Next Glass, a leading global provider of software, data, e-commerce, and marketing solutions for the beverage alcohol industry, announced its acquisition of Ekos, the Charlotte-based supply chain management software platform trusted by over 1,200 craft beverage producers worldwide. The deal unites two of the most prominent technology providers in the beverage sector, enhancing Next Glass’s vision of connecting producers, retailers, and consumers through a unified digital ecosystem.
As part of the acquisition, Next Glass announced an immediate two-year price freeze for all existing Ekos customers, providing cost stability amid continued industry-wide inflationary and supply chain challenges.
Founded in 2014, Ekos has become the industry leader in supply chain and production management software for breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries, and emerging cannabis beverage producers. The platform enables producers to streamline inventory, optimize production, enhance sales, and manage compliance reporting through intuitive dashboards and automation. Its integrations with VIP, QuickBooks, Xero, and Square further improve its ability to connect operations across the beverage supply chain.
By joining forces, Next Glass and Ekos will accelerate innovation across their shared product suite, combining Ekos’s reporting and compliance capabilities with the intuitive user interface of the Ollie platform, another Next Glass product currently serving nearly 600 craft beverage producers. The integration will create an end-to-end platform that connects production, sales, payments, and B2B ordering — empowering beverage businesses to operate more efficiently and scale with confidence.
Next Glass also plans to connect Ekos Order Hub and Ollie Order with Untappd for Business, used by over 15,000 bars, restaurants, and retailers. This integration will streamline B2B alcohol ordering and payments across the beverage supply chain, creating a unified platform that serves producers, retailers, and consumers alike.
The combined teams bring more than 180 years of hands-on beverage production experience across breweries, wineries, and distilleries, positioning Next Glass to lead the digital transformation of craft beverage operations.
KEY QUOTES
“We have long admired Ekos as the market leader in craft beverage supply chain management software. Bringing their leading software, data, and B2B ordering platforms to Next Glass moves us closer to realizing our vision of seamlessly connecting beverage producers, retailers, and consumers globally. We are fortunate to be in a position to freeze prices for Ekos customers for two years. Amidst persistent inflationary and supply chain pressures over the past several years, we want to be a good partner to the industry by providing pricing certainty and relief. Beyond this, we are making significant investments in Ekos to enhance the product experience for every customer.”
Trace Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Next Glass
“As a former Ekos user for several years as a brewer and now responsible for beverage production product at Next Glass, I’m excited to lead the charge to integrate the brewer-built intuitive and user-friendly interface our Ollie customers love with Ekos’s robust and comprehensive reporting, compliance, and ordering functionality.”
Dustin Jeffers, Vice President of Brewery Product & Experience, Next Glass
“The Next Glass and Ekos teams have over 180 years of combined experience working in breweries, wineries, and distilleries and we look forward to channeling that hands-on experience towards enabling better B2B ordering, supply chain optimization, and a seamless payments platform tightly integrated with the leading craft beverage ERP platform. We are excited to combine our experience, resources, and domain expertise to build for the future and to better serve craft beverage producers globally.”
Matt Downing, Vice President of Product, Ekos
“Joining forces with Next Glass marks an exciting new chapter for Ekos. Their deep industry expertise and shared commitment to innovation make them the ideal partner to accelerate our mission. We’re proud of what we’ve built and look forward to what we’ll accomplish together.”
Kent Rowe, Chief Executive Officer, Ekos
