The sisters’ great-grandfather, Charlie, worked on the farm as a young boy and purchased it after 30 years as a dedicated employee. All cranberry varieties on this site (except Stevens) have been bred and cultivated by Valley Corp (Grygleski Family). Starting in 1943, Ocean Spray operated a cranberry juice bottling plant in Bordentown, producing 32 million cases per year. There’s a decent chance your Ocean Spray cranberry juice started out on the Biegel farm… Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. Part of the Ocean Spray Cooperative since the 1950’s, their 212-acre marsh celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2016. Its 125 employees average 10 years with Ocean Spray and operate three production lines in the 75,000 square foot facility, which rests on 243 acres. Fleetwood Mac is seeing a boost, too. The owners work 12 months a year to bring the very best certified organic cranberries to market. Your password must contain 6-12 characters, a capital letter and a number. "So we have seen, you know, overall sales great, and I expect to see Cran-Raspberry sales to take off quite literally in the next quarter. We are proud to be part of the Ocean Spray family. The Tomah processing plant produces 31 million pounds of sweetened dried cranberries and concentrate annually, according to Ocean Spray. In 1954, Valley Corp joined Ocean Spray Cooperative and is still today an Ocean Spray grower-owner. Malcolm and Ardell McPhail are first-generation cranberry farmers. Our 22-year-old daughter, Rachel, is very interested in cranberry production. Please enter your information below to join the Cranberry Club. “It has been very rewarding to have times when three generations have worked together on the marsh,” shared Jim. Hansen’s farm, Cranberry Creek Cranberries, joined the Ocean Spray co-op in the late 1990s and is one of the largest producers in Wisconsin. Must contain 6-12 characters, a capital letter and a number. Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. From wet to dry harvesting, learn all about our cranberry harvest process. Each farm and its efforts may seem tiny on its own, but collectively these farmers make a mighty impact. This self-guided drive extends 50 miles across central Wisconsin’s cranberry growing region, stretching from Wisconsin Rapids to Warrens. An old producer from New Jersey, John “Peg Leg” Webb, was the first to remark on this peculiarity. We grow cranberries exclusively and proudly for Ocean Spray Cranberry Cranberries, Inc. A grower-owned cooperative since 1930 . Andrea, the owner, was a great tour guide. 09/28/2017 Ocean Spray Cranberries is a branch of Ocean Spray, an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 650 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and other parts of Canada as well as more than 100 Florida grapefruit growers. The LaFleurs’ farm provides a great venue for agricultural tourism; Jeff and Kim host visitors from around the world to fully experience the cranberry harvest by donning waders in the bog to help harvest the crop. Ocean Spray sales were increasing before the video, though. "For us, we just hope that people can enjoy cranberries," Lochner said. You must agree to our terms & conditions. "My wife shared it with me, my daughter shared it with me, growers have been sharing it with me," said Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association. This website uses cookies to enhance your online experience. Here, Ocean Spray’s Tomah processing plant—home of the Original Craisins® Dried Cranberries—produces 31 million pounds of dried cranberries and concentrate every year. In the meantime, be sure to visit Wetherby Cranberry Co. or the Ocean Spray booth right down the street from us for your fresh cranberry buying needs. "We have been the benefactors of, you know, some strong sales based on consumers coming back to products that they love and that give them comfort in uncomforting times," Hayes said in the interview. His son, Jim, joined his father after college to run the operation. She is so knowledgeable and fun! Enjoy the crisp, clean taste of cranberries from Ocean Spray®. 6 were here. Thanks you for joining the Cranberry Club, Your password has been reset successfully. Discover how cranberries are grown in Ocean Spray's® cranberry harvest. Wisconsin's 270 cranberry farms are just finishing harvest season, Lochner said. That could mean good things for Wisconsin's cranberry growers. A TikTok sensation of a man cruising on a longboard … Shortly after, they bought a 12-acre farm adjacent to the original that had been developed in the early 1900’s. Biegel says that 50 percent of the cranberries in the world come from Wisconsin. Thank you, instructions to reset your password has been sent to your email. 700 Families Strong Ocean Spray is a vibrant agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers in the United States, Canada and Chile who have helped preserve the family farming way of life for generations. 'Confirm Password' and 'Password' do not match. Gottschalk is in its third generation of ownership and ships all its cranberries to Ocean Spray, an owner-cooperative with several Wisconsin processing plants. If you wish to continue, click okay. For the challenge, people re-create his video by drinking cranberry juice while skateboarding to Fleetwood Mac. So yeah, we are looking forward to that.". Because of his wooden leg, he was unable to transport his berries to the barn where he stored them. FYI: North Tomah Cranberry Co. berries go to grower-owned Ocean Spray, located just down the highway from the farm. Right now, cranberry producers in the Ocean Spray Cooperative expect to break even, but some are looking at losses. Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association. Happy festing!! Get Directions That was the start of a wonderful family operation. Jim hopes that some of his four children – J.T., 34, Rachel, 31, Emma and Ethan, both 17 – will continue the family’s cranberry journey. Ocean Spray judges its cranberries based on their colour, size and freshness... as well as – surprising as it sounds – their ability to bounce! We are a 300 acre Ocean Spray grower farm and we rely on Ocean Spray to independently evaluate some of the traits of our hybrid’s. Our mission is to grow abundant quality crops while sustaining our land and water resources and our family farm heritage. Ocean Spray is an American agricultural cooperative of growers of cranberries and grapefruit headquartered in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Join now and start contributing and following all things cranberry! Ocean Spray gifted the TikTok star Nathan Apodaca a 2020 Nissan Titan PRO-4X and a trunk full of Ocean Spray. Their first planting was 8 acres; today, it is 86 acres. