2018 News & Press Releases

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CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2018) – Following a successful launch at PMA Fresh Summit’s Fresh Ideas Showcase, Ocean Mist Farms is excited to offer three new products this winter to meet the needs of today’s shoppers looking for organic and convenience items. The company has expanded its organics line to include Brussels sprouts and green onions and added washed and ready-to-eat Brussels sprouts to its convenience line.

“We recognize the increased consumer demand for both organic and convenience items,” said Diana McClean senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Therefore, we are pleased to be able to offer three new items in these growing categories and continue our dedication to providing quality solutions to our retail partners.” 

Ocean Mist Organic Brussels sprouts are offered in 1 lb. bags while the convenience line of Brussels sprouts are available in 2 lb. packaging. The convenience Brussels sprouts are ready to ship to retailers immediately, just in time for the holiday season. Ocean Mist Organic green onions will also offered in 5.5 oz. bags and both the green onions and organic Brussels sprouts will be available to retailers in January.

Retailers can be the first to know about the latest products from Ocean Mist Farms, like these, by subscribing to the company’s bi-monthly crop update newsletter.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Oct. 15, 2018)Ocean Mist Farms is excited to share that its fall consumer promotion is underway and actively educating and incentivizing shoppers to incorporate artichokes and Season and Steam® products into their meals this fall. The strategy includes a Fall Flavor Giveaway sweepstakes, food influencers and brand ambassadors, geo-targeted mobile couponing technology, targeted social media advertising and strategic media placements – all in an effort to ignite sales and drive in-store demand.

The promotion timeframe aligns with the fall holiday season and all the eating occasions that come with this busy time of year. Ocean Mist Farms seeks to elevate its artichoke and Season & Steam vegetable line as a fresh, flavorful and convenient solution for holiday entertaining as well as every day meals during this hectic season.

For this reason, the promotion utilizes the support of two key food influencers, Chrissa Benson from Physical Kitchness and Kaleigh McMordie from Lively Table, who will be to educating and empowering consumers to incorporate Ocean Mist Farms products into their holiday meal plans.

Additional campaign investment includes Carissa Bealert, registered dietician and nutritionist, who will represent the brand in 6 televised media segments to emphasize the nutrition and simplicity of these items, and iBotta, an easy to use couponing app, to generate trial, which the brand’s influencers are all encouraging their readers and viewers to take part in.

“We know that this time of year can be especially busy for our shoppers, and we want to make sure they know that our products are perfect for a quick, delicious, and nutrient packed meal,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “We have invested in a marketing strategy that we know increases sales based on coupon redemptions. The Fall Flavor Giveaway is another fun, on-trend and engaging promotion to elevate this message and inspire shoppers to purchase our products during the months ahead.”

To further incentivize shoppers, every week between Sep. 27– Nov. 9, shoppers can enter the Fall Flavor Giveaway for a chance to win an Instant Pot® Duo 6-Quart cooker and receive a free Instant Artichoke e-cookbook full of quick and easy meal inspiration.

To learn more about how Ocean Mist Farms is igniting sales for its retail partners, visit them in booth #1132 October 19-20 at PMA Fresh Summit!

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Sept. 25, 2018) – Ocean Mist Farms, is proud to announce the hire of Rick Bravo as its new Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Bravo brings nearly 35 years of experience serving the fresh produce industry and a wealth of knowledge in sales and leadership, which is highly valued by the team at Ocean Mist Farms.

As a veteran of the industry, Bravo joins the company with past experience at Dole Fresh Vegetables and Tanimura & Antle with a strong dedication to customer service. His extensive background within the vegetable category will be instrumental as he spearheads the sales and marketing efforts at Ocean Mist Farms. 

“We are delighted to have someone of Rick’s caliber join our team,” said Joe Pezzini, president and CEO of Ocean Mist Farms. “His substantial knowledge of the industry and established relationships with retail and foodservice partners makes him an invaluable addition to our team.” 

Graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Administrative Justice, Bravo found his way into the produce industry as a sales manager and has never left. His commitment to fresh food and adept ability to lead well, drive profits and improve efficiency has brought him to where he is today.

“I am thrilled to join the team at Ocean Mist Farms and look forward to this new opportunity while still serving an industry I care deeply about,” said Bravo.

