Ocean Spray and Germany-based Foodist have joined forces to launch a new Crunchy Cranberry snack “with the speed of a start-up.” Ocean Spray reportedly sought out Foodist to promote cranberries on the German market. Using Foodist’s “turbo test lab,” its access to target groups and its growing e-commerce platform, the snack was brought to market in accelerated time, taking about six months to complete.
“Our customers want to experience new tastes and products that they cannot find in the supermarket. With Foodist they can get access to these products and expand their taste,” Nora Groß, Business Development Manager at Foodist tells. Notably, the first meeting to discuss product development took place in September 2019 and it arrived to market by March, 2020.
For Ocean Spray’s Crunchy Cranberry, Foodist created a concept of a crispy snack that is made of 100 percent natural ingredients, free of additives or flavor enhancers and available in three varieties: Crunchy Cranberry with roasted corn and peanuts; with roasted pumpkin seeds and corn kernels; and with roasted almonds and pretzel balls.
The cranberry’s nutritional benefits, the slow baking and special drying procedures as well as the packaging complement create a snack experience that meets the needs of the target groups, according to Foodist.
The new Crunchy Cranberry is a healthy snack experience made of the berry widely popular in the US. The collaboration allowed the US agricultural cooperative to successfully introduce it into Germany by understanding the market.
“Using functional foods like cranberries, which are crispy and suitable for a healthy diet, we meet the exact needs and passion of those following a healthy, sustainable and balanced nutrition,” comments Philipp Stradtmann, CEO of Bösch Boden Spies, which distributes the Crunchy Cranberry snack in Germany.
“We are able to act as a speedboat and to handle innovations flexibly. We are also strong and agile with regards to target group access. That makes us a strong partner when it comes to testing new trends and positioning new concepts accordingly on the market,“ adds Alexander Djordjevic, Co-Founder & CEO of Foodist.
Foodist operates as a subscription-based e-commerce platform in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In combination with its own online shop, it provides a platform for food companies to reach thousands of food enthusiasts. Every month, customers receive a surprise box with six to eight new products, ranging from cooking essentials, to snacks and beverages.
Currently, more than 800 single snacks and 400 sample packages have been sold on Foodist’s e-commerce platform.
Last month, Ocean Spray celebrated becoming the first fruit cooperative worldwide to farm an entirely sustainably grown crop by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI). The cooperative received a verification that 100 percent of the cranberries it receives from its farmer-owners qualify as sustainably grown using the SAI Platform Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), just ahead of Earth Day.
Earlier this year, the cooperative also launched Ocean Spray Brew, a first-of-its-kind hybrid drink made with real fruit juice and cold brew coffee. Ocean Spray Brew marked an expansion into the coffee category. The beverage features 100 percent Columbian Coffee, along with naturally sourced caffeine from green coffee beans. In addition, the drink contains the antioxidant vitamin C, as well as vitamin B and real fruit juice, with no added sugar, no preservatives and no artificial flavors or colors.
