Poppi: Allison and Stephen Ellsworth. From Farmers Market Vinegar Drink to $2B Soda Sensation

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Sep 22, 2025

Allison Ellsworth, co-founder of Poppi and former health-conscious vinegar enthusiast, and her husband Stephen, who manages product development and operations, share their incredible journey. They discuss transforming a hobby into a farmers market hit before rebranding and scaling up as 'Poppi.' Hear how a Shark Tank deal and their bold decision to market it as soda propelled them to success. Discover the creative use of TikTok during the pandemic and what it took for Poppi to get acquired by Pepsi for nearly $2B. Their story blends love, entrepreneurship, and innovation!

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ANECDOTE

Farmers Market Origin Story

Allison started mixing apple cider vinegar with fruit and sparkling water because the taste was unbearable straight.
She began selling the drink at a Dallas farmers market and sold out every week.

ANECDOTE

DIY Carbonation Disasters

Early home carbonation caused exploding bottles until they learned to use standard soda glass and 40°F filling.
They iterated equipment and discovered many glass types can't handle carbonation.

ADVICE

Take Manufacturing Control When Partners Say No

Avoid partners who can't handle raw, unpasteurized ingredients that risk their lines.
Rent your own facility or control production when co-packers refuse to take on your product.

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A decade ago, Allison Ellsworth was drinking apple cider vinegar for health reasons and doctoring it with fruit so she could stand the taste. Her husband Stephen helped her turn it into a business by adding carbonation on a hacked soda line in their Dallas townhouse. They called it “Mother Beverage,” and sold out every week at the farmers market…but then heard the words no founder forgets: “Your branding is…sh*t.”

What happens next is one of the wildest CPG glow-ups of the 2010s: a Shark Tank deal with brand whisperer Rohan Oza, a full rebrand to Poppi, colored cans that jumped off the shelf, a launch derailed by Covid—and finally, an explosion fueled by Amazon, TikTok, and a Super Bowl moment that planted the flag: We’re soda–and we’ve left the farmers market for good.

Five years after its rebrand, Poppi was acquired by Pepsi for nearly $2B. This is the story of the messy bottling line, saying no to “dumb money,” baptism by Shark Tank, and building a generational brand while staying married.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How rebranding can rescue a beverage, and when to avoid early eye-rolls
The hit-and-miss of carbonating on a small scale (and why co-packers said no).
How the risky decision to call Poppi “soda” unlocked a new retail set (functional soda).
What a Shark Tank partner does during a rebrand window.
How Allison seized on TikTok to spike sales during Covid

Timestamps:

0:10:15 Meeting cute at a snowboard shop → engagement in 7 months
0:14:00 How apple cider vinegar helped Allison’s health…but tasted terrible (early flavor hacks)
0:22:36 DIY carbonation disasters: exploding bottles & the 40°F lesson
0:37:48 Appearing on Shark Tank while nine months pregnant and the deal with Rohan: “your branding is sh*t.”
0:42:28 Selling out at the Dallas Farmers Market
0:47:02 The nail-biting rebrand from “Mother” to Poppi: colored cans vs. white, and winning the shelf
0:55:43 Expo West canceled by Covid → a massive turnaround fueled by Amazon, Shark Tank, and TikTok
1:07:51 Super Bowl ad– “We’re soda!”--and the road to a ~$2B Pepsi acquisition
1:09:58 Growing a business while managing a marriage

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This episode was produced by Rommel Wood with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Alex Cheng. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Jimmy Keeley.

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