What Communique does

Communique, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned B2B professional services firm headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri, founded in 1979 by Steve Veile at age 26 and now under second-generation leadership (Adam Veile as CEO since July 2019 and Sarah Alsager as President). The firm employs approximately 10-15 staff and specializes in health and nutrition communications for agricultural commodity organizations, delivering an integrated portfolio of three service pillars: Strategic Communications, Education & Outreach, and Digital & Social Media. Named clients include the United Soybean Board, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, National Biodiesel Board, State Beef Councils, Soy Nutrition Institute, Culinary Institute of America, and Ameren Missouri, with the firm also providing day-to-day operational management for several industry associations and coordinating conferences such as the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo.

The technology stack centers on digital content creation and distribution systems that support managed brand properties including the Soy Connection quarterly newsletter (approximately 1 million copies per year distributed through professional journal insertions with a documented 93 percent dietitian usage rate and 87 percent patient-recommendation rate among readers), the Bean Institute website (nearly 400,000 unique visitors annually), multi-platform social media campaigns (e.g., the Soy Real Talk campaign generated 580,000 impressions, 10,000 engagements, and 101,000 video views), and the Dry Bean Health Research Program (incentive awards of $645,000 leveraged into $11.7 million in NIH funding, an 18x return). The firm operates Imprint Publishing as a wholly-owned subsidiary (since 1997) producing educational activity and coloring books for agricultural partners, extended in 2020 with a digital coloring app and in 2022 with the Ag Education on the Move digital app and additional apps for Northarvest Bean Growers and banking financial literacy clients.

The business model is project-based professional services on multi-year enterprise relationships with agricultural checkoff boards and industry associations, complemented by licensing and royalty-style revenue from Imprint Publishing. Distribution is entirely direct-to-client enterprise engagement with no retail, marketplace, or self-serve channels, combined with event-driven presence at industry conferences (National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, Menus of Change, Culinary Institute of America events). Pricing is custom quote-based with no public disclosure. The firm operates in a single domestic geography (Midwest United States), has no external institutional investors, has not raised funding, and has conducted no acquisitions or divestitures.

Name

Communique

Legal name

Communique, Inc.

Website

https://communiqueinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Communique is a family-owned B2B communications firm founded in 1979 that delivers health and nutrition messaging, education, and digital services for agricultural commodity organizations from Jefferson City, Missouri, managing flagship programs like Soy Connection and the Bean Institute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Health and Nutrition Communications Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B) (BPAFADAH)

Keywords

• Agricultural communications services
• Health and nutrition communications
• Commodity board marketing
• Food industry public relations
• Dietitian education outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Jefferson City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Communications Services: B2B professional services revenue from strategic communications, digital/social media services, and educational outreach programs for agricultural and food organizations. Clients include commodity boards, industry associations, and food organizations. Projects are typically multi-year ongoing relationships.
2. Publishing Services: Imprint Publishing division produces educational activity and coloring books for agricultural partners, including digital coloring apps. Revenue from customized educational materials and publishing services.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Communique provides B2B professional communications services focused on health and nutrition messaging for agricultural commodity organizations, food industry associations, and food-related enterprises. Offerings span three core service pillars — Strategic Communications, Education & Outreach, and Digital & Social Media — and are delivered through multi-year engagement contracts that integrate public relations, scientific content development, publication production, digital platforms, and social media management. The company also operates Imprint Publishing, a division that produces educational activity books and digital apps used to extend client programs to consumers and educators.

Product overview

Communique offers a suite of integrated communications services centered on three core pillars: Strategic Communications, Education & Outreach, and Digital & Social Media. The company also operates Imprint Publishing as a distinct division producing educational coloring books and digital apps. Client programs include the Soy Nutrition Institute, Bean Institute, Soy Connection Newsletter (circulating 1M+ copies annually), Dry Bean Health Research Program, and Soy Connection Social Media. The portfolio serves the agricultural and food industry's health and nutrition messaging needs, combining print publications, digital platforms, social media management, and educational materials into a cohesive communications ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Imprint Publishing: A division of Communique that has produced educational activity and coloring books since 1997, recently expanded to include a digital coloring app

