Oppy and Ocean Spray celebrate 20 years of cranberry excellence in U.S. market
Fun-focused campaign embraces emerging Friendsgiving trend in earliest season since 2018 
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.
