What’s the Buzz? GloryBee is Rebranding.

On Friday morning, our class was given the opportunity to hear from Bonnie Larson, lead marketer for GloryBee Foods, an international food distribution and supply company focusing on quality ingredients and goods. GloryBee was established in 1975 by Dick and Pat Turanski and is based out of Eugene, Oregon.

GloryBee is a very successful distributer, working with 17 countries and supplying thousands of different ingredients and products across the world. According to Bonnie Larson, they have found success through an attention to both quality of ingredients and customer preference. Even so, Larson says that GloryBee’s recent rebranding efforts have been executed in order for the company to “move forward” and out of an outdated look. A redesigned logo and website have gone a long way to give GloryBee a push towards modern aesthetics, but according to Larson, the real issue is trying to define leadership.

In order for GloryBee to establish or maintain its place as a leader in the natural food and goods market, it will be important to connect with community and to encourage engagement in order to increase customer base. On a local level, establishing connections with the University of Oregon to work together on sustainable food and living efforts could help create a foundation for growth and raise brand awareness in our microcosm. On a national and international level, connecting with other colleges and universities to approach local or global issues, such as they are currently with Oregon State University and “Save the Bee,” helps humanize the company to consumers by attaching GloryBee’s name to a cause. GloryBee should look to further those connections, and create those ties to a greater purpose. But how do they make those connections? And what might be stopping them?

With an inventory of over 3000 items for sale, GloryBee’s identity cannot be defined by a single product. Instead, GloryBee has to be known and loved for the greater mission it represents. And herein lies the hangup: In GloryBee’s mission statement located on its site, the company claims its mission to be “built upon a foundation consisting of a belief in God.” This direct religious affiliation could play a major role in GloryBee’s ability to connect with certain communities, universities, and consumers as a whole.

While it is important to not compromise the integrity of a company by stripping them of their fundamental beliefs, it could prove to benefit GloryBee if their mission was reworded to put an emphasis on an attachment to community, and not religion. The only thing stronger than a common belief, is a common goal. It’s time for GloryBee to find that goal.