On June 13 of this year, Hollandia Produce LLC, which grows and packs the “Live Gourmet” brand of living lettuce, launched a test market of a novel clamshell design that, because of its unusual shape, was given the name “Squircle.”

Recently, the new Squircle clamshell and its accompanying “harness-style shipping carton” were named “one of 28 finalists in the 2011 PMA Impact Awards Excellence in Packaging competition,” according to a Sept. 28 Hollandia press release.

The board of directors at Blue Diamond Growers approved a plan to purchase 88 acres in Turlock, CA, as part of a 15-year capacity expansion plan that includes ongoing operations at the Sacramento and Salida-based plants, with upgrades planned at both facilities.

In response to consumer demand for a better understanding of their food sources, Yakima, WA-based First Fruits Marketing is launching a new promotional campaign in October. The Know Your Grower campaign will grant both consumers and the trade a glimpse into the people behind First Fruits Marketing and the orchards they support.

Lone Star Citrus Growers in Mission, TX, is celebrating its fifth season as a company, but its roots in Texas produce stretch much deeper than that.

The company will proudly be part of the “Texas Town” section at the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit in Atlanta. Lone Star Sales Manager Trent Bishop said that affiliation reflects the way Texas citrus growers do business — and the deep Rio Grande Valley roots they all share.

Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee, WA, was recently named to Washington state’s Green 50 list for its excellence in sustainability and social responsibility through the Responsible Choice program. Seattle Business magazine announced the winners of the 2011 Green Washington Awards and which companies made the Green 50 list during a Sept. 21 award ceremony in Seattle

QR codes, a term derived from the expression “quick-response code,” were first created in 1994 and remained almost unknown to the general public until just a few years ago. Now in just the last year or so, they seem to be showing up everywhere, not just in the United States but globally. Scannable by smart phones, the codes provide a means for consumers to get instant information on products or companies.