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and We own and operate a cranberry farm and offer seasonal cranberry and craisin sales. It's owned by Sue Gilmore, who is also a descendent of one of the founding families of Ocean … Some examples include the 78-year-old Gottschalk Cranberry Inc. farm in Wisconsin that is owned by Fawn Gottschalk who operates it with her parents, and the Gilmore Cranberry Company, established in 1979. His son, Jim, joined his father after college to run the operation. It currently has over 700 member growers (in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Florida, British Columbia and other parts of Canada, as well as Chile). On this rainy, but unusually warm Wisconsin morning, we were near Wisconsin Rapids visiting the Gottschalk Cranberry farm, a 1,200-acre operation with 230 acres of cranberry vines. Cultivating a unique, native fruit plant that has so many health benefits is also very gratifying. The family started another cranberry marsh, Brockway Cranberry Inc., in 1992. Tom and Jim grew their farm to 32 acres before selling it to become the State of Wisconsin’s Cranberry Research Station. Come stay with us May through September at: Cranberry Leaf Compost For Sale In 2015, after more than 70 years, the operation moved to … Wisconsin is the top producer of cranberries in the U.S., according to the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association. Yes, while Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., a cooperative owned by its growers, is headquartered in Lakeville-Middleboro, Mass., the world’s largest producer of cranberry products has a … It's wasn't an idea dreamed up by the marketing team but an organic post that went viral. more. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. We are a 300 acre Ocean Spray grower farm and we rely on Ocean Spray to independently evaluate some of the traits of our hybrid’s. "The Ocean Spray Community Fund is the perfect extension of our commitment to community well-being." Before becoming a cranberry farmer, Jeff served as the Executive Director at the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association. Brother and sister, Ed A. Grygleski and Mary Klouda, own and operate their marsh, Valley Corporation, part of the Ocean Spray family since 1954. They take pride in the cranberry farm … A confirmation email has been sent to the email address you used to register your account. Jim was intrigued by the variety of hats a cranberry grower must wear: working outside, running equipment and being part of the Cooperative. Ocean Spray challenge on TikTok is good news for the No. Ocean Spray CEO Tom Hayes said in an interview with Yahoo Finance that the company can't say yet if there will be an increase in sales but that retailers have said there has been "additional draw off the shelf." The Bible Family of Wisconsin have been growing cranberries for Ocean Spray since 1981 when Tom Bible purchased an 18-acre marsh without any prior farming experience. According to Ferzli, the adjustments the farmers had to make were few and mostly centered on upgrading technologies that … We enjoyed the tour, all the farm animals, and the sample of the craisins. A TikTok star's video of him sipping on Ocean Spray has been viewed tens of millions of times. At that time, production was for fresh fruit. The song "Dreams" is back on top songs charts. Ocean Spray gifted the TikTok star Nathan Apodaca a 2020 Nissan Titan, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The growers thought Wisconsin would produce around 550 million pounds of cranberries this season but the total will likely be below 500 million, Lochner said. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke. As Washington State University Extension agents in the 1980’s, the couple took a chance by purchasing an eight-acre cranberry farm that needed a lot of work. Even our seven-year-old twins help out on the farm from time to time. Each farm and its efforts may seem tiny on its own, but collectively these farmers make a … 1 cranberry producing state -- Wisconsin. wisconsin cranberry highway One of the best ways to see harvest is by driving the Wisconsin Cranberry Highway. "As cranberry growers, we are deeply rooted in our communities, so we understand the value of building safer, healthier places to farm, work and live," shared Ocean Spray Farmer-Owner Heidi Slinkman of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Inspired by a trip to Cape Cod’s cranberry bogs in 1938, Louis-Michel’s grandfather, Edgard, was a … If not, you may disable cookies; however, this may affect your experience on the site. Louis-Michel, his wife, Geneviève, and their son, Édouard, live and breathe farming. The crop was smaller than the growers would like because of cooler temperatures in August and September. All cranberry varieties on this site (except Stevens) have been bred and cultivated by Valley Corp (Grygleski Family). The Grygleskis of Wisconsin love growing cranberries – and they have been doing it for three generations! Ocean Spray Cranberry farms are a part of a large cooperative established in 1933 that includes the US, Canada, and Chile. Find cranberry juices, recipes, and more information about cranberry health and our farmers. Hayes joined in on the trend and posted his own version, too. More than half of the world's supply of cranberries is grown here, according to the association. A TikTok sensation of a man cruising on a longboard listening to Fleetwood Mac and drinking Ocean Spray juice is turning into big cranberry business. The Larocque family have been Canadian cranberry growers for Ocean Spray since 1958. Email address is not in a correct format. The viral video trend is being called the Ocean Spray challenge. By using our website, you agree to our privacy policy. The Bible Family of Wisconsin have been growing cranberries for Ocean Spray since 1981 when Tom Bible purchased an 18-acre marsh without any prior farming experience. More than half of these farms, according to a tweet by Ocean Spray, are owned by women. 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