Tilsonberry Farms – Hartley Berg

Tilsonberry Farms was a British Columbia cranberry grower and value-added food company that developed The Cranberry Lady brand as an innovative platform for transforming locally grown cranberries into premium branded consumer products for Canadian and U.S. markets.

Based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, the company represented an early farm-to-market approach to agricultural value creation—moving beyond traditional commodity cranberry production into the development, branding and commercialization of differentiated packaged foods.

The Cranberry Lady portfolio extended across multiple value-added categories, including dried cranberries, fruit spreads, sauces, toppings, frozen cranberries, salsa, preserves and confectionery products. The brand entered the U.S. market during a period when consumer interest in cranberries, premium specialty foods and better-for-you snacking was expanding rapidly.

V.P. Sales, Marketing & New Product Development

April 2001 – November 2004 | 3 years, 8 months | Canada & United States | Remote

Held senior responsibility for sales, marketing, business development and new-product commercialization, with a particular focus on transforming an agricultural product into a scalable branded consumer packaged goods business and establishing distribution within the U.S. retail market.

The role encompassed the complete commercialization process—from strategic business planning and product concept development through formulation, sourcing, co-packing, packaging, broker management, distribution, retailer presentations and market launch.

Key Achievements

Spearheaded strategic business planning and commercialization, helping evolve The Cranberry Lady from an agricultural and specialty-food concept into a broader branded consumer-products platform targeting Canadian and U.S. markets.

Led the end-to-end development and launch of 18 new confectionery SKUs specifically designed for the U.S. market, overseeing product concepts, supplier and processor coordination, packaging, positioning and commercialization.

Built and managed an extensive cross-border network of brokers, suppliers, ingredient providers, processors, co-packers and distributors, creating the infrastructure required to support rapid product development and U.S. market expansion.

Secured distribution in more than 500 U.S. retail stores, including listings with major grocery organizations and banners such as Safeway, Vons, Save Mart and Associated Grocers, substantially expanding the brand’s presence across priority U.S. markets.

Developed relationships with U.S. retail buyers, brokers and distributors to establish new account opportunities, product listings, promotional programs and regional expansion strategies.

Managed and mentored a three-person remote sales team, establishing priorities, account-development strategies, sales targets and market-development initiatives.

Directed new-product development from concept through commercialization, coordinating manufacturers, co-packers, ingredient suppliers and packaging partners to improve efficiency and accelerate speed to market.

Developed the brand’s sales presentations, positioning, product messaging and retailer value proposition, translating the farm-grown cranberry story into a differentiated consumer brand.

Created and implemented go-to-market strategies for the United States, identifying priority regions, retail channels, brokers and distribution partners while adapting products and sales materials to the requirements of the U.S. marketplace.

Helped establish a scalable broker and distributor sales model, allowing a relatively small Canadian company to develop retail penetration across geographically dispersed U.S. markets.

Worked directly across agriculture, manufacturing, product development, branding, sales and distribution, gaining extensive experience in transforming a raw agricultural commodity into higher-margin, value-added branded products.

Strategic Signifiance

This role provided early senior-level experience in food innovation, CPG commercialization and cross-border market development.

Rather than simply selling an existing product line, the mandate involved helping build the commercial infrastructure behind the brand—developing products, sourcing manufacturing solutions, establishing broker and distributor networks, creating retail strategies and successfully introducing new Canadian-developed products into the highly competitive U.S. grocery market.

The experience established a strong foundation in the farm-to-shelf commercialization process: taking an agricultural ingredient, creating differentiated consumer products around it and building the sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution systems necessary to scale.

Core Areas of Expertise

Executive Sales Leadership • U.S. Market Development • New Product Development • Food & Confectionery Commercialization • CPG Brand Development • Strategic Business Planning • Retail Distribution • Broker Management • Distributor Development • Co-Packer Management • Supply Chain Development • Key Account Management • Product Launch Strategy • Packaging & Positioning • Cross-Border Sales • Team Leadership • Farm-to-Market Commercialization