Cranberry giant Ocean Spray is to launch a line of cranberry and grapefruit beverages in the People's Republic of China within the next six months, the group announced this week. Under an agreement with the Beijing Huiyuan Beverage Group, the largest juice company in China, Ocean Spray will grant a 10-year license to Huiyuan for the Ocean Spray brand and technology. An initial launch of a line of Ocean Spray cranberry and grapefruit juice drinks in the major centers of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou will take place later this year. Sales will be extended to other major markets in China over the next three years. As it prepares to enter a nation of 1.2 billion people, Ocean Spray officials estimate that the market for juices and juice drinks in China already exceeds 100million people, and expect that number to grow at double-digit rate for the foreseeable future. This is a momentous opportunity for Ocean Spray,'' said Ocean Spray CEO Robert Hawthorne "It gives us access to what will undoubtedly become the largest juice market in theworld over the next 20 years… and will create opportunities for all North American cranberry and grapefruit growers to expand sales into a hugenew market at a time when market growth at home is an increasing challenge.''
