Black Gold Farms, based in Grand Forks, ND, has teamed with McCormick Produce Partners to create an easy-to-prepare, value-added fresh potato side dish packed with flavor.

Black Gold Farms — a fourth-generation, family-owned farm — will introduce its one-of-a-kind product this summer: a fresh package of red potatoes, expertly paired with one of three McCormick Produce Partners seasoning blends. The blend choices include roasted Italian herbs, roasted onion and garlic, and roasted garlic and rosemary.

Intelligent Global Pooling Systems, an Orlando, FL-based company that supplies reusable plastic pallets to various industries, filed for bankruptcy protection in early June and is apparently negotiating the sale of its assets to a third party, which plans to emerge as iGPS Logistics LLC, a joint venture formed by private equity firms and others.

The sale must be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, DE, and is subject to higher and better bids. In court filings, iGPS indicated that it hopes to complete the sale by the end of July.

Roche Bros., a family-owned chain of full-service supermarkets, signed a lease agreement to open a perishable-focused small-format store at the former Lord’s Department Store site in Medfield, MA.

Stemilt Growers had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new, state-of-the-art cherry packingline at the company’s Euclid Street facility in Wenatchee, WA. Stemilt President West Mathison and owner-grower Kyle Mathison led a dedication and blessing of the line as part of its inaugural run.

An average winter season that provided the necessary “chilling hours,” combined with a normal spring and an abundance of cooperative honeybees, is pointing to a great 2013 blueberry harvest in the Garden State.

After success last season, Giumarra Wenatchee is expanding on its line of specialty packs for New Zealand Meyer lemons.  

“The growing season was exceptional in New Zealand," Jason Bushong, division manager of Giumarra Wenatchee, said in a press release. "A warm, dry climate has produced fruit with a well-balanced acid-to-Brix ratio. Late-season precipitation helped the fruit gain size, making it well suited for the preferences of U.S. consumers.