CASTROVILLE, Calif. (June 14, 2021) – Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes in the U.S., is pleased to announce Louis Rakoczy has joined Ocean Mist Farms as Chief Finance Officer and Kevin Healy has joined as the new Grower Relations Manager.
As CFO, Rakoczy will oversee the Accounting, Finance and Information Technology departments to include Risk Management and Tax & Audit practices. Prior to joining Ocean Mist Farms, Rakoczy spent 25 years in finance and was previously Sr. VP of Finance with Curation Foods / Landec Corp. Louis graduated with a degree in Math and Operations Research with a Specialization in Computing from the University of California, Los Angeles.
“We are glad to have Louis join our team in this key role,” said Joe Pezzini, CEO and President of Ocean Mist Farms. “We look forward to the experience Louis brings to this role and the impact he will make for the company.”
In his new role as Grower Relations Manager, Healy will be responsible for emerging and cultivating relationships with the company’s grower partner community. Prior to his new position, Healy was the VP of Operations for Sambrailo Packaging. Healy has been actively involved in agri-business for more than 25 years and earned his Master of Science degree in Agriculture, with a specialization in Crop Science from Cal Poly.
“With Kevin’s prior experience and years in the industry at hand, we know his impact as Grower Relations Manager will be instrumental to Ocean Mist Farms' future success,” said Paul Scheid VP of Production of Ocean Mist Farms.
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About Ocean Mist Farms
Ocean Mist Farms, a fourth-generation family-owned business and the largest grower of fresh artichokes in North America, is committed to delivering the highest standards in the industry for food safety, product quality, customer service, innovation and sustainability. The company’s full line of over 30 fresh vegetables includes the award-winning Season & Steam and Ocean Mist Organic product lines. To stay up to date on the 2021 artichoke season, follow Ocean Mist on Instagram. To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit www.oceanmist.com/. For recipe inspiration and preparation tips, follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
CASTROVILLE, Calif. (June 1, 2021) – Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes in the U.S., recently concluded its two annual promotions: Peace, Love & Artichoke winter promotion (February 15 - March 15, 2021) and the annual Gold Standard spring promotion (April 19 - May 19, 2021). Since 2019 these annual promotions have grown engagement with Ocean Mist Farms consumer audience - proving there is an audience ready for information about fresh artichokes. As a result, Ocean Mist Farms has realized a 5% increase YOY in artichoke cases sold over the duration of the two promotions.
Consumer response to the 3rd annual Gold Standard promotion proved shoppers were receptive to and eager to engage with helpful and entertaining content. With the third year of the promotion complete, Ocean Mist Farms earned a total of:
“These annual promotions are proof that there is an audience hungry for inspiration and education with both Ocean Mist Farms, and artichokes,” said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Because of the tremendous consumer following we’ve developed, we have become a reliable and trusted resource for artichoke information that encourages shoppers to purchase Ocean Mist Farms artichokes for health benefits, eating experience and from a trusted supplier of the highest quality of fresh produce.”
The response to the Coachella Peace, Love & Artichoke also saw dramatic response and engagement from shoppers. With the third year of the promotion complete, Ocean Mist Farms earned a total of:
With these promotions and other marketing efforts to shoppers, we have seen above average performance confirming that people do look to fresh produce brands for information and inspiration. Whether it be news about nutrition benefits, how to keep their produce fresh or different ways to spice up their dinner routine, we have continued to grow this engaged shopper audience.
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About Ocean Mist Farms
Ocean Mist Farms, a fourth-generation family-owned business and the largest grower of fresh artichokes in North America, is committed to delivering the highest standards in the industry for food safety, product quality, customer service, innovation and sustainability. The company’s full line of over 30 fresh vegetables includes the award-winning Season & Steam and Ocean Mist Organic product lines. To stay up to date on the 2021 artichoke season, follow Ocean Mist on Instagram. To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit www.oceanmist.com. For recipe inspiration and preparation tips, follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn 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. (Nov. 1, 2017) – With convenient meal solutions on the rise, leading fresh artichoke grower Ocean Mist® Farms looks to support shoppers with its Season & Steam® product line including high-quality, nutritious vegetable options. The product line features ready-to-use fresh vegetables in unique, award-winning packaging.
While the concept of steaming vegetables is not new, the Ocean Mist Farms’ Season & Steam product line is the only product line that gives users the option to pre-season the contents, reseal with the zip lock and steam by microwave all within the same bag. Season & Steam vegetables include whole artichokes, sweet baby broccoli as well as whole, halved and shredded Brussels sprouts.
