Premier Shawn Graham planted the first cranberry vine at the Ocean Spray project outside Rogersville, New Brunswick June 1. He toured the site with property manager Marc Daoust and construction manager Bob Ieronimo.
"I am impressed by the tremendous amount of progress by Ocean Spray," Graham said. "The look of the site has changed a lot since June 4, 2009, when construction officially began on Phase 1 of this development. I am particularly pleased with the number of skilled New Brunswickers who have been directly involved in this great project."
Since its inception, about 300 acres has been cleared. Roads and cranberry bed construction started and some beds were leveled and received sand last fall. Additional beds were developed throughout the winter and spring.
Cranberry vines started arriving on site in early May and planting on about 125 acres will start once the drainage and irrigation pipes are installed. Ocean Spray hopes to construct additional cranberry beds this summer and fall.
"This has been a very rewarding project," said Bill Frantz, Project Leader for Ocean Spray. "We have been hard at work alongside the people of New Brunswick and we are extremely pleased with the progress and eager to get the vines in the ground."
Once the site is fully developed, it could generate more than $25 million in economic benefits to the province each year.
"Consumers are looking to cranberries for their health benefits as they are high in both anti-adhesion and antioxidant components," said Graham. "This development is putting New Brunswick on the map with respect to cranberry production."
The province has 22 cranberry producers, cultivating 525 acres and producing between 8 million and 10 million pounds of fruit per year.
