Ocean Spray breaks ground on large project in New Brunswick

June 4, 2009
ROGERSVILLE, NB (CNB) - Ocean Spray, the world's largest cranberry handler, began construction today on a cranberry farm near Lac Després that has the potential to become a regional growing hub. The 3,400 hectare farm is being established on Crown Land, and the company is expected to invest up to $90 million to develop the farm. The Ocean Spray operation involves transforming 1,900 acres of Crown Land into prime, cranberry-producing bog. The development has the potential to become the largest cranberry farm on the continent, creating more than 100 full-time jobs.

Premier Shawn Graham was joined at the event by Rogersville Mayor Bertand LeBlanc; Agriculture and Aquaculture Minister Ronald Ouellette; Environment Minister Roland Haché; Chief Ken Barlow of Indian Island First Nation; and Randy Papadellis, Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Spray.

Ocean Spray is a 75-year-old agricultural co-operative owned by more than 600 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and other parts of Canada, as well as more than 50 Florida grapefruit growers. The company has been gathering intelligence in New Brunswick for many months, in order to pick out the most appropriate site and do work for the environmental impact assessment. The project received the stamp of approval from the NB Department of Environment on Monday.

The first yield is expected in 2012. The project could eventually generate about $45 million annually in economic benefits to New Brunswick.

Despite the recession, Ocean Spray is forecasting nearly US$2 billion in sales for its current fiscal year alone, an increase of 10 per cent over last fiscal year. In desperate need of more fruit to quench a market that has expanded to more than 60 countries, the company's research zeroed in on the Maritimes as a potential production area. Ocean Spray is renowned for its acumen in product development and marketing. Selling juice since the 1930s, the company has launched the "craisin", a dry husk left after the juicing process, which now makes a raisin-like snack. The company jumped into the energy drink market a year ago with Cranergy, a cranberry juice cocktail mixed with green tea extract and vitamin B12.

The popularity of cranberries continues to grow, in large part due to the role the fruit plays in human health. Scientists recognize the value of the fruit in health as arising from flavonoids - constituents it shares with related species like wild blueberries. As scientific knowledge expands, it is increasingly thought that the mode of action of these flavonoids - originally believed to be powerful antioxidants - actually impact human well-being in more subtle ways by reducing inflammation. Inflammation is increasingly being seen as a common link in a host of degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, even diabetes. This August, New Brunswick is hosting the North American Cranberry Research and Extension Workers' Conference (nacrew.bioatlantech.nb.ca) which will include a session on health research related to cranberries.

New Brunswick and Eastern Canada are home to a strong cluster of science and technology related to the health functionality of Vaccinium fruit, a genus which includes cranberry and wild blueberries. A recent study by BioAtlantech and its partners identified a significant plant bio-sciences cluster in New Brunswick, with economic activity and employment exceeding $70 million, and 600 highly qualified persons, respectively, in 2007.

For more information on this story, please visit:
http://nacrew.bioatlantech.nb.ca/public/jpage/1/p/Home/content.do
http://www.canadaeast.com/news/article/689312
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/front/article/690244
http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/afa/2009e0793af.htm
http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/front/article/687323

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