How Poppi's founders built a $2 billion soda brand from scratch

Executive overview

Most beverage brands fail to break through national noise without massive marketing budgets. Allison and Stephen Ellsworth built Poppi — a healthier, apple cider vinegar-based soda — from a farmers market booth to a $1.95 billion Pepsi acquisition in under a decade.

They had no beverage industry background. They scaled through relentless grit, a Shark Tank deal that unlocked smart capital, and a digital-first marketing playbook built on TikTok.

The edge was not the product alone — it was marrying authentic storytelling with aggressive distribution and a last-minute Super Bowl ad that tripled brand awareness overnight.

From kitchen experiment to Whole Foods shelf

• Allison created the recipe to solve her own gut health issues; apple cider vinegar was the key ingredient she made palatable
• They started selling at a Dallas farmers market as a hobby — sold out every weekend
• A Whole Foods local forager spotted the booth and handed them her card on their third weekend
• Rebranded packaging from metallic to bold colors after Whole Foods feedback; bright cans pop on shelf
• 10–11 months from the forager's card to hitting store shelves; 14 Whole Foods stores to start
• Hit ~$500K revenue before pursuing Shark Tank

Shark Tank and the rebrand

• Sought a deal not just for capital but for strategic knowledge and network — specifically avoided "dumb money"
• Allison spotted a Mark Cuban Instagram post about local Shark Tank auditions; stood in line eight hours while three months pregnant
• Matched with Rohan Oza, who had a deep beverage exit track record — the show engineered the pairing
• Rohan's verdict on the original Mother Beverage branding: "Your liquid's amazing, but your branding is shit"
• Full rebrand to Poppi launched March 2020 — the first week of COVID lockdowns

COVID as a forcing function for digital-first growth

• Retail launch plans collapsed overnight; pivoted to Amazon and digital channels
• A Shark Tank update episode aired in April 2020 — revenue on Amazon jumped from $9K to $250K in a single month
• Allison posted an unscripted, wet-hair TikTok telling her personal story — went viral, drove $100K in sales overnight; now has 300M+ views
• Ran TikTok ads to their own website to capture customer emails, then redirected to Amazon checkout — capturing data while using Amazon infrastructure
• Made the Amazon redirect an affiliate link, so Amazon paid them for the traffic they sent
• Largest early retail markets were Fargo, ND and Cincinnati, OH — digital reach bypassed coastal-first beverage norms

The Super Bowl ad

• Created an anthemic "Future of Soda" brand film — decided it was Super Bowl-worthy after the fact, not before
• Bought a floater ad slot four days before the game; contract signed before the budget was confirmed
• Ad aired one minute before Usher's halftime show — the most premium placement possible
• Tripled brand awareness overnight during one of the most-watched Super Bowls ever (Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift era)
• Revenue forecast for 2024 was $200–350M; they hit over $500M

Selling to Pepsi

• Knew they needed a major distribution partner to scale globally — existing stadium contracts blocked Poppi sales at LA Lakers games
• Started informal conversations with Pepsi roughly 18 months before the final offer
• Pepsi bought 100% of Poppi for $1.95B; founders exited their operating roles entirely
• Grief followed the exit — loss of purpose, team, and daily focus was harder than expected
• Both founders confirmed they are already working on a new beverage company