Refrigeration facility will support Ocean Spray’s Craisins® production
Americold Breaks ground at Middleborough.jpg
Americold Breaks ground at Middleborough.jpg
ATLANTA - Americold, the global leader in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics to the food industry, announced today that it has broken ground on a new facility in Middleborough, MA for its long-time partner Ocean Spray. The facility will support Ocean Spray’s production requirements for its northeast harvesting operations, specifically for Craisins® dried cranberries. Ocean Spray has been an Americold partner for nearly 40 years. As demand for the company’s array of unique, healthy products has continued to grow globally, so has the need for frozen storage and refrigeration. This new facility, adjacent to Ocean Spray’s production facility in Middleborough, now will become a key component of the distribution process for Craisins® dried cranberries. “We are so pleased to be able to expand our support for Ocean Spray with the construction of this new building,” commented Fred Boehler, President & CEO of Americold. “It’s a great example of partners coming together to develop a mutually beneficial solution for future growth.” The new facility will offer 173,000 square feet of bulk storage with three rooms operating at 0o Fahrenheit to maintain cranberry integrity from harvest to production. Design considerations took into account the high volume of incoming cranberry loads at harvest time, and freezing those cranberries to Ocean Spray’s high standards, which ensure the incredible taste, color, and health benefits consumers know and enjoy. “The strength of our Americold partnership comes directly from our close collaboration, and Americold’s commitment to understanding our unique needs as the global leader in cranberry products,” added Mike Stamatakos, Senior Vice President, Global Operations for Ocean Spray. “Our farmer-owners take immense care and pride in growing only the best fruit—it’s a heritage we will proudly continue with the support of business partners like Americold.” The construction phase is underway and once completed, Americold will be hiring for full-and part-time positions to support the operation. The facility is expected to open in September 2018—in time for the Fall 2018 harvest.