Ocean Spray Ignites Fresh Thinking at Forbes Under 30 Summit in Boston
The cranberry cooperative connects with entrepreneurs from Boston and beyond to grow the future of farming and food
Oct 14, 2016, 04:01 ET
LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Oct. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- What do an 86-year-old farmers' cooperative and the Forbes Under 30 Summit have in common? The future of food, of course! From Oct. 16 – 19, Ocean Spray, an official sponsor of the 2016 Forbes Under 30 Summit, will transform Boston's City Hall Plaza into a cranberry bog for harvesting the freshest ideas from the cream of the crop.
The Cooperative, owned by 700 family farms, will fuel discussions around science, technology and innovation between summit attendees and its multi-generation cranberry growers from inside its 720 square foot cranberry bog display. Filled with a half-ton of fresh cranberries, it's the first time the cooperative is bringing its iconic bog display to Boston.
"The Forbes Under 30 Summit provides us with a wonderful opportunity for Ocean Spray to engage with some of the finest innovative minds in business, politics, and social entrepreneurship" said Randy Papadellis, president and chief executive officer at Ocean Spray. "We are looking forward to hearing what they have to say about the future of agriculture, food and farming."
The Ocean Spray Cooperative has spent nearly nine decades growing the cranberry industry into a multibillion-dollar global business that enables family farms to thrive by working together to sell fruit to more than 100 countries around the world. The cooperative's global headquarters are located outside of Boston, where the summit is scheduled to be held.
#FreshThinking Booth
In addition to speaking with growers and fresh thinkers from within the cooperative, Ocean Spray is encouraging attendees to stop by its #FreshThinking booth Sunday, Oct. 16 from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. Attendees who share their ideas around the future of food, farming, agriculture and innovation can watch them come to life with the help from an on-site illustrator! Toby Cecchini, the creator of the original Cosmopolitan cocktail, will also be at the summit to share how cranberries inspired his creativity. The cooperative will curate top ideas at www.oceansprayfreshthinking.com and invite consumers to vote for their favorite. The attendee who submits the winning idea will have the opportunity to present it to Ocean Spray's executive leadership team.
In addition to curating ideas from the summit, attendees are invited to visit the bog display, Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. to learn more about career opportunities at Ocean Spray and to hear more about the agricultural industry from the perspective of the cooperative's grower-owners.
"At Ocean Spray, we are all cranberry growers charged with growing the market for our fruit," added Papadellis. "And we're looking for our next generation of growers – people who can bring fresh energy and ideas to the cooperative in a variety of fields from research and development to supply chain management to marketing and finance. We celebrate diversity of skills and talent and are looking forward to this momentous event."
To learn more about Ocean Spray and the cooperative visit www.OceanSpray.com and www.OceanSpray.coop, or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
About Forbes Under 30 Summit
The Forbes Under 30 Summit to be held in Boston, October 16-19, is expected to bring together thousands of global entrepreneurs and game changers of all ages at different venues all over Boston. The summit will comprise five interconnected stages featuring panels, TED-style presentations, keynotes, live demos and conversations with key speakers. The Summit includes the Under 30 Village in City Hall Plaza, which will serve as a meeting point for all summit participants where they can network with each other and with speakers, watch presentations and performances, seek career opportunities, and eat and drink.
Forbes' Under 30 franchise is a global multichannel platform, and comprises 30 Under 30 lists that feature young game changers. The lists are published in print and online all over the world. The franchise also includes live summits in the U.S., Asia and Israel, an Under 30 channel on Forbes.com and an Under 30 app. To access Forbes magazine's 2016 30 Under 30 list, please visit: http://www.forbes.com/30under30.
For more details on the 2016 Forbes Under 30 Summit in Boston, please visit www.under30summit.com. On Twitter, follow #Under30Summit.
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.
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SOURCE Ocean Spray