How I Built This with Guy Raz

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

Release Date: September 22, 2025
Host: Guy Raz
Guests: Allison Ellsworth & Stephen Ellsworth, co-founders of Poppi

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the journey of Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, the founders of Poppi, who transformed a homemade apple cider vinegar drink into a $2 billion soda sensation. From humble beginnings at a Dallas farmers’ market to a major acquisition by PepsiCo, the Ellsworths recount the hurdles, strategic pivots, and bursts of viral success that defined their path. The interview traverses early business struggles, the impact of Shark Tank, branding overhauls, weathering the pandemic, and their unique dynamic as entrepreneurial spouses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins: Health Struggles & Home Experiments

• Allison’s health crisis prompted her to experiment with apple cider vinegar (ACV) for digestive relief, discovering notable benefits but battling the harsh taste.

  “Within two weeks of just having the apple cider vinegar, I felt 50% better.” – Allison Ellsworth [14:57]

• She began infusing ACV with fruit and sharing her concoctions, first to skeptical family but eventually to neighbors and friends who asked for more.
• Realization that there was market interest led to the early idea of a business.

2. Building the Brand: Family Hustle and Farmers Markets

• Relocating to Dallas while pregnant, Allison and Stephen invested $90,000 (own savings and family help) in equipment and home-based small-batch production.

  "Our entire house smells like vinegar... we have a table that we've basically makeshifted this bottling unit together.” – Allison [21:12]

• “Mother Beverage” debuted at Dallas farmers markets, quickly selling out despite minimal planning or marketing.
• Early validation came when a Whole Foods buyer expressed interest, though getting onto shelves took 10 months and required a transition from home production to a small manufacturing facility.

3. Scaling Up: Whole Foods, DIY Manufacturing, and Hard Lessons

• The unpasteurized, raw nature of the drink made it challenging to find a co-packer; the couple continued hands-on production.
• Distribution expanded via UNFI and local retailers; Stephen worked a second job to finance operations, and the founders didn’t pay themselves.

  “It was really what allowed us to reinvest everything that we were making at the time.” – Stephen [39:19]

• Their product’s success at Whole Foods led to broader regional expansion.

4. Shark Tank: A Pivotal Moment

• Approached to invest, the founders chose to try for Shark Tank instead of taking “dumb money.”
• While the pitch was met with skepticism on camera (Mr. Wonderful called them “an apple cider vinegar roach”), branding expert Rohan Oza saw promise and invested $400,000 for 25% equity contingent on a full rebrand.

  “You have a fantastic story, you have a fantastic product, but your branding is shit.” – Rohan Oza (as recounted by Allison) [47:58]

5. Rebranding: The Birth of Poppi

• A nine-month overhaul, where Poppi's name (a play on soda pop) and vibrant, colorful cans were created to pop off the shelf.

  “Colored cans were the way to go. It just popped off the shelf. And no one was doing better for you with color at the time.” – Allison [50:36]

• The pivot to “prebiotic soda” was a bold move as soda had become a “dirty word”—but it ended up carving out the modern soda category in grocery stores.

6. COVID-19: Rapid Adaptation and Viral Growth

• Their much-anticipated national launch at Expo West (March 2020) was upended by the pandemic:

  “A day into it, they canceled the entire thing. And at that moment, it was just so devastating for us because … this was our moment. Where do we go from here?” – Allison [55:03]

• Pivoted quickly to focus on Amazon; a timely Shark Tank update supercharged sales, leading to $250k/month runs.
• Viral TikTok content—especially Allison’s storytelling—generated massive spikes:

  “I just told my story … and when we woke up, we had sold $100,000 on Amazon that night.” – Allison [61:10]

7. Explosive Retail Growth and the Modern Soda Set

• By 2023, Poppi hit $100 million in sales; by the next year, $500 million.
• Poppi’s presence required retailers to create a new “modern soda set”—a category that didn’t exist before.
• Their positioning as soda for a new generation steadily pushed the product from niche shelves to the center stage.

8. The Pepsi Acquisition

• In March 2025, Pepsi acquired Poppi for nearly $2 billion.

  “For us, we … now can go from 50,000 locations to 350,000 locations.” – Allison [66:35]

• The partnership ensures Poppi’s distribution scale without diluting brand authenticity:

  “Pepsi just… got that from them. ‘Let Poppy be Poppy.’” – Allison [68:11]

9. Working as Spouses: Challenges and Resolutions

• The couple worked together through immense stress, raising children while scaling a volatile business.
• They prioritized their marriage by setting expectations and communicating openly:

  “We finally sat down one day, and it was just like, we got to pick, right? Is it marriage, kids, or the business?” – Allison [69:39]

• Both would do it again together, crediting mutual 100% commitment.

10. Luck vs. Grit

• The founders reflect that “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” (Steven [71:42])
• Both emphasize a unique mix of timing, hard work, resilience, and openness to help from others shaped their journey.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the grind:

  “Honestly, I think that's a big driver of that self starting mentality that just kind of was instilled in for me from a really young age.” – Allison [07:55]

• On exploding bottles:

  “We put it in there and we sealed it… and probably like 10 minutes in, the bottle just blew up…” – Steven [24:07]

• On early market validation:

  “We were selling out, like, every week… so we were like, okay, something's working.” – Allison [27:33]

• On Shark Tank skepticism:

  “Mr. Wonderful called us an apple cider vinegar roach.” – Allison [45:18]

• On letting go of old branding:

  “We wanted them to sip it and say, wow, this tastes amazing. And then we wanted them to flip around and read the nutritional and say, whoa, this is better for me too.” – Allison [64:15]

• On acquisition anxieties:

  “I've never felt sad, happy, stressed, excited, like, all within the same day, multiple days in a row for weeks.” – Allison [68:11]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:10 | Expo West Launch Canceled—COVID hits | | 06:00 | Guy introduces the Poppi origin story | | 13:18 | Allison & Steven meet; early marriage and grit | | 19:51 | Decision to commercialize recipe: first move to Dallas | | 22:36 | Hands-on home manufacturing struggles | | 28:27 | Whole Foods buyer discovers the drink | | 33:22 | No co-packers, necessity of own manufacturing | | 39:51 | Growth and first media buzz in Dallas | | 41:45 | Revenue prior to Shark Tank; decision to pitch | | 45:18 | Shark Tank reception and Rohan Oza’s investment | | 47:58 | Rebranding recommendations and process to “Poppi” | | 55:03 | National launch, COVID derailment, pivot to Amazon | | 59:36 | TikTok virality and rapid e-commerce growth | | 61:47 | Defining a new category—the “modern soda set” | | 65:06 | Sales explosion and thoughts on competition | | 66:35 | Pepsi acquisition and its impact | | 69:39 | Navigating marriage and business partnership | | 71:42 | Reflections on luck, timing, and hard work |

Episode Highlights

• The transformation from a kitchen remedy to a beverage empire happened in less than a decade, exemplifying the power of timing, strategic branding, and digital virality.
• Authentic storytelling (both on Shark Tank and platforms like TikTok) repeatedly supercharged growth.
• Rather than shy away from the “soda” label, Poppi’s embrace of the word and bright design helped redefine the market and build a cult-like following among young, health-conscious consumers.
• The founders candidly share the personal costs and marriage stresses of entrepreneurship—and the rare, deep commitment it demanded.

For anyone who wants behind-the-scenes detail on building a modern CPG giant, surviving disasters, embracing pivots, and working as a married founding duo, this episode offers both an inspiring and refreshingly honest look at the entrepreneurial grind.