“Ocean Spray Ingredients is thrilled to bring our proud heritage of quality cranberry ingredients, combined with forward-thinking processing and deep insights, into the foods consumers crave, to the upcoming 2024 IFT Expo,” said Sarah O’Neil, Senior Managing Director, Ocean Spray Ingredients. “Grown by our dedicated family-farmer owners, cranberries are an ingredient solution for manufacturers looking to appeal to a wide variety of consumers, from health-conscious Millennials to novelty-seeking Generation Y. Consumers of all demographics prefer minimally processed ingredients like cranberries, and a recent survey by AHDB/Blue Marble found that farmers are the most trusted part of the food chain. Partnering with Ocean Spray Ingredients brings function and flavor to your next snack product, as well as access to our world-class culinary support, insight, and innovation teams.”

Ocean Spray Ingredients offers a variety of cranberry solutions that can be used in many applications: organic sweetened dried cranberries, sweetened dried cranberries (whole, sliced, diced, double diced), frozen, puree, concentrate and seeds. The team will feature several concepts showcasing different cranberry formats at IFT booth #3634, designed to help manufacturers envision their next winning snack concept. Attendees can sample three new flavor mixes perfect for various applications including:

Peanut Butter & Jelly Mix
Dive back into childhood memories with a Peanut Butter and Jelly Trail Mix. Made with strawberry-flavored dried cranberries, pretzel bites, dry-roasted peanuts and peanut butter chips, it ties perfectly to the nostalgic comfort food trend.

Sweet Tangy Mix
Bite into a delicious mix that is sure to awaken your senses. Orange-flavored cranberries, dry-roasted cashews, pineapple chunks and diced mango combine for a unique sensory experience and taste explosion with each bite.

Hot Honey Mix
Hot Honey continues to be a hot trend. Discover the sweet spiciness of this mix of dried cranberries, honey-roasted almonds, honey sesame sticks and spicy dried pineapple for a bold flavor sensation.  

“The snack category continues to grow,” said Adena Barber, Innovation and Marketing Manager, Ocean Spray Ingredients said. “In the U.S. alone, it is projected the average person will spend $151 on snacks in 2024. The global market is expected to grow by 3.25% in the next five years, offering significant opportunity for manufacturers. The key is to understand what products consumers want to buy—and Ocean Spray Ingredients, with our deep understanding of consumer purchase drivers, is uniquely equipped to help manufacturers find winning combinations.”

Attendees can experience an entirely different taste and texture experience during a “Crantastic” Tropical Tasting: A Multi-flavor Textural Snacking Experience on Monday, July 15 from 1:00 - 1:15 p.m. at the IFT First Taste of Science booth, #5212. Ocean Spray Cranberries own Charles Morrell, senior research chef, and Curtis Gong, MS, senior applications specialist, will share insights into current consumer trends and how easily cranberries can be incorporated into winning formulations. Special concepts will be available for tasting, including:

Piña Colada Sweetened Dried Cranberries
Delicately panned cranberries with white chocolate and piña colada flavor, dusted with edible gold.

Margarita Sweetened Dried Cranberries
Cranberries enhanced with a zesty margarita spice and flavor blend.

Jamaican Spiced Crunchy Coated Sweetened Dried Cranberries
Savory wheat shell-coated cranberries, baked until crunchy and seasoned with Jamaican spices.

Visit IFT booth #3634 to see how the bold flavor of cranberries can create consumers’ next favorite snack or visit https://www.oceanspray.com/ingredients. Learn more about the Taste of Science session or to add it to your schedule.