Follow the Ocean Mist Farms brand on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Aug. 6, 2018)Ocean Mist Farms, leading grower of fresh artichokes, continues to move the dial on artichoke purchases and consumption through its investment in a 360-degree marketing strategy. In an effort to learn more about the artichoke shopper, the brand’s spring promotion served as a resource for consumers searching for educational material on the benefits and usage tips for artichokes, recipe inspiration and digital coupons through iBotta. In turn, the brand earned more than 15,000 new shopper contacts that are interested in learning more about the brand.

Through the retail specific data Ocean Mist has gained from its partnership with iBotta, the brand is able to verify that more than 9,500 shoppers used the technology to download a coupon for Ocean Mist branded products and completed an in-store purchase. As a result of this interaction, the brand is able to measure in-store purchases while learning more about the shopping behaviors on a new demographic of consumers buying Ocean Mist products.

“While we saw a tremendous amount of engagement with our online communities during the spring promotion, we’re also able to confirm in-store traffic which created a unique touchpoint for us to learn more about the Ocean Mist shopper,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Now that we have new contacts that have indicated they would like to receive more information on Ocean Mist Farms, we are able to nurture their unique preferences to keep them engaged to become stronger artichoke advocates who are motivated to continue to purchase artichokes.”  

In conjunction with the digital coupon campaign, the brand employed strategic influencer partnerships to speak to a national audience on trending topics in an effort to further spark creativity and recipe inspiration. By utilizing these influential partnerships, the brand was featured on a nationally syndicated television segment in addition to gaining coverage on NBC News Better for Instant Pot recipe content.

“We seek to continue to inspire and educate our online communities with enriched content from influencers who can speak to these trends. We believe that Ocean Mist Farms can be a resource for the inexperienced artichoke cook as well as the polished chef by keeping a pulse on what’s going on in the artichoke enthusiast’s world,” McClean adds.

The brand looks forward to nurturing the new shopper contacts and its existing community throughout the year with content specific to their needs. Additionally, the company is eager to support its retail partners with comprehensive content on the Ocean Mist shopper through its bi-weekly trade emails. To subscribe to the Ocean Mist trade emails, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/crop-update.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (July 5, 2018)Ocean Mist Farms, leading grower of fresh artichokes, is proud to announce a significant increase in organic vegetable acreage to meet growing shopper demand while remaining committed to the company’s long-standing sustainable farming practices. Born out of the same quality growing principles that date back to 1924, the Ocean Mist Organic® brand has seen large-scale growth since its inception in 2015.

The fourth generation family owned and operated organization started farming organic artichokes in 2000 and now provides 16 additional vegetables sold under the Ocean Mist Organic label. To guarantee continuous production of high-quality products, the Ocean Mist R&D department is steadfast in conducting comprehensive and on-going seed research that aligns with organic production parameters.

“We have been thoughtfully expanding the Ocean Mist Organic brand over the past three years, strategically increasing production, while ensuring Ocean Mist Farms’ strict standards are being met,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “At Ocean Mist Farms, each individual takes personal pride and responsibility in their role to grow and deliver the very best fresh vegetables every day.”

In addition to the increase in acreage, the company is expanding the Ocean Mist Organic team and welcomes Dan Soloman as the new organic production manager. With more than 22 years of experience in the fresh produce industry, formerly with Earthbound Farm, Soloman brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Ocean Mist Farms.  

“I am excited to join the Ocean Mist Farms team and look forward to contributing to Ocean Mist Organic’s brand growth,” said Dan Soloman, organic production manager at Ocean Mist Farms. “This team’s dedication to providing the best quality products and customer service to our industry is evident by their commitment to grow this organization from the inside out.”

To showcase the growth of Ocean Mist Farms’ organic production, the company is sponsoring two field tours the morning of July 11th to kick-start the Organic Produce Summit. Following the field tours, the Ocean Mist Organic team will be exhibiting at the Organic Produce Summit July 11-12 at booth #303. 

For more information about Ocean Mist Farms, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/ and follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more artichoke inspiration.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (June 4, 2018)Ocean Mist Farms, leading grower of fresh artichokes, is elevating the artichoke category by investing in marketing efforts tied to driving in-store traffic. To encourage consumption, Ocean Mist Farms has produced downloadable resources for recipe inspiration, partnered with a mobile technology company to administer geo-targeted coupons, teamed up with an influential registered dietitian to educate consumers, and empowered food bloggers to help spread awareness of how easy it can be to include fresh artichokes into every diet.

As part of its 360-degree marketing strategy, the brand has partnered with iBotta, a mobile technology company, to incentivize shoppers to purchase Ocean Mist products through the mobile app. Since launching the national campaign, the brand has received a total of 20,029 completed brand engagements and activated in-store purchases of Ocean Mist products.

