CranGrow COOP has been marketing member’s cranberries for a few years now, partnering with other companies and paying for private label processing. The COOP decided to pool additional funds and build their very own state of the Art processing plant near Warrens. Warrens is also the home to Wisconsin’s Cranberry Festival. CranGrow CEO Jim Reed joined Bryant to explain the plant and the whole idea of the COOP members controlling their own destiny.
The $ 20 million plant that will be opening soon was built to be versatile and many different products can be processed from the cranberries that will begin to be delivered after the harvest this fall. “We will begin by concentrating on the foreign markets that demand dried and sweetened cranberries, but we also plan on working with the underserved smaller retailers too” Reed told us.
Wisconsin is a heavy hitter when it comes to Cranberry production, not only do Wisconsin producers grow the most Cranberries in the nation but they produce %25 of the world’s cranberries. Reed tells us that most cranberries produced in Wisconsin are almost identical, and it’s “the way we process and handle along with package and market our products will set our products apart in the marketplace”.
The COOP will return profits to member owners and by controlling the whole process the members will be able to market their crop for and have a greater return or price, then the prices they have seen in the recent past. Different products that the plant wants to research and develop include juices, concentrates and even dried powdered varieties.
Member owners and the public is welcome to tour CranGrow’s new plant later this year as the construction is almost complete. Reed and the CranGrow COOP invite you to log on to the CranGrow Website and learn where you can find there COOP’s products
Listen to Bryant’s Interview with CranGrow’s CEO Jim Reed Below
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