Ocean Spray's New CEO Brings in Supply Chain, Transformation Chiefs to Scale Harvest-to-Market Growth
Agricultural cooperative Ocean Spray Cranberries has hired two executives to help accelerate the company's execution through supply chain optimization and business transformation.
Their hiring is among the first major executive team moves under Abigail Buckwalter, who stepped into the role of president and CEO of Ocean Spray in June 2026.
Global Supply Chain Changes
Brad Hartzell has been named chief supply chain officer.
Hartzell steps in to manage supply chain logistics for roughly 700 family farmers across the United States, Canada and Chile, overseeing distribution to over 100 countries at the start of Ocean Spray's annual autumn harvest season. He takes over for Earl Larson, who retires at the end of the month after a 22-year career with the Ocean Spray.
Hartzel has more than 25 years of experience leading manufacturing, supply chain and operational excellence across global consumer products and ingredient businesses.
He joins Ocean Spray from Beauty & Body Solutions at KDC/ONE Development Corp., where he served as chief operating officer. In that role, he established a self-funded, global center-led organization to capture best practices, leverage knowledge across markets and accelerate value creation through continuous improvement, according to his LinkedIn.
"This structure enabled us to strengthen efficiency and unlock synergies across the network, while still preserving the autonomy and flexibility each site needs to serve local customers with speed and intimacy," he said in his profile.
Prior to that, he was COO at NovaTaste and also spent 18 years with International Flavors & Fragrances, advancing through several leadership roles and ultimately taking on the role of VP of operations for the North America flavor business.
Betting on Transformation Strategy
Kevin Zidron takes on the role of chief strategy and transformation officer.
Zidron will help strengthen how the company combines insights, strategy and execution to drive business growth. He will lead enterprise strategy, transformation, value capture, project management, commercial strategy and insights, aligning these efforts with the company's long-term goals.
His appointment follows major innovation bets aimed at reaching new demographic segments. This includes co-branded and RTD alcohol partnerships with major CPG and alcohol brands, such as the launch of pre-mixed Absolut Vodka & Ocean Spray RTD cocktails with Pernod Ricard and the expansion into zero-sugar beverage lines, aligning with Zidron's health and wellness background.
Prior to joining Ocean Spray, Zidron held leadership roles at Nestlé Health Science, Vital Proteins and Kraft Heinz, where he led enterprise strategy, commercial transformation, business optimization and growth initiatives across North American and global businesses.
A Shift Under New Leadership
Buckwalter took over as the organization's leader, replacing Tom Hayes, who retired from the company in March after serving in the role for five years. She brings 20 years of experience as a global leader in the consumer goods and healthcare industries.
Like Zidron, she joined Ocean Spray from Nestlé Health Science U.S., where she led for the previous three years as CEO.
Under her leadership, Hartzell and Zidron will strengthen strategy, transformation, supply chain and operational capabilities as the cooperative enters its next phase of growth, according to the company.
"At Ocean Spray, we have an iconic brand, an extraordinary fruit, a strong cooperative foundation and talented people across our business," said Buckwalter in a statement. "Our focus now is on bringing those strengths together with greater clarity, pace and discipline to accelerate growth and unlock our full potential. We have an opportunity to build on what makes Ocean Spray unique while creating the capabilities needed for our next chapter. Kevin and Brad bring the leadership and expertise to help us move faster, sharpen execution and deliver on our priorities."
