Replay: Inside Poppi's Early Playbook & The Moves That Led To A Big Exit

Before you hit play, here's the headline — arguably the biggest in CPG in 2025, and one you already know: PepsiCo acquired better-for-you soda brand Poppi for nearly $2 billion.

What follows is a replay of a 2023 Taste Radio interview with founders Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, recorded back when Poppi was still firmly in disruptor mode — scaling fast, breaking rules, and taking direct aim at Big Soda.

In the conversation, the Ellsworths trace Poppi's evolution from a scrappy gut-health drink into a modern soda brand built for culture, not compromise. They discuss launching amid the chaos of COVID, betting early on TikTok, and choosing bold cans and great taste over "health-halo" minimalism.

The entrepreneurs also share a rare, candid take on founder ego — why they handed the CEO reins to an experienced operator, how they professionalized early, and what it really takes to scale from zero to thousands of doors without losing the magic.

Listen closely and you'll hear the blueprint for the PepsiCo deal years before it happened: a brand that tastes great, moves at the speed of culture, wins both online and in-store, and isn't afraid to call itself soda again.

Show notes:

0:25: Interview: Allison & Stephen Ellsworth, Co-Founders, Poppi – The Ellsworths reflect on Poppi's seven-year journey, from its origins as Mother Beverage to its reinvention as a colorful, prebiotic soda positioned to challenge legacy soda brands. They discuss relocating from Dallas to Austin to tap into a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem, balancing hypergrowth with family life, and navigating the operational challenges of scaling during the pandemic. The founders also explain their emphasis on professionalizing the business, including their decision to bring in seasoned operator Chris Hall as CEO and redefine their own roles, prioritizing long-term scale over founder ego while maintaining creative control and brand vision. The interview also highlights Poppi's digital-first growth engine, particularly its early and unconventional embrace of TikTok, which helped the brand build massive organic reach, cultural relevance, a deeply engaged community and fueled explosive trial across Amazon and DTC before accelerating Poppi's expansion into retail. Consumer insights reinforced the brand's direction: taste was the number-one driver of trial and repeat, enabling Poppi to confidently reclaim the word "soda" and position itself as fun, nostalgic, and culturally current – while quietly delivering functional benefits like prebiotics and low sugar.

Brands in this episode: Poppi, vitaminwater, Bai, BodyArmor