Ed Sabey got his start in the cranberry industry in 1989, working as a field scout for Ocean Spray Cranberries. Today, he is co-owner of Copper River Cranberry Company in Merrill.

Ed and his wife, Rena, own Copper River Cranberry Company with Tim and Deb Burton. The two families have 103 acres of cranberry vines on their 1,900-acre marsh. For every one acre of cranberry vines, generally another 10 acres of support land – which includes water reservoirs and forested uplands – is required.

At right is a photo of Ed and his son, Jacob, standing among white cranberries that have just been harvested. “Our marsh participated in Ocean Spray’s white harvest program for 3 years, shipping around 5,000 barrels,” says Ed.

Cranberries used to produce white cranberry juice are harvested before they turn the familiar crimson red. The resulting juice is less tart than the traditional red cranberry juice. And white cranberry juice doesn’t stain, making it an attractive alternative for parents of young children.

Like other cranberry growers, Ed reports his yields as barrels per acre. Early cranberry growers shipped their cranberries to market in wooden barrels that held 100 pounds of fruit. Although barrels are no longer used to ship cranberries, growers still use a barrel as the standard unit of measure.

Besides their son, Jacob, now 10, Ed and Rena have a daughter, Jessica, 12. Ed enjoys spending time with his family, riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, fishing and hunting.