BlueTrace
Founded 2017 · 11 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
BlueTrace provides a cloud-based inventory and operations management platform for seafood businesses, replacing outdated legacy systems and spreadsheets with integrated software for receiving, shipping, picking, packing, and loading. The platform offers mobile and desktop access along with hardware (printers and waterproof labels) for managing seafood inventory and sales/purchase operations.
Also known as Oyster Tracker · OysterTracker
Founders & leadership
Investors · 5
Also in the syndicate · 1
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- Undisclosed amountSeed FundingFeb 2023Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026BlueTrace is a Castine, Maine-based software company that builds an all-in-one sales, operations and compliance platform used exclusively by seafood producers, harvesters, growers, processors, distributors and dealers. The product combines desktop-web and mobile applications covering receiving, shipping, digital logs (harvest, HACCP, receiving, shipping, cooling), sales orders, purchasing, picking and packing, item and price management, real-time inventory tracking, and compliance with FDA FSMA 204 food traceability rules. Software is paired with rugged, waterproof BlueTrace paper and partner TSC printers so tags and labels can be produced in wet, on-the-floor working conditions.
The inventory module tracks on-hand, incoming and allocated stock, calculates inventory value from list price, supports flexible item and item-group definitions with attributes such as size, species, product form and brand, handles unit-of-measure conversions between buying, stocking and selling units, supports item-to-item transformations, and maps species to FDA-approved labeling and naming conventions. The company also documents an integration with QuickBooks accounting. In 2024 BlueTrace expanded into inventory management for small and medium broadline and specialty distributors and producers, and it has since launched a seafood processing capability within inventory management; company blog material also describes AI agents applied to seafood operations.
Founding story
The founding team formed in 2018 after Chip Terry visited a local oyster farm in Maine and became interested in aquaculture operations; he recruited former co-workers Cat Ganim, Andy Kearny and Drew Condon, each with ties to seaside working communities. The company launched that year as OysterTracker with a Farm Manager app for day-to-day aquaculture tasks such as flipping bags, tumbling and harvesting.
Business model
Software-as-a-service sold to seafood businesses, positioned as an "operating system" customers can adopt in a small footprint and expand over time. The software is complemented by consumable rugged BlueTrace tag/label paper and printers supplied through a partnership with TSC.
Revenue derives from its seafood software platform, sold via demo-and-quote sales (prospects request a demo or email sales for a quote), alongside associated BlueTrace label paper and partner printer hardware.
Traction
The company reports more than 500 seafood companies as customers across 27+ states and provinces, and cites tags printed figures of 7.5 million, 13 million and 16 million across different pages of its site, with more than 8 million tags and labels printed in 2024. It reported 121% growth in 2022, growing from 150 to over 350 clients. Named customers and testimonial sources include Samuels Seafood, Hog Island Oyster Co., Rappahannock Oyster Co., Low Country Oyster Co., Denarius Trading Co., Northeast Seafood Company, Blue Hill Bay Mussels, Spinney Creek Shellfish, Monterey Fish Market and Taylor Lobster.
Latest developments
BlueTrace has launched a Seafood Processing feature within BlueTrace Inventory Management, published a 2024 year-in-review citing over 8 million tags and labels printed that year, released a guide on its QuickBooks connection, and is publicizing AI-driven capabilities, including content on AI agents for seafood operations.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as a seafood-specific traceability and operations platform in an industry the company and its investors describe as largely non-digital and reliant on paper, whiteboards and spreadsheets. The company reports use by more than 500 seafood companies across 27+ states and provinces, and describes itself as a go-to solution for seafood tagging and traceability with clients in all but two coastal U.S. states and most Canadian provinces.
Purpose-built solely for seafood rather than general agriculture or generic ERP: seafood-specific item definitions and species-to-FDA labeling mapping, built-in regulatory rules and FSMA 204 compliance tooling, waterproof tags and rugged printing hardware for wet operating environments, and combined commerce plus compliance workflows across trading partners.
Technology
Cloud-based platform accessible from smartphones and desktop web, with mobile apps for frontline use in wet environments, tag and label printing on waterproof stock via partner TSC printers, digital log capture, lot-linked inventory that increments on receiving and decrements on shipment, a regulatory rules engine for compliance, data transfer between trading partners, and AI features described in company materials.
Go-to-market
Direct sales with demo requests and quotes from the website, supported by downloadable guides (e.g., BlueTrace + QuickBooks, seafood item catalogs), a company blog, published customer testimonials and case references, and hands-on onsite customer setup and support.
Seafood producers and harvesters (including shellfish and oyster farms, mussel growers and lobster dealers) and seafood distributors, wholesalers, processors and dealers, ranging from small operators to multi-site distributors; the 2024 inventory push targets small and medium broadline and specialty distributors.
Geography
Headquartered in Castine, Maine. Customers span 27 or more U.S. states and Canadian provinces, described as all but two coastal U.S. states and most Canadian provinces; one customer references preparing shipments to the EU with EU-specific tag requirements.
History
Founded in 2018 as OysterTracker, the team joined the MassChallenge accelerator that year and was a finalist, then raised an angel round in 2019. In 2020 the company rebranded to BlueTrace, focused on tagging and labeling, and hired its first full-time employee. It signed its first distributor client in 2021 and won Phase 1 and Phase 2 SBIR grants from NOAA to build its Tide to Table Traceability System. In 2022 it added its first non-shellfish customer, extending coverage to fish, shrimp, lobster, crabs and kelp, and reported 121% growth with customers rising from 150 to over 350. A $3.2 million seed round closed in February 2023, bringing total fundraising to $4.1 million, followed by expansion into inventory management in 2024.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 11
launches, deals, and filingsBlueTrace expanded into inventory management for small and medium broadline/specialty distributors and producers.
The company announced the launch of a Seafood Processing feature within its Inventory Management product.
BlueTrace announced $3.2 million in Seed funding led by York IE, Maine Venture Fund and CEI Ventures (Coastal Enterprise Ventures), with participation from angel investors including SeaAhead, bringing total fundraising to $4.1 million. Funds are intended to expand operations and development.
$3.2M source ↗
Joe Raczka, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at York IE, joined BlueTrace's board of directors alongside existing board members Abigail Carroll and Dave Ford.
BlueTrace expanded beyond shellfish to cover fish, shrimp, lobster, crabs and kelp.
BlueTrace won Phase 1 and Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research grants from NOAA to build its Tide to Table Traceability System.
BlueTrace landed its first distributor client and began working on data transfer between trading partners across the seafood supply chain.
The company rebranded from OysterTracker to BlueTrace, focused entirely on its tagging and labeling product, and hired its first full-time employee.
The OysterTracker team joined the MassChallenge startup accelerator and was named a finalist.
Chip Terry recruited Cat Ganim, Andy Kearny and Drew Condon to form the founding team; the company launched as OysterTracker with a Farm Manager app for aquaculture operations.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- BlueTraceblue-trace.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does BlueTrace do?
- BlueTrace sells all-in-one sales, operations and traceability software for seafood producers and distributors.
- Who are BlueTrace's investors?
- BlueTrace's investors include CEI Ventures, iSelect Fund, Maine Venture Fund, York IE.