Next Glass Acquires Georgia-based Craft Beverage Technology Solution Oznr

The Oznr platform enables breweries to alert beer enthusiasts of upcoming craft beer releases for pre-orders and creates a seamless process for managing taproom releases and memberships.

FREMONT, CA: Next Glass, a US-based provider of software to the beverage alcohol industry, acquired Oznr, formerly known as CraftCellr. Oznr partners with craft beverage producers and retailers, including Perennial Artisan Ales, 3 Sons Brewing, and Creature Comforts Brewing, to manage their day-to-day operations for to-go sales, memberships, can/bottle release pre-sales, and random draws for high demand releases. Brands under the Next Glass umbrella, such as Untappd and BeerAdvocate, will utilize Oznr's direct to consumer technology for the craft beverage industry.

Oznr was founded in 2017 by Eric Thelen, Dharmesh Patel, and Colin Gray to create a leading direct-to-consumer software system that successfully connects breweries and consumers through a mobile marketplace. The Oznr platform enables breweries to alert beer enthusiasts of upcoming craft beer releases for pre-orders and creates a seamless process for managing taproom releases and memberships.

"The connection between brewers and the beer enthusiasts supporting them is the very soul of our industry. Through this acquisition, we'll be able to deliver a service to our Untappd and BeerAdvocate communities they've been requesting for years," said Trace Smith, CEO of Next Glass. "Beyond the great product, in Oznr's founding team, we're adding individuals who are passionate about this industry to our company, which was an important consideration during our discussions."

Untappd for Business serves nearly 4,000 breweries globally with menu publishing software. With integrations between Oznr and the Untappd and BeerAdvocate platforms, brewers will be able to contact their consumers directly and share special bottle releases and attract new enthusiasts to their membership programs. These integrations are the crucial elements of the Next Glass mission to foster the global beverage industry through innovative technology.

"Since the inception of the platform our goal has been to help breweries engage with their consumers in a meaningful way. That goal aligns perfectly with the mission of Next Glass, and it's for that reason that we are so excited to join this team," said Eric Thelen, CEO of Oznr. "We're looking forward to collaborating with the industry leading experts that make up the Next Glass family to take Oznr to the next level."