Alumni In New England, Two Sisters Grow Cranberries for Your Holiday Table Stories You May Like Doctoral Grad Is a Leading Researcher of Wildlife Crime Cornell’s First Female Doctoral Grad Libe Slope, Friends, and East Hill Sunsets: Your Fondest Memories Sixth-generation famers, the alums are part of the co-op producing fruit for Ocean Spray products, from sauce to juice to craisins By Melissa Newcomb Sisters Alison Gilmore Carr ’01 and Abigail Gilmore Anderson ’04 grew up helping out on their family’s eastern Massachusetts cranberry farm. During fall breaks on the Hill, they’d return to pitch in with the annual harvest. Now the pair, who both majored in agricultural business management in CALS, are running the enterprise along with their mom. Located not far from Cape Cod, the Gilmore Cranberry Company is a family business whose fruit is featured in some of the most popular products on the market—during the holidays and year round. Carr (left) and Anderson at harvest time. Their 100-acre farm harvests berries that are used in Ocean Spray juices, sauces, craisins (dried cranberries), and more. Says Carr: “It’s such an honor and so heartwarming to know we get to be a part of people having special moments with their family in this little way.” Ripe berries on the vine. Ocean Spray is a cooperative comprising more than 700 growers. It was founded in 1930—with the sisters’ extended family as one of the three original members. Carr and Anderson plan to continue the tradition of passing the land on to the next generation—and they’ve even welcomed fellow Cornellians through visits organized by the Cornell Club of Boston. It’s such an honor and so heartwarming to know we get to be a part of people having special moments with their family in this little way. Alison Gilmore Carr ’01 As they explain, the crop is typically harvested in October: the bogs in which they grow are flooded, and the water is agitated so the berries fall off the vines and float to the top for collection. The sisters have been running the farm for about a decade. Happily bogged down: The Gilmore family. Stories You May Like Doctoral Grad Is a Leading Researcher of Wildlife Crime Cornell’s First Female Doctoral Grad Both still love the growing process—and the fruit of their labors—and use cranberries to make everything from sorbets to baked goods. And of course, they also make cranberry sauce for the holiday season: each family member brings their own version and a winner is chosen based on which is eaten the most. A (literal) truckload of cranberries en route to become sauce and more. “Our parents told us that if we love it, we’ll come back to it,” Anderson says of working in the family business. “That’s exactly what we both did: we took off our corporate hats to put our agricultural hats back on.” After graduation, the sisters lived together in NYC; Carr worked in food product marketing and Anderson had jobs at law and architecture firms. Our parents told us that if we love it, we'll come back to it. That's exactly what we both did. Abigail Gilmore Anderson ’04 “Cranberry farming is a part of the fabric of who I am,” says Carr. “I had some other professional passions—but I always knew that at some point, I’d return to the farm.” Top: A flooded bog during harvest at the Gilmore farm. (All photos provided) Published November 15, 2024 Comments Beth Corwin, Class of 1968 19 Nov, 2024 A wonderful family. Cornell Club of Boston tour last summer was fascinating! Thank you Gilmore family! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Alumni Project Chronicles Experiences of Alums of Asian Descent Ask the Expert Confused By Crypto and Digital Dollars? Dyson Prof Has Answers Alumni Influencer Justine Doiron ’16 Cooks Up Healthy Comfort Food