Americold Breaks Ground on New Middleborough, Massachusetts Facility

Refrigeration Facility Will Support Ocean Spray’s Craisins® Production


ATLANTA, Sept. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americold (www.americold.com), 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.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da10f0e7-d8ee-47f2-b9e0-853c2e36036d

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.

About Americold

Americold is the global leader in temperature controlled warehousing and logistics to the food industry, offering the most comprehensive warehousing, transportation and logistics solutions in the world. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Americold owns and operates over 165 temperature-controlled warehouses, with more than 1 billion cubic feet of storage, in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, Argentina and Canada. Americold’s facilities are an integral component of the supply chain connecting food producers, processors, distributors, and retailers to consumers. Americold serves more than 2500 customers and employs 11,000 associates worldwide. More information about Americold is at www.americold.com.

Media Contact
Daniel Cooke
Director of Marketing
Americold
10 Glenlake Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30328
MediaRelations@americold.com

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 North American bottled juice category. The cooperative’s cranberries are currently featured in more than a thousand great-tasting, good-for-you products in over 100 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. For more information visit: www.oceanspray.com or www.oceanspray.coop.

Media Contact
Kate Leonard
Manager, Communications
One Ocean Spray Drive
Lakeville, MA  02349
kleonard@oceanspray.com

Americold Breaks Ground on New Middleborough, Massachusetts Facility