2019 News & Press Releases

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CASTROVILLE, Calif. (December 5, 2019)Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes, will showcase its Organic Artichoke retail packs in the “New Product Showcase” at this year’s New York Produce Show in booth #242.

Following the debut at this year’s Fresh Summit, Ocean Mist’s organic artichoke packaging is now available in a two-count handle bag and a two-count recyclable corrugated clamshell pack. These include size 24 or 30 artichokes, the ideal size to prepare a side dish during the holidays. Understanding the strong demand for Italian vegetables in the Northeast, Ocean Mist will also be displaying its winter vegetables, including Italian staples like brussels sprouts, cardone and fennel.

“We’re looking forward to another great year at the New York Produce Show,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “We had great engagement and conversations with our trade partners last year considering the Northeast is known for its heavy distribution of artichokes. This show is a great opportunity for us to put our fresh artichokes and other winter Italian vegetables on display.”

During the month of December, Ocean Mist will prepare for its winter promotion, “Peace, Love & Artichokes,” beginning January 15. The campaign aims to increase artichoke demand by focusing on healthy eating at the start of the New Year and promoting the nutritional benefits of artichokes to encourage in-store purchases.

To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, stop by booth #242 at the New York Produce Show December 10-13 or visit www.oceanmist.com.  For recipe inspiration and preparation tips, follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Nov. 7, 2019)Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes, welcomes the first Frost Kissed® crop of the season. The Frost Kissed artichokes are currently being shipped to retailers and will be available for the next several weeks.

Once the temperature drops below 32 degrees, the artichokes’ skin darkens due to the freezing conditions, which seals in more flavor and provides a nuttier taste pronounced in the Frost Kissed artichokes. While this limited time offering has a slightly darker exterior, the brown outer layer falls off once cooked resulting in the soft, green artichoke shoppers are familiar with.

“The appearance of Frost Kissed artichokes is strictly cosmetic and doesn’t reflect the quality,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “While these artichokes are not as vibrant in color, they offer a limited-time flavor that many shoppers look forward to experiencing after a frost.”

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. Additionally, the Frost Kissed artichokes will carry a petal insert so shoppers can easily recognize them. Ocean Mist Farms will also provide display cards to retail customers who stock Frost Kissed® artichokes. 

“The Frost Kissed artichokes are such a seasonal treat as we don’t see a freeze every season,” added McClean. “We’re working hard to ensure our shoppers are educated on ways to prep the artichoke so they too can enjoy its unique flavor for a limited time when they are available.”  

For additional Frost Kissed® inspiration and to learn more, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/products/frost-kissed-artichokes and follow the brand on Instagram, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (November 5, 2019) Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes, announces a partnership with Harry & David, the premier choice for gourmet gifts in the U.S., to offer long-stem artichoke gift packs during the holiday season.  

Harry & David is now accepting online orders for long-stem artichoke gift packs, each containing four long-stem artichokes for $29.99.

“Over the years, shoppers have increasingly asked where they can find long-stem artichokes,” said Diana McClean senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Because not all retailers carry long-stem artichokes, our partnership with Harry & David is a great way for us to make this item easily accessible during holiday season when we see interest spike.”

This partnership is just one of many ongoing marketing initiatives to educate shoppers and encourage artichoke consumption. These efforts work together to drive demand for Ocean Mist Farms artichokes at the retail level. 

Shoppers can purchase the Harry & David artichoke gift pack using this link, as well as find Ocean Mist products using the new Destini locator tool found on www.oceanmist.com. 

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

 

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2019)Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes, announces the launch of its Friendsgiving Flavor campaign, a fall promotion to elevate the Season & Steam product line to shoppers during the holiday season through inspiring content and a prize-winning opportunity.

The campaign includes a sweepstakes component called the Friendsgiving Flavor Giveaway which will run on Instagram from November 1 through November 22 and provide entrants 10 opportunities to win a $50 Visa gift card and free Season & Steam products. Shoppers can expect to see additional details and instructions to enter the giveaway by following @OceanMistFarms on Instagram.  

In addition, the brand is making holiday entertaining less stressful and sharing a variety of ways to use the Season & Steam line during the holidays with a new “Fall Feasting” webpage that offers unique fall recipes, “how-to” videos, blog posts inclusive of cooking tips and tricks, and digital cookbooks.