“We understand how intimidating cooking with fresh artichokes can be for consumers who have never explored that method before, so we are maximizing our marketing efforts and relationships with influencers to gather educational and inspirational content that helps break down those barriers,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “As a result of empowering people with the tools they need, we expect significant movement of product at the store level.”

In an effort to leverage peak artichoke season, Ocean Mist Farms also partnered with Carissa Bealert, registered dietitian and nutritionist, for a nationally-syndicated television segment that reached more than 150 of the largest markets across the United States. Bealert demonstrated easy, approachable methods of cooking fresh artichokes, educated viewers on the vegetables’ nutrition value, and encouraged over 97 million households to enter the brand’s Instant Artichoke Giveaway.

Additionally, Ocean Mist Farms’ brand ambassador program consists of four influential food bloggers – Chrissa Benson from Physical Kitchness, Dani Meyer from The Adventure Bite, Kaleigh McMordie from Lively Table, and Kelsey Preciado from Little Bits Of. Each ambassador creates unique content on behalf of the brand to inspire demand for fresh artichokes, drive traffic to the promotion, and to ultimately increase consumption. The brand received more than 400 million impressions from influencers since the promotion launched.  

To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/ and check out how the brand is actively inspiring shoppers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Apr. 30, 2018)Ocean Mist Farms is pleased to announce the start of its spring season with an ample supply of fresh artichokes and an exciting, multi-faceted digital promotion that encourages consumers to experience the delicious flavor of the brand’s beloved vegetable. From April 30 - June 22, shoppers can enter the Instant Artichoke Giveaway for a chance to win one of 18 prize packs including an Instant Pot® Duo 6-Quart plus a variety of cooking utensils.

Ocean Mist Farms is leveraging the springtime as an opportunity to showcase peak season, fresh artichokes as a versatile and flavorful solution for a nutritious appetizer or a filling main course. To support this promotion, the brand is aligning with food influencers and registered dieticians to help spread the message of Ocean Mist Farms’ artichoke category leadership position as the premier grower of fresh artichokes.

“We hope to inspire people to reach for fresh artichokes when they are planning the menu for their next gathering or weeknight dinner,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “We are excited to be able to leverage one of the hottest, new cooking tools with this giveaway and to partner with these key influencers to showcase how quickly and easily artichokes can be added to your dinner table.”

To incentivize purchases and drive foot traffic to support an increase in sales, Ocean Mist Farms is partnering with iBotta, a mobile technology company, to provide coupon incentives during this high demand artichoke season. To redeem the offer, app users will be prompted to visit the Instant Artichoke Giveaway sweepstakes entry page creating a fully integrated promotional experience.

To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/. For more recipe inspiration and tips, follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Feb. 23, 2018) – With the most recent freeze in California, Ocean Mist Farms is pleased to welcome its Frost Kissed® artichokes, available for the next several weeks, and currently being shipped to retailers.

Once the temperature drops below 32 degrees, the artichokes’ skin darkens due to the freezing conditions, which seals in more flavor and produces a nuttier taste only found in the Frost Kissed® artichokes. While the Frost Kissed® artichokes have a slightly darker exterior, the brown outer layer falls off once cooked resulting in the soft, green artichoke shoppers are familiar with.

“Since we do not always see a freeze, the Frost Kissed artichokes are a real seasonal treat,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “We’re trying to educate consumers on the best practices for handling and prepping as any menu could benefit from these nuttier tasting artichokes.”

In an effort to elevate the Frost Kissed® artichokes as a satisfying menu item, Ocean Mist Farms will be providing recipe inspiration through its social media channels as well as sharing information on the website to educate consumers. Ocean Mist Farms also provides display cards to the retail customers who stock Frost Kissed® artichokes for the next few weeks. 

“The frosting of the Frost Kissed® artichokes is strictly cosmetic. While these artichokes are not as vibrant as the fresh, green artichokes we sell, they offer a limited-time flavor that many shoppers look forward to experiencing when it freezes,” McClean added.

As an extension of the brand’s commitment to third-party influence, Ocean Mist Farms continues to leverage its partnership with thefeedfeed to further educate shoppers on Frost Kissed® artichokes through a video explaining the flavor benefits and proper cooking techniques. The video will be shared through Ocean Mist’s social pages to inspire consumers to actively seek out Frost Kissed® artichokes in their grocery stores now through March 2018.

For more Frost Kissed® inspiration, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/products/frost-kissed-artichokes.