Products and services

• Strategic Communications A B2B professional communications service that reaches healthcare professionals, researchers, and media to influence healthy eating habits and perceptions about agriculture and food on behalf of agricultural commodity clients.
• Education & Outreach A service line that delivers unique educational experiences including electronic and print publications, continuing medical education for health professionals, seminars, and training programs for agricultural and food clients.
• Digital & Social Media A digital media service covering social engagement, content strategy, digital design, planning and analytics, community management, and online advertising for client programs such as Soy Connection and the Bean Institute.
• Imprint Publishing (Educational Activity and Coloring Books) A publishing division of Communique that produces educational activity books and coloring books on farming, sustainability, and other topics for agricultural partners, with content licensed to clients and educators for distribution.
• Digital Coloring Book App A digital coloring application developed for the Imprint Publishing division that extends traditional educational coloring book content into a virtual environment, enabling agricultural clients to share educational coloring pages with children.
• Ag Education on the Move Digital App A digital app released for Missouri agriculture that delivers agricultural education content through mobile distribution channels, available in all app stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of dietitians who read Soy Connection newsletter have used information in their practice
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Soy Nutrition InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership managing day-to-day operations of SNI including meeting planning, communications coordination, and research facilitation. Communique helps unify member companies, farmers, and scientific advisors toward common goals.
• Northarvest Bean Growers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated and manages the Dry Bean Health Research Program. Supports bean promotion and education including Bean Institute platform and digital coloring apps.
• United Soybean BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple projects including Soyfoods Guide publication, United Soybean Board meeting coordination, Soyfoods Health and Nutrition Outreach, and Feeding America's Military project.
• State Soybean BoardsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState soybean boards request and distribute Soy and Child Nutrition Guide and other materials for their events and communications.
• National Biodiesel BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership developing branding for National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, including ALL IN branding and promotion campaign.
• State Beef CouncilsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural communications support for beef industry education and outreach initiatives.
• University Agriculture ExtensionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative educational outreach and communications support with university agriculture extension programs.
• Culinary Institute of AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Menus of Change and Healthy Kids Collaborative events. CIA develops recipes and content featuring beans and soy products for conference presentations.
• Ameren MissouriminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly Energy Advisor e-newsletter production for Ameren Missouri stakeholders including consumers, legislators, and subcontractors.
• Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented Northarvest Bean Growers Association at Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, connecting with military dietitians and industry professionals.
• International Food Information CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with SNI Global and IFIC to conduct consumer survey of 1,000 respondents on plant-based meat alternative nomenclature preferences.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AdFarm: AdFarm is a North American agricultural marketing agency serving crop input, equipment, and food companies. Highly comparable to Communique in its ag-vertical focus, B2B professional services model, and emphasis on translating producer-and-consumer messaging for agricultural audiences.
• FLM Harvest: FLM Harvest is a marketing agency focused on agriculture, rural lifestyle, and food clients. Like Communique, it serves commodity boards and ag organizations with integrated communications and digital services targeting producer and consumer audiences.
• Bader Rutter: Bader Rutter is a Wisconsin-based B2B marketing agency with a strong agricultural and animal-health practice serving clients such as John Deere and Zoetis. Directly comparable to Communique in serving ag and food clients with integrated strategic, creative, and digital communications.
• Osborn Barr Paramore: Osborn Barr (now Paramore) is a full-service marketing agency specializing in agriculture, rural, and outdoor lifestyle clients. Comparable to Communique in its deep ag specialization and B2B agency model serving commodity organizations and food companies.
• Gibbs & Soell: Gibbs & Soell is a B2B public relations and communications agency with deep experience in agriculture, food, and ingredients. It directly parallels Communique's B2B PR focus on health-and-nutrition messaging for ag and food clients.
• Swanson Russell: Swanson Russell is a Nebraska-based marketing agency with a dedicated agricultural practice serving clients like Bayer and agricultural associations. It directly parallels Communique's B2B agency model serving commodity and agricultural clients with strategy, creative, and digital services.

Broad incumbents

• Padilla: Padilla is a mid-sized public relations and communications agency with a food, beverage, and nutrition practice. It overlaps with Communique's health-and-nutrition communications for ag clients but operates at much larger scale across many industries.
• Ketchum: Ketchum is a large global communications agency with food, agriculture, and nutrition expertise. It overlaps with Communique's PR-and-health-communications offering for ag clients but as part of a much broader portfolio across many industries.
• Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global public relations agency with a dedicated food and agriculture practice. It is comparable to Communique in serving health-and-nutrition PR briefs from agricultural and food organizations but operates at significantly larger scale across many sectors.
• Carmichael Lynch Relate: Carmichael Lynch Relate is the PR arm of Carmichael Lynch with a food, beverage, and agriculture focus. Comparable to Communique in its consumer-and-food PR work for agricultural clients but with a broader agency portfolio.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/communiqueinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/communiqueinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/communiqueinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Communique