Ocean Spray recently celebrated the grand opening of its new production facility in the Upper Macungie Township of Pennsylvania.
Upon its completion later this year, the facility, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia and about 110 miles west of New York, will handle approximately 40 percent of the company’s North American volume and will produce more than 30 million cases of Ocean Spray juice per year. The company has already created 180 jobs at the new facility, according to a company release.
In April 2012, the company broke ground on the 44-acre site. Since that time, more than 1,000 men and women have contributed about 350,000 hours of labor to construct the 300,000 square-foot plant.
“The Grower-Owners of Ocean Spray Cranberries have made a major investment here in Pennsylvania and today’s celebration is the result of a lot of hard work by our employees and partners on this project,” Randy Papadellis, president and CEO of Ocean Spray, said in the release.
Erich Fritz, Ocean Spray’s vice president of engineering and new technologies, praised the facility’s efficiency and projected energy savings. The Lehigh Valley Beverage Facility, as it will be called, is the first beverage facility in North America to be powered by hot water, according to the release.
The full release is below:
LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass. — Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., a grower-owned agricultural cooperative and the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, today celebrated the grand opening of its newest beverage facility in the Upper Macungie Township of Pennsylvania. The plant is Ocean Spray’s first in Pennsylvania and once fully operational later this year, it will handle about 40 percent of the Cooperative’s North American volume. The building of the facility has already served as a catalyst for hundreds of jobs in the Lehigh Valley during construction and Ocean Spray has created 180 permanent jobs at the new facility.
“The Grower-Owners of Ocean Spray Cranberries have made a major investment here in Pennsylvania and today’s celebration is the result of a lot of hard work by our employees and partners on this project,” said Randy Papadellis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Spray. “As a cooperative founded on the work ethic and values of its many Grower-Owners, Ocean Spray is committed to bringing a neighborly culture everywhere we do business. We are pleased to be joining the Lehigh Valley community and we look forward to being a part of the Pennsylvania economy for many decades to come.”
During today’s grand opening ceremony, Papadellis was joined by the Cooperative’s Board of Directors and senior management as well as Ocean Spray’s well-known characters from the TV commercials.
Ocean Spray broke ground on the 44 acre site in April 2012. More than 1,000 men and woman have put in close to 350,000 man hours to build the nearly 300,000 square-foot plant that will produce more than 30 million cases of iconic Ocean Spray juice beverages each year. These beverages range from 100 percent cranberry juice to blends made with blueberry, grapefruit, pomegranate and other juices, all packaged in different-size bottles and boxes. Ocean Spray will also recycle all waste from the facility – sending zero waste to landfill.
The Lehigh Valley Beverage Facility, as it’s officially called, is also a leader in innovation and the first beverage facility in North America to be powered by hot water – a major energy savings.
“This state-of-the-art facility truly does represent Ocean Spray’s commitment to the future,” said Erich Fritz, Vice President of Engineering and New Technologies for Ocean Spray, who has overseen the design and construction of the new beverage facility. “The Lehigh Valley facility is truly innovative with technology and systems designed to provide efficiency and major energy savings now and in the future.”
Today’s celebration included state and local government officials including Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker. “By putting jobs first, Governor Corbett is harnessing Pennsylvania’s innovation, workforce, location to markets and competitive business climate to bring world-class organizations like Ocean Spray and new jobs to the commonwealth,” said Walker. “It is impressive that 40 percent of Ocean Spray’s North American volume will be bottled right here in Pennsylvania. We’re proud to welcome Ocean Spray to the commonwealth and look forward to them being a part of our community for years to come.”
Ocean Spray bottled its first Cranberry Juice Cocktail in the Lehigh Valley on January 29, 2014. The facility will continue to increase volume over the coming months as all its lines come into production.
About Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray is a vibrant agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry and grapefruit growers in the United States, Canada and Chile who have helped preserve the family farming way of life for generations. Formed in 1930, Ocean Spray is now the world’s leading producer of cranberry juices, juice drinks and dried cranberries and is the best-selling brand in the bottled juice category. The cooperative’s cranberries are currently featured in more than a thousand great-tasting, good-for-you products in over 50 countries worldwide. With more than 2,000 employees and nearly 20 cranberry receiving and processing facilities, Ocean Spray is committed to managing our business in a way that respects our communities, employees and the environment. In fiscal year 2013, Ocean Spray posted gross sales of $2.2 billion and net proceeds of $380 million. For more information visit www.oceanspray.com or our corporate blog at www.insidethecranberry.com