How Elavi Streamlined Operations and Accelerated Retail Success with Crstl

Michelle and Nikki met at a gym, bonding over their shared struggles with unhealthy relationships with food. As fitness trainers, they understood the market’s need for nutritious snacks that wouldn’t compromise on taste. 

With determination and complementary skill sets, they came together to build Elavi—a next-generation food company creating low-sugar, high-protein sweet snacks.

“We are a small but mighty team of two. Michelle and I have very compatible skill sets,” says Nikki Elliott, Co-founder of Elavi. “Our relentless pursuit to never give up and continue innovating and making products better is part of our secret sauce.”

Starting with rich, indulgent fudge free from palm oil, refined sugars, and dairy, Elavi expanded their product line to include cashew butter spreads and protein brownies. 

Their mission resonated with health-conscious consumers, leading to over 1 million brownies sold.

“We have amazing low-sugar nut butter spreads and brand-new high-protein, absolutely delicious brownies. First of its kind - gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, with 10 grams of protein. We’re building this permissible indulgence brand, helping people put more protein into their day and cut their sugar.” explains Nikki.

Challenge

Elavi’s success caught the attention of major retailers. 

A substantial order from Costco’s Los Angeles region marked their entry into large-scale retail, followed closely by a partnership with Thrive Market. However, their manual order management system proved inadequate for their growing operations.

“Everything was very manual. Email purchase orders, nothing systematic or optimized. Lots of just emailing, generating invoices, sending those to whatever billing or accounting team needed them,” recalls Nikki. “On the fulfillment end, we worked with our 3PL manually to have orders assembled and picked up with freight carriers.”

Their existing process suffered from several critical issues:

• Multiple hands touching each order increased error risk
• No centralized system for tracking purchase orders and fulfillment
• Manual invoice generation slowed payment processing
• Coordinating with 3PL providers required constant communication

”Lots of different hands touching orders, no systems housing the purchase orders or tracking fulfillment. We needed something to bring everything together,” Nikki emphasizes.

Solution

Elavi discovered Crstl through the StartupCPG community. 

While evaluating EDI providers, they found larger players offered generic solutions misaligned with their needs. Crstl stood out with their hands-on approach and right-sized offerings.

”Some larger players have been the go-to for brands of any size for years, but they weren’t right-sized for Elavi,” Nikki notes. “Crstl provided the hands-on approach during onboarding, ensuring we had the right amount of services without overpaying for features we wouldn’t need for years.”

Crstl delivered several key advantages:

• Comprehensive dashboard showing all orders and their status
• Streamlined invoicing process requiring minimal manual input
• Clear documentation with visual aids and step-by-step instructions
• 24/7 responsive customer support
• Automated order processing and tracking
• Seamless integration with 3PL providers

“Your people are amazing. I’ve sent emails in the middle of the night needing urgent help and immediately received responses with beautiful instructions, visual graphics, warnings, and call-outs. I’ve never been confused for longer than a few minutes because you’re so responsive and kind in walking me through questions,” Nikki shares.

Impact

Implementing Crstl changed Elavi’s operations, helping them operate like established retail suppliers while maintaining their startup agility.

“Our ability to level ourselves up as partners doing regular business with larger retailers improved significantly,” Nikki explains. “Having that EDI connection allows quick transmission of purchase orders. Our buyers and buying teams at retailers know we’re up and running - we can receive POs quickly, fulfill them quickly, and maintain a steady flow of business.”

Major improvements included:

• Faster invoice generation accelerating payment cycles
• Reduced manual data entry minimizing errors
• Streamlined communication with retail partners
• Enhanced scalability for future growth

“Personally, I love how quickly we can invoice because that starts the clock on payment. The faster we get orders out and invoiced, the sooner we get paid,” Nikki emphasizes.

Numbers

• Over 1 million brownies sold
• 3 additional truckloads ordered after successful Costco launch
• 2-person team operating like a team of 20
• Minutes instead of hours for invoice processing
• 24/7 customer support response time

For Elavi, Crstl provided more than software - they gained a strategic partner supporting their rapid growth. With automated EDI processes in place, Elavi continues expanding their retail presence, bringing their innovative snacks to more health-conscious consumers nationwide.