Unfair labor practice charge at Breinigsville, Pennsylvania
The NLRB received an unfair labor practice charge (case 04-CA-362222) against Ocean Spray involving Teamsters Local 773 at the Breinigsville, Pennsylvania facility. The charge alleged discipline, discharge or layoffs, contract repudiation, and bad faith bargaining. Maintenance technicians at the plant had voted to unionize with Teamsters 773 in October 2024.
Breinigsville maintenance technicians vote to unionize
Maintenance technicians at Ocean Spray's Breinigsville, Pennsylvania facility voted 17–8 to join Teamsters Local Union 773 in a certification election. The win added a second unionized Ocean Spray facility (with Grays Harbor, Washington) and gave workers collective bargaining rights at the plant.
Class action: Craisins and Greek yogurt bites sugar content
Two California residents filed a class action alleging Ocean Spray falsely advertised Craisins (dried cranberries) and Greek yogurt cranberry bites as healthy snacks while concealing their added sugar content. The complaint argues the marketing is deceptive for health-conscious consumers.
About 94 workers at Ocean Spray's Wisconsin Rapids plant petitioned to unionize with IBEW Local 965; the February 2024 vote was 41 in favor and 50 against, so the facility remained non-union. It was the second unionization attempt at the plant (the first failed in 2014). Workers had cited cuts to performance bonuses, increased mandatory overtime due to short-staffing, and a desire for more voice in decisions. Union members from Ocean Spray's unionized Kenosha plant supported the effort; union reps said the company had been adversarial toward the campaign.
A class action (Wright v. Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.) alleged that Ocean Spray's cran-raspberry and "100% Juice" cranberry watermelon varieties are falsely labeled "No Preservatives" because they contain citric acid, which the plaintiffs say the FDA classifies as a preservative. The complaint argues consumers would not have bought the products or would have paid less with accurate labeling.
Teamsters ratify contract at Grays Harbor, Washington
Workers at Ocean Spray's Grays Harbor facility ratified a collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 252. The contract included wage increases of more than 10% over three years, increased pension contributions, improved vacation accrual, and additional paid holidays.
Recall: undeclared sulfites in Pink Lite Cranberry Juice Drink
Ocean Spray recalled a single production lot of 5.5 oz cans of Pink Lite Cranberry Juice Drink due to undeclared sulfites added in error by a contract manufacturer. The affected lot had best-before date 24JAN21 and was distributed Feb–Apr 2020. The recall followed consumer complaints about an off odor. No illnesses were reported; the recall was terminated by the FDA.
100% FSA verification: first fruit cooperative worldwide
Ocean Spray became the first fruit cooperative in the world to achieve 100% Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) verification for its cranberries. All of the cooperative's growers were verified as sustainably grown under the FSA tool, which Ocean Spray has used with farmers since 2017.
Ocean Spray announced a collaboration with Atlantic Sea Farms to develop Cranberry Kelp Cubes, combining cranberry seeds with sustainably grown kelp. The partnership aimed to advance regenerative farming, upcycled ingredients, and sustainability; both companies emphasized family-farmed and sustainable production.
Ocean Spray is owned by about 700 family farmers in the U.S., Canada, and Chile and accounts for roughly 70% of North American cranberry production. The cooperative publishes a sustainability strategy built on four pillars—Planet, Product, People, Prosperity—aimed at keeping the co-op "regenerative and resilient for generations to come."
Ocean Spray Community Fund: grants to 100+ nonprofits
Ocean Spray established its Community Fund in 2016 to support nonprofits in communities where it operates. By 2018 the fund had granted up to $5,000 annually to over 200 nonprofits, with 107 recipients that year supporting sustainable agriculture, STEM education, hunger relief, and other causes. The program expanded to Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and British Columbia. Ocean Spray also runs an Employee Matching Gift Program and Employee Volunteer Days.
Founding and early products: juice cocktail, canned sauce
Ocean Spray was founded in 1930 in Hanson, Massachusetts, by three cranberry growers—Marcus L. Urann, Elizabeth F. Lee, and John C. Makepeace—as Cranberry Canners, Inc., to collectively process and market cranberries. The co-op launched the first commercial cranberry juice cocktail (1930) and canned jellied cranberry sauce (1941), stabilizing grower income and expanding beyond the holiday season. During WWII it supplied canned cranberries to U.S. military rations.
