Seven years ago, in 2018, Poppi founder Allison Ellsworth took the world by storm with her appearance on “Shark Tank,” accompanied by her prebiotic soda. Originally titled “Mother Beverage,” the new drink impressed viewers, specifically tycoon Rohan Oza. The businessman invested $400,000 into Ellsworth’s company and convinced her to rebrand, providing fizzy drink consumers with the brightly colored Poppi cans they know and love today.
Following suit within the same year, Ben Goodwin and David Lester aimed to provide a wider variety of alternatives to the common sugary drinks. In an attempt to ease the burden of crafting a healthier diet, Goodwin and Lester founded another prebiotic drink company: Olipop. Whereas Poppi served as an option created primarily with sparkling water and apple cider vinegar, Olipop specifically classifies as a tonic water, utilizing ingredients such as cassava root and other botanical ingredients. While the two brands’ beginnings featured no correlation, both companies forged the way for healthier alternatives to carbonated beverages.
“I don’t like super carbonated drinks, but I like their flavors, and Olipops aren’t as carbonated with similar flavors. I like it because it makes me want to be healthier. Although I’m not drinking soda — including Olipop— right now, I do enjoy having a soda without feeling sick after,” senior Sarah Boyle said.
While the establishments proved independence and entrepreneurial success, they did not remain exempt from the pressures of the industrial world. External oligopolies, namely Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, sunk their corporate claws into the alternative soda game and drew up their own formulas. In February of this year, the Coca-Cola company introduced its prebiotic drink, named Simply Pop. Sporting similar marketing strategies — the focus on fiber and decreased sugar — a heftier, experienced rival entered the alternative soda field.
Coca-Cola, merely known as Coke, emerged in 1886 with its humble beginnings in the Atlanta area. The company holds almost a century and a half under its belt, incomparable with the less-than-a-decade experience Poppi and Olipop possess. Furthermore, the long-standing company owns over 200 other drink brands and hundreds of production facilities, alongside the local World of Coca-Cola museum in the Georgia state capital. Likened to recent brands such as the prebiotic soda duo, Olipop and Poppi cannot fight against the unyielding forces of the beastly beverages.
The competition amped up last month, however, when PepsiCo announced its official agreement to buy the Poppi brand for almost two billion dollars. In acquiring the Poppi name, PepsiCo will add to its ever-growing list, including Gatorade and Mountain Dew.
“I love Poppi because they are a healthy alternative to soda. I also love the fun cans they come in. The main reason I drink them is for the prebiotics, of course, it’s a flavorful way to get them. I feel that Poppi shouldn’t have sold its company to PepsiCo. I think that being a smaller company is better because you can be more intimate with your customers,” junior Megan Jarmon said.
As Olipop remains the lone prebiotic brand to fend for itself, spectators watch and see how the fizzy drink will play out in the future. From the sidelines, watching the beloved Poppi fall under a conglomeration of sodas sparks fear in the integrity of the healthier beverage business. From the iconic Strawberry Lemon Poppi to the esteemed Cream Soda Olipop, the newfound aesthetic remains equivocal for followers worldwide.
