Chicago, IL: Blue Book, the leading provider of produce-specific credit and business information, today unveiled major enhancements to its offering, including simplified membership tiers, a new member portal, and a refreshed brand.
This release dramatically improves member access to data and insights, providing an easier and more intuitive experience that helps family-owned growers and national grocers alike manage their business, limit their financial risk and accelerate their growth like never before.
“Blue Book has a long and illustrious history of identifying and addressing our members’ needs”, said Kirk Soule, Blue Book CEO. “In 1901, our founder A.L. Baker used horseback riders, trains and telegraphs to collect vital produce trading information, solving an important industry challenge. Fast forward 123 years, and our mission remains the same. Over the last 12 months, we’ve collected thousands of data points from our members on what’s working and how we can better support the industry. Today’s release brings cutting-edge technology and design to address those challenges and propel Blue Book into its next era of leadership.”
Simplified Membership Model
Blue Book is simplifying the membership tiers, going from nine options to four, and eliminating most ala carte offerings, instead providing them free with membership. This straightforward, all-inclusive model makes choosing the right service level easy, and helps customers maximize their membership without worrying about additional fees.
“We have the most complete database of produce-specific business information and sales leads in the world”, said Soule. “And we want our members to take full advantage of it. This simplified model doesn’t take away any services or benefits from our members; it just makes it easier to access more of them.”
Improved Member Experience
The produce industry is dynamic and ever-changing, requiring real-time decisions that can make or break a business. The brand-new Blue Book member portal is more powerful than ever, with a modern user interface, clean layout and stronger capabilities that help members make smarter decisions and better connections– quickly.
“The new interface makes common functions – company searches, trading partner credit reviews and sales lead generation – easier than ever to complete,” said Soule. “And we’ve upgraded the look and feel of the portal to align with modern web applications. We also have new features like unlimited business reports, public record searches for companies/principles, credit reference checks, and the ability to see who’s viewed your company profile.”
Refreshed Brand Identity
Only it’s third major brand update in over a century, Blue Book’s style evolution honors its storied legacy and recognizable “seal” but with a fresh feel that reflects the company’s internal evolution and modern era. The logo, color palette, typeface and more have all been refreshed.
“This is Blue Book’s next chapter”, said Soule, “and we wanted to tell that story with clean, vibrant visual language that is both modern and approachable. The original navy is now a richer hue and subtle gradient– conveying trust and stability, with an edge of sophistication. The brand mark reflects the simplicity of our mission– to help our customers succeed. And the nod to our founding honors our history and the dedicated team at Blue Book who have helped drive the produce industry forward for 123 years. But we’re only just getting started.”
To learn more about Blue Book or to become a member, please visit the Blue Book website Produce Blue Book | Produce Industry Credit, Marketing, and News.
About Blue Book
Blue Book is the leading provider of produce-specific credit and business information, helping companies manage their business, limit their financial risk and accelerate their growth. Since 1901, Blue Book has brought predictability to the produce supply chain, helping family-owned growers and national grocers alike make the right trading decisions and business connections at the right time.
