Next Glass Acquires Ekos, Leading Craft Beverage Supply Chain Management Solution

Company announces 2-year price freeze for all existing Ekos customers

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Glass, a leading global provider of software, data, eCommerce, and marketing solutions to the beverage alcohol industry, today announced the acquisition of Charlotte-based Ekos, the leading supply chain management software platform for craft beverage producers. From craft breweries and distilleries to cideries, wineries, and cannabis beverage producers, Ekos is a comprehensive software solution that streamlines production, manages inventory, and enhances sales efforts. By powering every aspect of a beverage producer's operations, the software boosts efficiency, reduces costs, and enables businesses to scale revenue with ease.

In conjunction with the acquisition, Next Glass has also announced an immediate 2-year price freeze for existing Ekos customers.

"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," said Trace Smith, CEO, Next Glass.  He added, "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."

As the market leader in business management software for craft beverage producers, Ekos's backbone is inventory and production management along with other key functionality for sales, B2B ordering, and finance. Ekos also automatically generates pre-built reports (including COGS and TTB) that are simple and easy to understand. Its software integrations - notably with VIP, QuickBooks, Xero, and Square - and partnerships help maximize the benefits of its end-to-end platform.

"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," added Dustin Jeffers, VP of Brewery Product & Experience at Next Glass responsible for Next Glass's Ollie platform, which counts nearly 600 craft beverage producers as customers.

Matt Downing, VP of Product at Ekos, commented, "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."

Founded in 2014, Ekos delivered a streamlined software solution to replace spreadsheets, clipboards, and other manual methods used to manage day-to-day operations for craft beverage producers. Now with over 1,200 active producers using its software, Ekos is the industry-leading software platform for beer, wine, spirits, and cider producers.

"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," said Kent Rowe, CEO of Ekos.

Next Glass plans to integrate the ordering platforms of both Ollie Order and Ekos Order Hub and connect to Untappd for Business — software used by nearly 15,000 by bars, restaurants, breweries, and other alcohol retailers for streamlined drinks and food menu management — to facilitate frictionless B2B alcohol ordering between producers and retailers and to streamline the payment experience within a single ERP platform.

About Next Glass
Founded in 2013, Next Glass provides software, data, marketing, and eCommerce solutions that connect producers, retailers, and consumers in the global beverage industry. It serves consumers, retailers, and brewers, including:

• Producers: Ollie, Ekos (brewery management platform)
• Retailers: Untappd for Business, Oznr
• Consumers: Untappd, BeerAdvocate, Hop Culture

Media Contact
Jack PR for Next Glass
[email protected]

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SOURCE Next Glass