Charlotte startup Ekos recently rolled out its latest effort to streamline operations for craft brewers.
Ekos Order Hub, which launched in September, is a digital portal that lets bars, restaurants and distributors order from local brewers through an online system. Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Josh McKinney said the platform helps streamline communication with suppliers, reduce order errors and provide more accurate order information and delivery dates.
Founded in 2014 by McKinney and Greg Forehand, Ekos provides business management software to breweries, wineries, cideries and other independent makers. It helps them manage things like inventory, production, sales and accounting.
The startup has customers in 40 countries and represents about 1,500 beer and cider brewers as well as seltzer and wine makers across the United States, including Charlotte staples like NoDa Brewing Co., Wooden Robot Brewery, Lenny Boy Brewing Co., Triple C Brewing Co., Red Clay Ciderworks and Catawba Brewing Co.
McKinney said the new order hub allows the breweries, cideries and wineries already using the Ekos platform to grant their customers direct access to their inventory. Additionally, the distributors such as bars and restaurants can see all of the brewers in one place. Instead of a distributor spending time creating separate orders and invoices for each, the platform allows them to do it all at once and automatically creates the invoice and tracks the order.
"Ever since we started Ekos, one of the highest-requested features has been, 'Hey, can you allow my customers to buy product directly from me?'" he said.
McKinney said the order hub concept was one he and Forehand had discussed for several years and began building it over the summer after taking the time to solidify their team.
"We were actually able to take it from (concept) to market in less than three months," he said. "We made the deliberate effort earlier this year to go after it. It’s the next step in building out our vision of a digitized craft supply chain that will enable our customers to make more money with less effort."
Less than two months into the launch, Ekos Order Hub is already gaining traction. McKinney declined to give specifics but said a number of brewers and their distributors are utilizing the product.
"For us, it’s the first version of this product and we’re getting a lot of feedback knowing what we need to build next," he said. "With our producers, since we do mainly deal with small to medium-sized businesses, we want to make them as efficient as possible."
McKinney added, "This is essentially a brand-new product we took to market. I’m excited for this to be our first extension into the supply chain and to keep building off of it."
