Blaze is now Beryl

Blaze is evolving and growing.

This is something we’ve been working on for a few months, a secret project that we’ve been excited to share with you. A while ago we faced a trademark challenge from overseas. The company had a range of products called ‘Blaze’ within the same category; we both tried to coexist but it wasn’t meant to be.

In truth, we were fond of our name, and many other people were too. Leaving it aside and taking on all the practical implications of renaming a brand, it has been an incredibly difficult decision.

However, it came at a time when lots of other exciting things were happening in our office in East London. We’ve done a lot in a few years— shipping consumer products to over 60 countries, integrating our core laser technology into the bikes of London and New York and co-designing the new Santander Cycle for London. But the coming months are the most exciting yet as we gear up to launch a new generation of amazing lights this Autumn, and at the same time reveal new tech in bike share.

The truth is our purpose has remained the same since day one when Emily started the company—‘To build a better world by getting more people in cities on bikes’. That purpose is still intact and the same reason we all come to work each day. But what’s changed is the number of ways and resources we have to achieve our mission. No longer just one product, with one objective to make cycling safer, but many products and new technologies to enable and inspire more people to cycle. We have a vision for a world where the bike is the primary choice for transport in all major cities, making the world a better place for all.

So we realised we were on a tipping point of a new era for the company and therefore time to choose a new name to reflect that. An evolution, not a new direction.

And that new name is Beryl.

Inspiration came from our iconic green light, so identifiably ours, seen on city streets around the world—the meaning of the word ‘beryl’ is a precious green gemstone, with famous varieties being the emerald. The stone also represents quality, durability, transparency and beauty, attributes we hope also align with our brand and our products. But most importantly, it is also multi-faceted, like our team. We now have so many new ways to inspire more people to get on bikes.

Parallel inspiration came from Beryl Burton, the unsung hero of British cycling—Beryl won over 100 domestic and seven world titles, she set multiple records, most famously the 12-hour time trial record, which was not beaten by a male cyclist for two years, or another woman until last year, 50 years later. As a mother and a housewife, who never went pro, she was a true pioneer who stands for the inclusivity of cycling.

It was an extremely long and tricky process, but when we finally found Beryl, it immediately felt right. We are excited our new name captures both these elements of inspiration, which we feel align with who we are.

The renaming will be followed by a brand refresh, unveiling a new visual identity later in the Summer, which is an evolution of where we are today, with a new logo, typeface and new visual treatments.

Over the next few weeks and months, you will see changes to our social media channels, brand collateral, packaging and website, completed by a full site redesign later in the year. We will be sharing new and inspiring content, hosting events and inviting you to be a part of all of it, a brighter future for cities.

And, finally, launching new exciting products that make urban cycling safer, simpler and more joyful. So keep an eye on beryl.cc for this next chapter, which we cannot wait to share with you.

Team Beryl.