A new storage facility constructed by Associated Potato Growers Inc. in Grand Forks, ND, became operational this past October. Manager Paul Dolan said the storage increased capacity by 60,000 hundredweight of potatoes.

RPE, a grower-shipper of potatoes and onions located in Bancroft, WI, has introduced a new name to its family of brands: "Old Oak Farms." This will be the core commodity brand for the company moving forward and will be widely available this year.

Statistics gathered by Domex Superfresh Growers provide positive trigger points for a successful season for the 2012-13 apple crop.

“The industry, through Dec. 1, has shipped over five million more boxes of apples — or 20 percent more apples — than the same period last year. Domex has a record crop with volume up over 30 percent when compared to last year’s crop,” Vice President of Marketing Howard Nager told The Produce News on Dec. 12. “From Sept. 1 through Dec. 1, Domex has sold over 25 percent of our annual crop.”

Grant Family Farms Inc., headquartered in Wellington, CO, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection Dec. 28, 2012. The company, which has farmed for 61 years, grows a host of organic commodities and is an organic Community Supported Agriculture farm.

"Ineligibility for crop insurance coupled with millions of dollars in damage from hail storms and drought — not to mention a massive spinach recall — has left the farm in a financial situation that it's been unable to overcome," the company said in a statement.

Kingston & Associates Marketing LLC, based in Idaho Falls, ID, announced the expansion of its Peruvian mango import program for the 2013 season, noting a 60 percent increase in production over last year's campaign.

The move comes after a very successful Ecuador program where the company experienced strong sales and good customer acceptance of the "Kingston" branded fruit.

The Perishable Specialist Inc., headquartered in Miami, is a customs broker that is completely dedicated to fruits and vegetables. Ana Ramos, co-owner with her husband Frank, said that a broker that handles fresh produce exclusively serves the importer best because every ounce of effort is concentrated within the produce industry.

“Our company is the epitome of a streamlined process, and we are solely dedicated to fruits and vegetables, which represent 99.9 percent of our day-to-day business,” said Ms. Ramos. “We are more efficient because we are true perishable specialists.”