“We recognize that some of our products may be intimidating to people who are unfamiliar with these vegetables,” said senior director of marketing for Ocean Mist Farms Diana McClean “The Season & Steam product line features many different options and encourages people to try them with a more approachable preparation method.”
In an effort to further assist shoppers looking to add a fresh side to their holiday menus, Ocean Mist Farms will be launching ‘Tis the Season to Steam Sweepstakes, a 7-week consumer promotion Nov. 13 through Dec. 29 providing recipe inspiration, preparation tips and cookbook resources. The promotion will award consumers with a steam-themed prize pack including Ocean Mist products, a Williams Sonoma® vegetable steamer and more!
For additional information, please visit www.oceanmist.com, or follow Ocean Mist Farms’ social media platforms for daily inspiration at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Oct. 16, 2017) – Leading artichoke grower Ocean Mist® Farms continues to provide high-quality products available in various packaging, cuts and sizes that supplies consumers with options when looking for fresh, tasty produce. Utilizing Nielsen data, the brand remains committed to understanding and responding to consumers with on-trend solutions for the growing Brussels sprouts, convenience and organic fresh vegetable categories.
According to shopper data, artichokes and Brussels sprouts result in valuable basket sizes, making each of these items a priority for produce department success. To support these categories, the brand continues to expand the award-winning Season and Steam microwaveable fresh vegetable line that provides shoppers with a variety of fresh produce items.
“Our Season & Steam product line continues to grow parallel to the demand for convenience in the produce aisle,” said director of marketing for Ocean Mist Farms Diana McClean. “We are gratified to see such a positive response as the intent of these products is to provide quick, easy meal solutions to consumers focused on health and wellness.”
To further support consumers reaching for Ocean Mist Farms products, the brand aligns its interactive marketing efforts during each season to educate and inspire with unique recipe options and promotional assets. In addition, Ocean Mist Farms provides resources through its website, blog and social platforms to help consumers better understand the brand’s promises, tips for application of the products and recipe inspiration.
“Supporting consumer education and in-store sales is at the forefront of our brand’s mission, so being able to provide solutions that enhance the consumer’s experience with fresh produce is something that we care deeply about,” added McClean.
Ocean Mist Farms will be showcasing the complete Season and Steam product line, fresh artichokes and the Ocean Mist Organic line of fresh produce during PMA Fresh Summit in booth #2407 and at the Fresh Ideas Showcase.
CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Sept. 25, 2017) – Leading artichoke grower, Ocean Mist® Farms is pleased to announce its new blog, From the Heart. The blog is an extension of Ocean Mist’s commitment to educating people on how to prepare and eat fresh artichokes and the other fresh vegetables they grow.
Publishing new content once a week, From the Heart features seasonal recipes, company updates, community involvement news and highlights from the field. Content contributors include Ocean Mist Farms employees, Chef Adrienne Saldivar-Meier, and blog contributor Kelsey Preciado from Little Bits of Real Food. This optimized searchable content extends the reach of this leading brand influence on topics like family farming, cooking, entertaining and artichokes.
“The blog is a way for us to connect to our readers on a more personal level sharing timely content about our both our company and products that they’ve asked us for,” said director of marketing for Ocean Mist Farms Diana McClean. “Our intent is to provide a space where creativity, storytelling, and inspiration become part of a daily interaction with people who want to know more about eating fresh.”
Ocean Mist Farms strives to equip people with resources to help them enjoy fresh vegetables in new and unique ways. Each of the blog’s contributors have a personal connection to the brand, and their expertise is what will shape the collaborative nature of From the Heart – everything from chefs tips to stories from the farm will allow audiences to see the Ocean Mist Farms brand in a more personal light.
“I’m thrilled to contribute fun, healthy, and most importantly delicious recipes and ideas to the From the Heart blog by Ocean Mist Farms,” said blogger of Little Bits of Real Food Kelsey Preciado. “Ocean Mist Farms products and company values are aligned with everything Little Bits of Real Food stands for, which makes this partnership that much more rewarding.”
Visit www.fromtheheart.oceanmist.com/blog for more information, or visit Ocean Mist Farms’ Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for additional inspiration.
