Big Easy Blends Masters the Perfect Mix of Multi-Category Compliance & Contract Production Growth With Crafted ERP
The Customer
In 2022, Big Easy Blends launched a search for an ERP system that could keep pace with the complexity of its quickly scaling multi-category contract manufacturing business. After a two-year software search, Big Easy Blends selected Crafted ERP for its robust regulatory compliance features and ability to unify operations across the company’s five facilities. Today, the contract beverage manufacturer operates eight filling lines 24/7, producing over 80 million flexible pouch drinks annually, powered by automation, real-time data and complete system integration.
About Big Easy Blends
Big Easy Blends was founded in 2007 in New Orleans with a bold idea: put alcohol in a pouch. What began as a hand-filled operation in a 2,000-square-foot space has grown into a multi-location manufacturing force, producing popular brands such as Welch’s, Airheads and ICEE. Big Easy Blends is a licensed winery, distillery and brewery — and a trusted contract manufacturing partner to some of the largest beverage companies in the world.
The Challenges
Managing rapid growth across multiple product lines, locations, SKUs and licensing categories is no small feat. Big Easy Blends juggled QuickBooks for accounting, MISys for inventory and Excel spreadsheets for compliance. The disparate systems created data silos, workarounds and significant gaps in efficiency.
“Our business is really multiple businesses in one. We’re a licensed winery, distillery and brewery, in addition to producing non-alcoholic products. There were a lot of moving parts, especially with TTB compliance,” said Co-Founder and CEO Sal LaMartina. “Finding an ERP that could help solve alcohol compliance and get us more automated with NetSuite was key.”
After an extensive evaluation process for a new software platform, Big Easy Blends chose Crafted ERP for its comprehensive, multi-category compliance features and the ability to scale as needed.
There’s really no other software out there that does what Crafted does. From multi-category compliance to receiving, shipping and everything in between — it all lives in one system.
Craig Cordes | Co-Founder & CFO
Big Easy Blends
The Solutions
Unified Multi-Site Operations
With five production facilities, Big Easy Blends needed complete visibility across its entire operation. “At any given time, I can see what’s in transit, what’s on hand, and what’s shipped. Most importantly, I can see it by lot,” explains Craig. “One of the big aspects of manufacturing today is traceability, and Crafted offers the ability to track — from start to finish — raw materials to finished goods seamlessly across multiple locations and multiple products.”
This real-time oversight helped Big Easy Blends simplify inter-facility transfers, manage complex batch tracking, and ensure inventory integrity at scale.
Built for Change — And Growth
Like many growing manufacturers, Big Easy Blends knew implementation could make or break the transition. “We expected the cutover to take a week. It took 36 hours,” describes Craig. “The Crafted team from Doozy was hands-on, on-site and walked us through every step.”
The platform’s flexible configuration also allowed Big Easy Blends to phase in new features over time. Initially starting with finance, the company worked with the Doozy Think Tank managed services team to gradually add additional modules and configurations at a pace that suited its business. “It was a crawl, walk, run approach — and that was exactly what we needed,” explained Craig.
Real-Time Intelligence, Everywhere
With Crafted, Big Easy Blends has a true operational command center — accessible anywhere, anytime. Custom dashboards provide instant insight into production, orders, cash flow and more. Team members work from a single source of truth — no matter where they are.
It’s faster, more collaborative and always up-to-date. I use it more than my email. I mean it. Crafted is literally my control center.
Craig Cordes | Co-Founder & CFO
Big Easy Blends
End-to-End Digital Execution
Big Easy Blends configured the Crafted platform to mirror every stage of its production process, from procurement and manufacturing to packaging and palletizing. “We used to have stacks of handwritten notes to process production runs,” said Craig. “We were about 18 hours late from when we made the product, transcribing and trying to understand all the handwriting and papers. Now, it’s all captured live in the system.”
Using the Crafted packaging module, team members scan and print pallet tags in real time. Manual transcription has been eliminated, accountability on the floor has increased, and, most importantly, errors have decreased. “We probably cut out five minutes for every item we receive,” explained Craig. When multiplied by 80 million units produced, “the math on that is lots of hours saved and more accurate information.”
Empowering Smart Decisions
As he looks to cultivate new opportunities, Sal depends on Crafted to evaluate performance and inform strategic decisions. “I can log in, look at our overall costs, see what’s moving through our system, and adjust in real time,” he said. “That changes how we sell and how we grow.”
The Doozy Solutions Advantage
Big Easy Blends leverages Doozy Think Tank for continuous improvement and enhancements of its Crafted + NetSuite solution. “It’s like having a concierge for your ERP,” said Craig. “We’ve built custom dashboards, alerts, labels — things that save hours per week.”
Weekly calls with Doozy Think Tank help Big Easy Blends continually evolve. More teams, from accounting to procurement to production, now join Think Tank sessions to propose enhancements.
Craig continued, “We’ve been able to do the same amount of work with significantly less headcount while also 3x-ing our business due to Crafted providing us a more efficient way to complete our business activities.”
What’s Next for Big Easy Blends? The contract beverage manufacturer is scaling its private label business and expects 3X growth in that segment alone. Crafted ERP and Doozy Solutions continue to play a critical role in optimizing production, controlling costs and supporting that expansion.
Crafted is instrumental in our decision-making, helping us in our business much more so than just a generic ERP.
