In a world full of commercial-free streaming services, some of the most memorable television commercials from my childhood come from Ocean Spray. The commercials typically featured two of the cooperative’s farmers sporting waders, knee-deep in a cranberry bog, promoting Ocean Spray’s line of products.

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Massachusetts to spend time with Ocean Spray Ingredients to learn more about the company’s various cranberry innovations and formulations with fellow editors. During this trip, it was like I got to step into one of these commercials: I put on a pair of Ocean Spray-branded waders and headed knee-deep into a cranberry bog. The bog we visited was second-generation owned by Steve Ward, of Steven F. Ward Cranberries. Ward is one of the nearly 700 family farmers that make up the cooperative.

Prior to the bog tour, fellow editors and I were invited to Ocean Spray headquarters in Lakeville-Middleboro, Mass. The morning began with a portfolio overview and tasting with two members of the Ocean Spray Ingredients team, Curtis Gong, senior scientist, and Chef Charley Morrill, senior research chef. We were accompanied by Adena Barber, growth and customer marketing manager for Ocean Spray Ingredients, and Seema Kedia, senior manager of strategic marketing for Ocean Spray Ingredients.

The team shared the benefits of using cranberries as ingredients across a variety of formulations, including the instant appeal of color, bold taste, blending well with other flavors, shelf life, customization abilities and overall consumer demand. More than a thousand products include cranberries from Ocean Spray, and we saw a handful of these products while at headquarters.

As it pertains to the beverage industry, Ocean Spray Ingredients’ Cranberry Concentrate adds both a tart flavor and intense red color, which lends itself to products like juices. The variety of concentrates can be used in different formulations. We got to try cranberry-infused apple cider and Ocean Spray’s White Cran x Strawberry Juice while at the headquarters.

The ingredients team emphasized that cranberry concentrates and purees can lend themselves to applications such as smoothies and work as a natural colorant. Cranberries are known as a superfruit. The berries are packed with powerful nutrients and certain well-documented health benefits that can make cranberries a good addition to a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

Research suggests there are multiple powerful elements found within cranberries that are linked to a variety of health benefits. Besides helping consumers meet their recommended daily fruit intake, cranberries and certain cranberry beverage products may also help support urinary tract, gut, oral and heart health, the team shared.

“From energizing smoothies to soothing teas, cranberry concentrate brings bold flavor and nutrients to every sip,” the team noted in a presentation. “Whether blended into juices, stirred into cocktails and mocktails or added to functional shots, it’s a smart ingredient that adapts to today’s most popular beverage formats and can be part of a daily wellness routine.”

After visiting headquarters and the bog tour, and after a break for lunch, we stopped by a receiving station. During peak season, more than 100 semitrucks will come through the station in a day to drop off loads of cranberries. Even the one load we witnessed held an astounding number of cranberries.

We then toured one of Ocean Spray’s plants, where we got to see firsthand the massive product of cranberry products like Ocean Spray’s sweetened dried cranberries. Despite the large scale of the facility, I was surprised to witness how much manual labor was still involved in the process.

Our day concluded with a cranberry-themed dinner at Solstice, a restaurant in Kingston, Mass. The dishes each featured some form of cranberries, such as pickled cranberries and a gastrique sauce.

Ocean Spray’s roots date back to 1930, and the cooperative first introduced the Cranberry Juice Cocktail a few years later. In its nearly 100-year history, Ocean Spray has grown its juice and juice drinks portfolio to include an array of options, from zero sugar offerings to Cran-Energy juice drinks. The company also offers lineups of cocktail mixers and water enhancers, in addition to the offerings from the Ocean Spray Ingredients team.

Most recently, Ocean Spray launched a campaign with Emmy- and Tony-Award winning actor Bryan Cranson, titled Just Add Cran, Beware of Cranpus. The campaign turns a holiday tradition on its head with Cranpus, a mythical hoarder of cranberries, who steals cranberries from holiday tables and celebrations. The playful, cinematic reminder aims to showcase that cranberries are the essential staple of the holiday season, the company says.

At Ocean Spray headquarters, a portrait of Cranpus hangs above the fireplace in the lobby, keeping a watchful eye on employees and seemingly awaiting the next innovation from the brand.

Whatever that innovation might be, whether it is food or beverage, it is clear that Ocean Spray Ingredients aims to deliver on consumer need states using the power of the superfruit.