CASTROVILLE, Calif. (Aug. 8, 2017) – Ocean Mist Farms is proud to announce the expansion of its product line to include 3 lb. Brussels sprouts halves. On display at PMA Foodservice’s Fresh Ideas Showcase, the company extended the product line to the Foodservice segment as a natural progression of its dedication to the value-added program.
The halves come pre-washed, sliced and ready to prepare, diminishing prep-time for foodservice operators. Reducing the prep-time gives foodservice operators the liberty to exert more energy in recipe development and increases efficiencies.
“We’re passionate about expanding our product lines to better serve the end user,” said Diana McClean, director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Our value-added items have done well at retail, so we are excited to offer a similar approach to the Foodservice industry."
Brussels sprouts, high in Vitamin C, were one of the first vegetables the Ocean Mist Farms family grew beginning in the early 1990s. Currently, Ocean Mist packages Brussels by the stalks, in clamshells, and ready-to-eat microwavable bags.
“It’s humbling to see how Ocean Mist has transformed over the years,” McClean said. “Our hope is to continue to spread our family farm values and high-quality products to our customers.”
Halves are available in 4x3, 6x3, or 8x3 case sizes. For more information about the company or products, visit www.oceanmist.com.
CASTROVILLE, Calif. (July 20, 2017) – As a presenting sponsor, Ocean Mist® Farms is proud to announce that this year’s Artichoke Food & Wine Festival experienced a record 27% increase in attendees from last year, confirming that the California state vegetable continues to excite people seeking to explore new flavorful applications featuring the celebrated artichoke.
This year’s Artichoke Food & Wine Festival, held at the Monterey Fair Grounds, celebrated the iconic vegetable, the community, and the growing region where nearly two-thirds of America’s fresh artichoke supply comes from. Ocean Mist Farms donated nearly 32,000 pounds of artichokes for chef demos, Agro Art competitions, and the Farmers Market.
“We’re honored to participate and support the Festival each year because of the positive impact it brings to our community,” said Diana McClean, director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms and board member for the Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival. “This year’s attendance growth is a testament to the success of the event by bringing people together to experience great food, good fun, and a spirit of giving back.”
Twenty-four students and adults from this year’s Agro Art Competition took home cash prizes for their creative use of fresh vegetables in 3D art sculptures and included everything from sea creatures to Brussels sprout basketball players.
This year’s Scholarship program, presented by Ocean Mist Farms, recognized students who demonstrate the company’s guiding values of Integrity, Quality, Passion and Success in their daily lives and in their pursuit of higher education. Recipients included:
Next year’s Artichoke Food & Wine Festival is June 2-3, 2018. For more information about the event, please visit www.artichokefestival.org.
CASTROVILLE, Calif. (July 18, 2017) – Ocean Mist® Farms is proud to announce their participation in the Tour de Fresh three-day cycling event, supporting the Salad Bars to Schools initiative, for a second year. The event begins July 25 in Pismo Beach and will conclude with a loop of Monterey, prior to PMA Foodservice Conference & Expo July 27, where two Ocean Mist employees – John Pattullo and Paul Scheid – will ride along with 50 peers in the industry to make fresh fruits and vegetables accessible to schools across the country.
John Pattullo, riding for Boulder Valley School District in Colo., and Paul Scheid, riding for Fairfax County Public Schools in Va. have raised a combined $1,725 toward their $7,000 goal. Over the next three weeks, both John and Paul will be training for their ride and asking for fundraising support in order to place a salad bar in each of their school districts.
“It’s important to Ocean Mist Farms to provide nutritious meals for the younger generation because they are the ones who will help carry out our vision one day,” said Diana McClean, director of marketing for Ocean Mist Farms. “We are motivated to give back to causes that align with our company’s core values and couldn’t be more proud of John and Paul for making the time to train and fundraise for a cause they believe in personally as well.”
The 93-year-old legacy at Ocean Mist Farms is to continuously invest in the community, health and wellness, which aligns with the mission of Tour de Fresh. As previous salad bar donors through the Grower-Shipper Association, Ocean Mist Farms expects their riders will be able to provide both salad bars in their respective districts.
Tour de Fresh has a goal to raise at least $150,000 to privately finance 50 salad bars in U.S. schools this year. The combination of efforts from riders’ friends, family members, and industry leaders supporting the event have successfully raised $113,000 to date, and Ocean Mist Farms encourages donations through the website at www.tourdefresh.com through July 27 in order to make this year’s goal a reality.