“Our fall Friendsgiving Flavors campaign will serve both our retail partners and shoppers by providing content that engages, educates, and ultimately drives foot traffic to stores as the holiday season quickly approaches,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Because Ocean Mist is committed to being a helpful resource for our shoppers, we created a few new fall recipes and recently launched new instructional videos to help shoppers have the best experience with their Season & Steam purchases. And while supporting in-store sales this holiday season is our #1 goal, this campaign also serves to increase our national brand reach and build shopper connections in preparation for future campaigns – in particular our upcoming Coachella artichoke season.”

Ocean Mist Farms will partner with Running to the Kitchen, a social media influencer, and will utilize Google advertising and targeted social media advertising to promote the campaign and encourage shoppers to purchase Season & Steam items at their local grocery store with the help of the new Destini locator tool found on www.oceanmist.com.

Season & Steam includes five vegetables options, including Sweet Baby Broccoli, artichokes, whole Brussels sprouts, Brussels sprouts shreds and Brussels sprouts halves. The line is an award-winning microwavable steam package that allows consumers to season the vegetables before putting them in the microwave to ensure ease and convenience.

To stay up to date on the Friendsgiving Flavor Giveaway, follow Ocean Mist on Instagram. To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/. For more recipe inspiration and preparation tips, follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (October 7, 2019)Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes, announces three new organic artichoke packaging options to the Ocean Mist Organic®  line.  The new packaging options will be displayed at PMA Fresh Summit Oct. 17-19, 2019, and shoppers can expect to see them in stores in time for the November and December holidays.

Ocean Mist’s organic artichokes will now be offered in a two-count handle bag, three-count clamshell and two-count ReadyCycle® packaging. The organic artichoke packs will include a size 24 or 30 artichoke, depending on pack style. These mid-sized artichokes are ideal to prepare as a side dish at home during the holidays.

“We are pleased to now offer a variety of organic artichoke options for purchase,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “The new merchandise-ready artichokes are convenient for our retail partners and packed in quantities that shoppers have shared with us that they want to buy. Plus, the packaging material used is both recyclable and made with recycled material.”

Each pack style offers retailers relevant and sustainable packaging options for the produce department.

Ocean Mist’s clamshell packaging uses 90 percent recycled material, while the new 2ct handle bag is made with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), the most commonly recycled plastic. The new ReadyCycle® corrugated clamshell is fully recyclable and uses vegetable-based inks.

Shoppers will be able to easily find these newly packaged organic artichokes in the stores by using Ocean Mist Farms’ new Destini locator tool found on www.oceanmist.com. Each pack includes a simple preparation recipe and an easily scanned QR code linking to a “how-to” video on Ocean Mist’s website.

To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/ or stop by booth #2085 at PMA Fresh Summit October 17-19, 2019, to see the new organic artichoke packaging. For recipe inspiration and preparation tips, follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (September 19, 2019) – Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes, is pleased to announce the launch of the Destini Store Locator platform to the official brand website. 

In addition to enhancing in-store sales by offering shoppers a way to identify local retail availability, the Destini Store Locator tracks product searches by region to help retail partners better understand what consumers want and what is available in a specific area. This new online resource, along with geo-targeted email communications and retailer-specific social media advertising, is the latest tool Ocean Mist Farms is leveraging to support their customers and drive sales of products.

“We’re excited to be launching the Destini Store Locator on Ocean Mist Farm’s website,” said Diana McClean, Senior Director of Marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “We anticipate this tool will not only help to nurture our shopper base, but also strengthen relationships with current retail partners as well as create opportunities for further growth in stores.”

Items available for shoppers to search on the store locator include the full line of Brussels sprout, artichoke and baby broccoli Season & Steam items, as well as other fresh vegetables including cauliflower, romaine hearts, fresh artichoke retail packages and bulk artichokes.

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

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (July 30, 2019)Ocean Mist Farms is pleased to announce the hire of Paul Scheid as Vice President of Production for Ocean Mist Farms. As the Vice President of Production, Scheid will work closely with Jeff Percy, VP of Production South, on year-round supply for both the Ocean Mist Farms and Ocean Mist Organic brands. He will manage and coordinate the supply of conventional and organic produce for the Salinas Valley, Huron and Oxnard production regions.

Scheid joins Ocean Mist Farms with over 25 years of farming and production experience. As Director of Northern Production Supply for Laguna Mist Farms and Boutonnet Farms, Scheid built and maintained the Salinas planting schedules and oversaw all production operations for each of these farming operations. 

Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Crop Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Scheid is originally from Camarillo, CA. He currently lives in Salinas with his wife.

“I am happy to join the Ocean Mist Farms family and look forward to this new opportunity with a respected company,” said Scheid. “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of Ocean Mist Farms.”

Castroville, Calif. (July 22, 2019) Ocean Mist® Farms, premier grower of fresh artichokes and over 30 other vegetable varieties, is excited to bring Executive Chef Christopher Vaca of the renowned Hyatt Carmel Highlands to this year’s PMA Foodservice Conference & Expo where he will prepare and sample Tuscan Style Braised Baby Artichokes.

Chef Christopher has extensive experience in the restaurant industry as a culinary consultant, menu developer, owner and executive chef. He has served in a wide variety of culinary settings - from fine dining and fast‐casual to catering and food trucks. He is an alumnus of The Culinary Institute of America, served as the former executive chef at award‐winning Cantinetta Luca in Carmel, and brings a wealth of knowledge to share with attendees at this year’s show.

“It’s an honor to bring this caliber of chef to an industry event like the annual PMA Foodservice Conference where his experience is so highly valued,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Chef Chris has always done an incredible job elevating artichokes at the annual Castroville Artichoke Festival, so we’re really looking forward to him sharing insight on foodservice trends with our partners.”

In addition to sampling Ocean Mist Farms Baby Artichokes in booth #219, the company will showcase several of its washed and ready-to-use convenience products specifically designed with foodservice professionals in mind. Products on display will include Brussels Sprouts (whole, halves, and shreds) in 3 and 5 lb. bags, Broccoli Florets in 3 lb. bags, and Spinach in 1, 2, and 2 ½ lb. bags.

To schedule an appointment with Ocean Mist Farms, please email dmcclean@oceanmist.com or stop by booth #219 on July 27.

Castroville, Calif. (July 2, 2019)Ocean Mist® Farms is proud to celebrate a significant increase in artichoke sales through strategic creative retail displays and well-executed promotions in partnership with Four Seasons Produce. In June, Four Seasons Produce worked directly with Lexington Co-op Markets in Buffalo, NY to move thousands of Ocean Mist Farms artichokes in just five days.

Lexington Co-op Markets held “The Great Artichoke Adventure” in June during an optimal time for artichoke promotions. Between two of its stores, the company sold 3,209 artichokes from Wednesday to Sunday and hosted live demonstrations and tastings alongside the one of the largest artichoke displays the market has ever seen. In addition to a few house recipes, the stores made and packaged Ocean Mist Farms’ Artichoke Butter, which sold 11 lbs.

“Our stores saw tremendous success from this promotion! We gave people the opportunity to experience all that fresh artichokes bring to the summer table,” said Caitlin LoVullo, fresh category manager for Lexington Co-op Markets. “For those who wanted to go home and recreate recipes that they had seen, we had plenty of fresh artichokes for them; but for those who wanted a quick way to enjoy Ocean Mist Farms artichokes, we also had several fresh prepared items for them to purchase.”

In February, Four Seasons Produce also promoted Ocean Mist Farms Frost Kissed Artichokes, which are only available during the winter months and with limited supply. The company’s commitment to elevating fresh produce has been evident in the way that they actively collaborate with brands like Ocean Mist Farms to ensure that shoppers have a personal experience with their products in-store.

“Our partnerships are very important to us and we want to be a resource between our fresh produce suppliers and the retailers,” said Brian Dey, senior merchandiser at Four Seasons Produce. “Producing top-quality in-store experiences like the one Lexington Co-op Markets did in June is a shining example of how strategic merchandising can move product efficiently.”

“We’re grateful for partners like Four Seasons Produce who take initiative to find creative ways to elevate our brand at the retail level,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “It’s incredible to see the success that stores like Lexington Co-op Markets have when they utilize their expertise in artichoke merchandising and sampling.”

For more Ocean Mist Farms merchandising tips, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/merchandising-artichokes.

Castroville, Calif. (July 8, 2019) Ocean Mist® Farms, proud sponsor of the Organic Produce Summit, will be in attendance at this year’s show with new Organic Product Manager Katie Tossie, in addition to showcasing Ocean Mist Organic® Artichokes, Brussels Sprouts, Romaine Hearts, and Iceberg Lettuce.

