Randy Papadellis, President And Chief Executive Officer To Leave Ocean Spray Cranberries; Bobby Chacko Named President And Chief Operating Officer

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Randy Papadellis, president and chief executive officer of Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. announced today his intention to leave the Cooperative on July 1, 2018 after 18 years. Papadellis joined Ocean Spray in 2000, and has served as president and chief executive officer since 2002. Papadellis is also a member of Ocean Spray's board of directors. 

Effective immediately, Bobby Chacko, who has been serving as senior vice president and chief growth officer since 2017, has been promoted to president and chief operating officer. 

Papadellis, whose career in the food and beverage industry spans more than 35 years and includes some of the top brands in the business- Cadbury Schweppes, Frito Lay, and Welch's,  will remain on the board and continue as CEO until July. 

"On behalf of our growers and board I'd like to thank Randy for everything he has done and continues to do to build the strong global business we have today," said Peter Dhillon, chairman of the Ocean Spray board of directors. "His leadership over the past 18 years has been critical to our success and growth." 

Ocean Spray's board of directors will continue working on its CEO succession plan over the coming months and anticipates an orderly transition before Papadellis leaves the Co-operative this summer. 

Added Dhillon, "While this is the first public announcement in our CEO succession plan, it is just the latest step in a multiyear process. When Bobby joined Ocean Spray last fall, it quickly became clear that we had found a leader for our next generation of talent and the board looks forward to working with him during this transition." 

"Ocean Spray has always been and continues to be the world's greatest marketing co-operative,'" said Papadellis. "It has been an honor to work with my colleagues on behalf of our Grower-Owners for the past 18 years. As I move on to the next phase of my career, I know the business will continue to thrive under Bobby's leadership." 

"I look forward to working with Randy and the entire Ocean Spray team in the coming months as we strive to build on the Co-operative's strong foundation," added Chacko. "Ocean Spray can truly be called the original farm to table company and it's going to be exciting to bring this story to new consumers." 

Prior to joining Ocean Spray, Chacko served as regional president of Mars Drinks where he had complete responsibility for the North American business. Before joining Mars Inc., Chacko had 20 years of diverse corporate leadership and entrepreneurship experiences, encompassing strategy, innovation, marketing, and commercialization with iconic brands in category leading companies like The Coca-Cola Company, AB Inbev, and GE Capital. Chacko brings in-market general management experiences and regional perspectives on developed and emerging markets across Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe.  

About Ocean Spray 

Ocean Spray is a vibrant agricultural co-operative owned by more than 700 cranberry growers in the United States, Canada and Chile who have helped preserve the family farming way of life for generations. Formed in 1930, Ocean Spray is now the world's leading producer of cranberry juices, juice drinks and dried cranberries and is the best-selling brand in the North American bottled juice category. The cooperative's cranberries are currently featured in more than a thousand great-tasting, good-for-you products in over 100 countries worldwide. With more than 2,000 employees and nearly 20 cranberry receiving and processing facilities, Ocean Spray is committed to managing our business in a way that respects our communities, employees and the environment. For more information visit: www.oceanspray.com or www.oceanspray.coop.