Odoo Project Reference: Mindo Chocolate
The Company
The seed of Mindo Chocolate Makers was born in 2004 when owner Barbara Wilson visited the tiny town of Mindo, in the Cloud Forest of the Ecuadorian Andes. Struck by the quality of the cacao beans grown nearby, Barbara began to experiment with producing chocolate and by 2009 became one of the first craft chocolate producers in the United States.
Although the company has grown, its connection to the Ecuadorian beans remains a fundamental part of its operation. Mindo Chocolate Makers now has six employees but the demand for its chocolate continues to grow, with more and more sales every day.
The business - along with its sister company in Ecuador - works across multiple locations with team members sometimes based on different continents.
Although the company has grown, its connection to the Ecuadorian beans remains a fundamental part of its operation. Mindo Chocolate Makers now has six employees but the demand for its chocolate continues to grow, with more and more sales every day.
The business - along with its sister company in Ecuador - works across multiple locations with team members sometimes based on different continents.
The Challenge
As the business rapidly expanded, its systems and processes stood still. Ordering, stock management and sales processes were a disconnected mixture of Excel, Google Sheets, Slack, email, QuickBooks and Shopify, meaning it was almost impossible to have the detailed management information needed to run a modern business.
High quality ingredients are a fundamental part of Mindo Chocolate, but without a suitable inventory system, some were going to waste, meaning losses of valuable assets. Additionally, as the business continued to grow, wholesale orders were becoming a more and more important element and managing these was becoming a challenge.
In 2022 Barbara approached OCTIC with the following brief: “Propose a strategy to integrate existing systems and streamline business functions across locations and organisations.”
High quality ingredients are a fundamental part of Mindo Chocolate, but without a suitable inventory system, some were going to waste, meaning losses of valuable assets. Additionally, as the business continued to grow, wholesale orders were becoming a more and more important element and managing these was becoming a challenge.
In 2022 Barbara approached OCTIC with the following brief: “Propose a strategy to integrate existing systems and streamline business functions across locations and organisations.”
The Solution
Working alongside the team at Mindo Chocolate Makers, OCTIC designed a strategy which could be implemented in its sites in the USA but could eventually be rolled out in Ecuador.
The OCTIC team carried out extensive business analysis to understand every part of the business and implemented Odoo’s Purchase, Inventory, Manufacturing, Sales and Shopify modules. These served to both streamline internal processes and create a tight integration between back office systems and the eCommerce front end.
As part of the process we worked closely with Mindo Chocolate Makers’ staff to support them with training and development on how to make the system part of their day to day operations, and to realise a return on investment on the system as quickly as possible after implementation.
The Purchasing module gives the ability to achieve best value across a range of suppliers, and the Manufacturing module streamlines internal processes and gives a true reflection of the cost to produce individual products.
As a whole, the new Odoo system gives Mindo Chocolate Makers a strong foundation for future expansion into new global markets, and the capacity to expand and take advantage of renewed demand for high quality chocolate.
Looking forward, the system has the potential to be rolled out to Mindo Chocolate Makers’ sister company in Ecuador, meaning closer integration and standardisation of processes. In Barbara’s words, Odoo is the foundation that will allow them to “take a giant leap” and scale up.
The OCTIC team carried out extensive business analysis to understand every part of the business and implemented Odoo’s Purchase, Inventory, Manufacturing, Sales and Shopify modules. These served to both streamline internal processes and create a tight integration between back office systems and the eCommerce front end.
As part of the process we worked closely with Mindo Chocolate Makers’ staff to support them with training and development on how to make the system part of their day to day operations, and to realise a return on investment on the system as quickly as possible after implementation.
The Impact
The new Odoo system gives Mindo Chocolate Makers a single point of truth, holding all of its management information in one place and giving them the ability to access it in real time with the click of a button.The Purchasing module gives the ability to achieve best value across a range of suppliers, and the Manufacturing module streamlines internal processes and gives a true reflection of the cost to produce individual products.
As a whole, the new Odoo system gives Mindo Chocolate Makers a strong foundation for future expansion into new global markets, and the capacity to expand and take advantage of renewed demand for high quality chocolate.
Looking forward, the system has the potential to be rolled out to Mindo Chocolate Makers’ sister company in Ecuador, meaning closer integration and standardisation of processes. In Barbara’s words, Odoo is the foundation that will allow them to “take a giant leap” and scale up.
The Final Word
“Implementing Odoo would have been too big of a project for me to take on alone. We really needed somebody to guide us through the process, and Octic knows how Odoo works.Barbara Wilson - CEO Mindo Chocolate
“It's like taking a giant leap over a canyon. In order to get to the next level you have to make another investment - another leap - and Odoo is one piece of the puzzle to help us jump to the next level.”
Click here to read the full interview with Barbara Wilson - CEO Mindo Chocolate
About OCTIC
We are an Odoo Ready Partner able to provide the full spectrum of services to ensure your Odoo system rapidly fulfils your business goals with the maximum return on investment.We implement innovative solutions and provide our clients with the necessary expertise and long term support for their Odoo projects to be successful. We work for SMEs who are serious about their long term success.
Odoo Ready
We specialise in integrating and connecting Odoo systems with other platforms such as WooCommerce, Shopify, Quickbooks and xtCommerce.Our team of experts has the full spectrum of expertise to ensure your Odoo project is successful. We are based in different locations around the globe to ensure we can meet our clients development needs and continue to provide the long term, reliable support they need to run their businesses.
Our network of international partners and tried and tested plugins also ensures we implement exactly the right mix of Odoo apps, 3rd party plugins and custom software to best suit the project's needs.
Our Approach
We work very closely with our customers to understand their products, processes and business model so we can help plan the perfect implementation strategy and maximise return on investment. We are straightforward, practical and reliable.Click here to learn more about our Odoo Implementation Services
How can Odoo transform your business?
Please get in touch to discuss your visions, ideas and requirements. After an initial discussion we can configure a free 30 day trial system hosted on Odoo.sh configured to your initial requirements or business case.