Prior to her new role, Katie was a sales representative with Ocean Mist Farms for over 15 years. As Organic Product Manager, she will manage daily harvests, setting market pricing, managing budgeted volumes for each growing season, and growing organic business with key wholesale and retail accounts.

“We are thrilled to promote Katie as our new organic product manager,” said Joe Angelo, sales manager at Ocean Mist Farms. “Katie has a proven track record of success with both the wholesale and retail customer base, so we look forward to her bringing additional value to our organic program.”

In addition to introducing Katie at the Organic Produce Summit, Ocean Mist will debut the new Ocean Mist Organic one-pound Brussels Sprouts, on display in the New Product Showcase and alongside other Ocean Mist Organic products in booth #204. Show attendees can also take advantage of the Ocean Mist Farms’ field tour on July 10 to learn more about the brand’s commitment to growing excellence.

“Retailers can expect to see the same gold standard growing practices with our organic products as they would trust to see with any Ocean Mist Farms products,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “We’re pleased to showcase products that directly meet the need of organic shoppers, based on what they have told us they want from our brand.”

To schedule an appointment with Ocean Mist Farms, please email dmcclean@oceanmist.com or stop by booth #204 to learn more about Ocean Mist Organic.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (May 28, 2019) – Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes, is excited to announce the results of its Reach for the Gold promotion designed to reinforce its brand position as the Gold Standard in artichoke production to both trade and consumer audiences during the peak spring season.  

Rather than a traditional sweepstakes approach, the Reach for the Gold campaign uniquely leveraged weekly email trivia with the brand’s existing database of over 63,000 shoppers that strategically included four key areas of brand messaging: family farming legacy, growing region, sustainability and meal inspiration to truly engage them in educational content for an opportunity to win.  In addition, mass brand awareness was generated through both social media and advertising campaigns that drove visitors to a new Reach for the Gold webpage, which informed visitors about how Ocean Mist Farms is committed to upholding the gold standard in artichoke production.

To directly benefit trade partners and incentivize foot traffic to their stores, 10 participating retailers were supported through an individualized social media ad campaign reaching their specific communities with details about Ocean Mist Farms’ gold standard artichokes being on-shelf. Furthermore, each of these partners also received email marketing support targeting the brand’s shoppers who identified themselves as frequenting that specific store. Shoppers could easily locate Ocean Mist Farms artichokes on the shelf by way of new, on-pack messaging that included a gold standard sticker on clamshells and a gold standard petal insert on bulk artichokes.

In response to the brand’s ongoing collection of shopper preferences that indicated typically two or four artichokes are purchased at a time, this spring Ocean Mist Farms launched a new 4-pack clamshell with size 30 artichokes. This along with the 2-count Season & Steam artichoke package ensures that retail partners are offering ease and convenience based on the shopper’s preferences.

“We have had an exciting spring season launching a marketing campaign that expresses so well the expertise and quality that the Ocean Mist Farms brand had been built on,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Our sales results tell us that trade partners and shoppers alike understand that our commitment to maintaining the gold standard in artichoke production equates to a superior quality and flavor that is hard to beat. And, of course, our shoppers have played a critical role in helping to identify their needs and address them through ongoing product innovations.” 

The comprehensive results of the Reach for the Gold campaign were nearly 2 million brand impressions and over 140,000 confirmed shopper engagements in a one month period.  Ocean Mist Farms’ marketing efforts during this critical spring sales window resulted in increases in retail sales of 20 – 30% with various retailers throughout the United States.

Ocean Mist Farms is wrapping up a successful spring season by sharing the joy of artichokes with Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival attendees as the main sponsor of their 60th annual event happening June 1 – 2, 2019, in Monterey, CA.

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

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Mar. 26, 2019) – On the heels of a successful winter promotion, Ocean Mist Farms is proud to announce the launch of its spring campaign, Reach for the Gold, to support sales of its “gold standard,” or premier spring artichokes.

The brand’s Peace, Love & Artichokes promotion that wrapped up March 1, was Ocean Mist Farms’ first-ever marketing campaign aligned with their exclusive winter growing region in Coachella Valley, California.  Spurred by an upward trend in artichoke consumption during the winter months, the brand leveraged their strong winter supply and excellent product quality to engage shoppers and drive purchase intent.

