Cranberry juice brand Ocean Spray has appointed Euro Food Brands (EFB) as its sales agent partner, as part of the agricultural cooperative’s strategy to widen brand reach and bring cranberry to more consumers across the UK.
EFB will be responsible for increasing Ocean Spray’s presence and growing sales in a number of channels including retail, wholesale and in the on-trade. The commercial team will also be looking to maximise the recent launch of Ocean Spray’s innovative Pink Cranberry No Added Sugar juice drink made with pink, red and white cranberries, as well as supporting new product launches in the future.
Ocean Spray is the UK’s number one cranberry juice brand and is performing strongly in UK retail, with impressive value growth of +13 per cent year on year and volume sales up 4.1 per cent in the same period versus the total Juice and Juice Drinks category, which has experienced overall volume sales decline of -5.7 per cent year on year. The brand’s latest innovation, Pink Cranberry, is generating significant incremental sales opportunities in the category, evidence that consumers are increasingly looking for healthier choices and wider consumption occasions.
As such, Caroline Bethell, managing director of Ocean Spray UK and EMEA believes there are big opportunities to be had for the brand by increasing distribution across a wider range of channels:
“Ocean Spray has been a renowned expert in cranberries since 1930 and we want to continue to maximise our expertise in producing quality, ‘better-for-you’ cranberry products by bringing our existing and future product ranges to a wider audience," she explained. "We also want to introduce new consumption occasions to consumers, just as we are doing with our new Pink Cranberry juice drink, which is changing perceptions around taste and occasions, taking the brand beyond the traditional breakfast occasion and making it more accessible to a wider, younger and health conscious audience.
“We’ve partnered with Euro Food Brands to assist us in achieving these goals. The team has impressive experience in building premium food and drink brands and excellent cross-channel commercial expertise, which will support our aim to bring Ocean Spray to more UK consumers.”
Peter Butler, managing director of Euro Food Brands comments: “We’re delighted to be working with the UK’s leading cranberry juice brand and look forward to supporting Ocean Spray’s continued plans for growth, helping to strengthen both out-of-home distribution as well as accelerating its retail offer, enabling Ocean Spray to better respond to the needs of consumers who are clearly looking for more from their juices and juice drinks.”
Ocean Spray’s range of juice drinks, cranberry snacks and sauces have distribution across independent retailers and wholesalers.
The brand’s new Pink Cranberry ambient version will soon arrive in Co-Op . Ocean Spray has also significantly increased its UK marketing investment over the past 12 months, launching a new "Juice Done Differently" TV and digital advertising campaign in April 2024, with tasty, healthier, refreshment as central campaign messages.
“Ocean Spray is the UK’s leading cranberry juice brand and a brand consumers trust and emotionally connect with," added Bethell. "Our ethos, product quality and taste sets us apart; we’re a farmer owned cooperative with over 90 years of experience, and all profits go back to our 700 plus family farmers. No other UK cranberry juice brand can say that.”
