CEO’s Perspective: Leading Through Change- Blue Book’s Legacy of Innovation and Momentum

At Blue Book, we’ve always believed innovation is about enhancing what we do well, not abandoning our legacy.

Over the past century, we’ve been a trusted leader in the produce industry, providing the insights and resources businesses need to succeed. Our mission hasn’t changed: we help you make better connections, better decisions, and achieve better outcomes.

A Legacy of Leadership and Innovation
Blue Book’s history is a testament to progress with purpose. In 1901, by leveraging telegraphs, trains, and horseback riders to collect vital information, Blue Book pioneered the industry’s first ever (and still only) specialized credit bureau. 

In 1904, seeing an industry need, Blue Book established the first-ever trade customs, rules, and grades for fruits and vegetables (42 years before the USDA established the current legislated system). 

Closer to today, Blue Book has continued to lead the produce industry into the digital age. Blue Book was one of the first to launch a website just one year after Internet Explorer was released—for what it’s worth, Google wasn’t even a thing yet! 

Our focus has always been clear: helping businesses grow by providing timely, valuable insights.

What’s New: Our Future in Focus
The produce industry is more dynamic than ever. The challenge isn’t just adapting to change but using it as a tool to empower businesses to make informed decisions quickly.

Technology is here to enhance what we do—not to replace the human connections and trust that have always defined Blue Book. Here’s what that looks like for us today.

Digital Produce Blueprints®
In response to customer feedback, we’ve reimagined Produce Blueprints® as a digital platform that makes it easier for you to access, save, and share content. By “going digital,” you can expect new content throughout the week (not bimonthly, as it was before), giving you timely, action-oriented insights to help you make the best decisions possible. 

The Produce Reporter®
The Produce Reporter® has been redesigned for clarity and speed, focusing on breaking news and key stories rather than ad space. A USDA market price ticker will launch this spring, giving you real-time commodity prices to stay ahead in the marketplace.

Revamped Blue Book products
Our core products included in a subscription to Blue Book—Sales Intelligence, Credit Intelligence, Market Intelligence, Procurement Intelligence, and Business Builder Intelligence—have been reorganized to align more closely with user workflows, giving you faster access to the most relevant tools and insights.

Moving Purposefully Forward
Blue Book’s commitment has always been to help people make better connections and decisions to achieve better outcomes. As technology accelerates this mission, we remain focused on what truly matters: enhancing relationships and delivering real, actionable insights.

An example is the kickoff of our new Weekend Interview series this week featuring Jim Roberts of Naturipe Farms, LLC detailing what it takes to being a new berry variety to market.

We aren’t pursuing innovation for the sake of novelty, but to help you navigate the dynamic produce industry with greater speed and confidence.

A Challenge for Purposeful Progress
As we continue to innovate, I challenge you to reflect on how you can leverage innovation. Progress isn’t just about adopting new tools—it’s about using them to improve the way we connect, collaborate, and make decisions.

The future is full of opportunities, and it’s up to each of us to shape it with purpose.

I’d love to hear how you’re using technology to enhance—not replace—how you make better connections, better decisions, and achieve better outcomes. Email me at ksoule@bluebookservices.com.