes some great products. I am glad you all enjoyed the post. I enjoyed each and every one of your comments. Thanks.

I can't remember life without Ocean Spray. They're older than me!!

What a nice tribute.

Debbie - The stories I could tell about Edaville Railroad. My uncle used to operate the horse drawn wagon. I used to hang out there in the summer with my cousins and ride that carousel and train non-stop. I also enjoyed riding the train to see the Christmas lights. It seemed like a HUGE park as a child.

Marian - Older than me too thank goodness! I am having a cran-rasberry light right now.

Good post I guess I learned a few things today ......about Ocean Spray

Nice job Judy!! On my shopping list: Cranberry juice and whole cranberries -- Ocean Spray. They are a great antioxidant fer sure!! We have a lot of cranberry bogs here on Oregon too. Would you mind if I blogged about Oregon cranberry history? :-)

Hi Judy ~ Ocean Spray is my cranberry sauce of choice. Fun to learn more about them. Congratulations on the gold star!

Liz

Gene - Glad you liked it and it's always good to learn something new.

Carla - "Would you mind if I blogged about Oregon cranberry history?" - Go for it! Check out the section about the Oregon grower/owners they highlight one family from Oregon.

Hi Liz - Me too. I have always used their products. The gold star surprised me. Thanks.

Judy,

This is a really nice localism post. I like cranberries and had heard that they were good for you but didn't know just how much.

Hi Judy, and Happy 75 to Ocean Spray. Loved all the background you brought to us!!!

I love all of the Ocean Spray products - go out of my way to purchase them. A great company - Happy 75th Ocean Spray!

75 years of cranberry juice from this company, wow! I've visited Ocean Spray before. It's been awhile though.

I LOVE oceanspray... I won't buy any other cranberry juice.. sauce etc. I love supporting local growers and I had no idea they were so close by.

Judy, we are big Ocean Spray fans! I just wish we could get fresh cranberries other times of the year besides Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Hi Judy -- I always liked this company and their products but never knew about the history, etc. How wonderful.

NOV

Hi, Judy. When I lived in Maine, we had 180 acres and there was a cranberry bog. I picked my own cranberries for Thanksgiving each year. I'm in Tennessee now and I leave it to Ocean Spray! Enjoyed the article and congratulations on the feature!.

Don - Something that tastes good and is good for you. That's a win-win in my book.

Gary - Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

Emily - Me too.

Melissa - I remember taking a tour of the processing plant in grade school. It was pretty interesting. I wonder if the process has changed much.

Joan - I wouldn't buy any other juice either. Middleboro used to be considered the cranberry capital of the world.

Sharon - You can freeze them, but I am not sure how long.

Chris - I learned a few new things about the company and they are in my backyard (so to speak).

Leslie - I grew up on a 200+ acre farm, but we never had a bog, just dairy cows and a few horses. I miss the horses dearly. We used to ride into the woods and cut down a tree for Christmas. It always looked like the poor Charlie Brown tree no matter how many ornaments, lights and tinsel we hung.

Hi, Judy:

I was raised in that area. The cranberry bogs were great places to go ice skating in the winter since they are not very deep and much safer than ponds or lakes. Edaville Railroad, cranberries and church at St. Martha and Mary's in Lakeville were all part of my childhood.

Very nice post.

Lovely post and what a wonderful local icon to celebrate particularly this time of year.

Claudette - Now I am curious. I bet we have less than six degrees of separation if you grew up in Lakeville.

Penny - Thank you. I think our community is pretty lucky too.

Excellent localism post Judy! What a great way to support and promote (in addition to buying their products) Ocean Spray.

Judy:

I, actually, grew up in Rochester. We went to church in Lakeville before they built a Catholic church in our town. We may have six or seven degrees, you never know...

Hi Judy!! Great post!! I hope that it blows up on the internet for you locally!! I love cranberries!! All the best this holiday season!!

Judy, what a great post! Cranberry Hwy, that is great! I love cranberry juice and cranberry sauce, but I have to admit just one little problem with it, YOU CAN'T EAT ANYTHING CRANBERRY AND DRINK MILK. Just my 2 cents on that one.

Supporting your local growers is so important. People need to think about this when they buy things at the store. Not realizing that Ocean Spray is so close to me, I will make sure I buy Ocean Spray only from now on. Just like buying Cabot butter, Cabot cheese, I drink Guidas milk, all these are co-op and local owned throughout New England.Well, Guidas buys it's milk from Agri-Mark, so that works for me. Direct from the CT cow to Guidas.

Our farmers are hurting as much as we are, we should support them from the growers to the people who work in the offices. :D

You rock and congrats on the star!!!!

Judy,

Lovely post...Ocean Spray is definitely THE CRANBERRY BRAND! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. We would not even see another brand on the shelf or in the fresh produce department. All the best, Alexandra.

Barb - Thanks. I hope Ocean Spray feels the same way. I am still waiting for someone to call me back about whether or not I could take a photo of corp. headquarters. I just shot it from the road, rather than drive into the facility and take a nice close up. Oh well, it worked.

Claudette - Rochester is a beautiful town. Is your family still there?

Stephen - Thanks. All the best to you too.

Andrea - Thank you. Middleboro used to be a very large dairy community (my family included). If it will make you feel better, I will go visit the only remaining dairy farmer in town and if they are agreeable, I will write a post about them. There is always room for MILK!!

Alexandra - I am really glad you liked it. Ocean Spray has the competition beat.

I love this stuff, we just bought some. Did you ever work there as a kid like I did in some of the berry fields here.

Todd Clark - www.LivingBeaverton.com

NOV

Todd - No never worked at Ocean Spray. My early employment years were in retail and clerical, then banking, sales & marketing, now real estate.

NOV

I don't care how good cranberries are for me, they are not going in my mouth, much less down my esophagus and into my stomach. Now grapefruit? That's a different story. Been eating grapefruit and drinking Ocean Spray Ruby Red Grapefruit (unsweetened) for centuries.

NOV

Russel - I seem to get the impression that you don't like cranberries. Oh well, grapefruit is good for you too.

Hi Judy, I have been busy so it's been hit and miss for me here on AR, I hope to back to regular commenting by the years end.

Now as for your post...I been keeping the cranberry business in business for as long as I remember! I had no idea this company was an agricultural co-op, see the things you learn by visiting your friends :) Great info and a well deserved star!!!

Cynthia - Good product and good branding makes for a very successful company. I too have been a loyal consumer to Ocean Spray for many years. Glad you liked both their product, and this post. Thanks.

NOV

I have to say Judy when I lived in MD and was attending the Fell's Point Festival many, many years years ago, people were handing out these crazy packets called Crasins. Well I just couldn't wait for them to hit the store, they were a new favorite of mine and still are! In fact I'm taking some along to work w/ me today :)

And again, loved your informative post!

NOV

Thanks Cynthia- I like cranraisins too. They are good on their own, but I prefer them in a trail mix. Although that can be addicting and I tend to eat more than I should. :-)

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