The diverse campaign included a Coachella growing region webpage, a sweepstakes, Google and social media advertising and email marketing.  As a result, the brand earned 152,000 sweepstakes submissions, preference data from more than 27,000 shoppers, and 7.8 million brand impressions.

Beginning April 1, Ocean Mist Farms will launch its 30-day Reach for the Gold promotion to nurture their growing database of loyal customers with weekly prize-winning opportunities through email-based trivia.  The promotional content is designed to educate shoppers about the company’s 90 year farming legacy as well as their industry leadership as the gold standard in artichoke growing. In addition, the promotion will provide shoppers with tips and inspiration for enjoying artichokes.

“We take great pride in the unparalleled eating quality of our artichokes and the level of farming excellence that goes into maintaining our position as the gold standard in artichoke production,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Given the great success of the Peace, Love & Artichokes promotion, which elevated Coachella as the premier growing region for our winter artichokes, we’re excited to shine a spotlight on our core growing region in Castroville, California - the artichoke center of the world!”

Castroville is the original home to Ocean Mist Farms’ artichokes. The coastal, Mediterranean-like climate in this central California area is a natural fit for this Italian vegetable that thrives best in the area’s mild temperatures.  The company’s vertically integrated production has allowed them to implement gold standard best practices at every stage of the production cycle, from planting all the way through harvesting, processing, cooling and distribution. These best practices are a culmination of the expertise gained from a 95 year old artichoke farming legacy.

 For more recipe inspiration and tips, follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (March 5, 2019)Ocean Mist Farms is proud to announce the opening of applications for its fourth annual Ocean Mist Farms Academic Scholarship Program to recognize students who embody the four guiding values of Ocean Mist Farms – integrity, quality, passion and success. Each scholarship recipient will be awarded a scholarship of $1,000 towards their college tuition.

“Supporting education and the youth in our community is a very important outreach initiative for us,” said Diana McClean, Senior Director of Marketing. “Each year we host a Scholarship Ceremony at the annual Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival in June to celebrate each scholarship recipient.”

Applicants must reside in Monterey, Riverside, San Benito or Santa Cruz Counties and maintain a high school GPA of 3.0 or better. Along with a 500-word essay, applicants will need to submit letters of recommendation along with proof of college acceptance and enrollment. In addition to the five public scholarships, Ocean Mist Farms will be granting two scholarships exclusive to dependents of the company.

“As a company that values family, education and community, we’re happy to offer a program that embodies these values to our employees and their families,” said McClean.

The deadline to submit applications to scholarships@oceanmist.com is April 1, 2019, and scholarship recipients will be notified by phone or email May 1, 2019.  For additional questions regarding the application process, visit the Ocean Mist Farms Academic Scholarship website.

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (February 4, 2019)Ocean Mist Farms, the premier grower of fresh artichokes, is excited to announce their Coachella artichoke production season with the Peace, Love & Artichokes winter promotion. This multi-faceted campaign, launching today and lasting through March 1, includes email marketing to a robust community of artichoke shoppers, social media advertising, and sweepstakes prizes – all to drive sales and in-store demand.

With this promotion, Ocean Mist Farms is leveraging an upward trend of artichoke sales in late winter and continuing to push the artichoke momentum forward. While aiming to increase consumption, Ocean Mist Farms is looking to also educate consumers that Coachella is not only home to the world-renowned music festival in April, but also home to premium winter artichokes.

Artichokes typically grow best on coastal plains, as the veggie requires mild temperatures and plenty of moisture. However, Ocean Mist Farms has honed a dessert-grown proprietary seed variety specifically for the Coachella Valley climate. By utilizing Coachella’s optimal growing conditions during the winter-to-spring months, Ocean Mist Farms is able to maintain their high quality standards year-round.  

“We want consumers to know that our artichokes are grown to deliver consistent flavor to the plate. With well trained, seasoned harvesting teams and dedicated marketing professionals, we work 365 days of the year to keep artichokes top of mind,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Furthermore, we hope to build and enhance our community through this promotion. We also seek to inspire those who align with the Coachella festival to give artichokes a try!”

To further incentivize shoppers, participants can enter the Peace, Love & Artichokes Sweepstakes for a chance to win a $1,000 VISA gift card to create their own Coachella experience. The first 1,000 entrants will receive a Peace, Love & Artichokes bumper sticker and will be automatically entered to win an additional Coachella music festival prize pack valued at $500.