Written by Poppi

Once upon a time in Texas…

Our founder, Allison Ellsworth, was craving a soda. But she was having an issue: soda really triggered her chronic gut health issues. There was too much sugar, too many mysterious ingredients, and ultimately, too much baggage for such a small can. Plus, she wanted more balance in every area of her life, from work to travel to her diet. Soda just wasn’t cutting it.

But she wasn’t about to give up so easily. She imagined a world in which a soda could be the perfect complement to a balanced meal and enjoyed without a second thought, even for people with gut issues.

One morning, as she was taking her daily shot of apple cider vinegar (ACV) for her gut health, a lightbulb went off. She loved the benefits of ACV, but the taste was wayyy too intense. She and her husband, Stephen, set about experimenting with fresh fruit juices and ACV in the small kitchen of their Dallas home. What they created kinda shocked them: a mouthwatering, full-flavored soda, but with 5g sugar or less, 25 calories or less, and prebiotics.

After sharing it with friends and family, there were convinced they had a superstar soda on their hands. They took it to a local farmers’ market in Dallas and were suddenly the talk of the town. So much so that Hollywood came calling…

Everything changed when they found out they were going to be on Shark Tank. Even though she was 9 months pregnant and due any day, Allison felt like this was her shot to share their soda with the world. She and Stephen climbed on a plane to Los Angeles and a few days later, they shook hands on a deal with ‘The Brandfather’ Rohan Oza.

After that, poppi was suddenly moving at the speed of culture. With a name change and a rebrand, it got a major glow up, and through Allison’s viral TikToks, it amassed internet fame and a community of ride or die soda lovers. poppi’s now one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic beverages in the US and can be shopped at every major retailer in the nation.

Can you say iconic?