Olipop is a soft drink produced in the United States. It is sold in over 25,000 stores in the United States[1] and the company had revenue of $100 million for the first half of 2023. The drink's marketing claims that it improves gut health.[2]

The brand name Olipop is a portmanteau of the prebiotic fiber named oligosaccharide (oli), and "pop", a common name for a soft drink in the United States.[3]

History

Background

Ben Goodwin started developing a soft drink after leaving a kombucha company in 2008.[3] He spent about $300,000 of his personal savings into the drink, working in a makeshift lab with a microbiologist. The probiotic soft drink, named Obi, was created by 2012.[3] In 2013, Goodwin met with David Lester in a coffee shop, who had previously quit his job.[3] The two agreed to partner together in making Obi.[3] In 2016, the two sold Obi for an undisclosed amount after it failed to gain traction.[3][4] They then went on to work on Olipop.[3]

Olipop

Olipop was founded in 2018 by Ben Goodwin and David Lester with an initial investment of $100,000, taken from the sale of Obi. The drink was first released in three flavours: ginger lemon, strawberry vanilla and cinnamon cola. It sold in 40 grocery stores in its first year, in Northern California, and reached $852,000 in gross revenue. They later became on sale in Target and Walmart stores. The company gathered $2.5 million in seed funding in 2019.[3] As of April 2023, there were 12 Olipop flavors; in April 2024, there were 16 at Olipop's website.[5]

A series B funding round was carried out in 2022, which raised $39.7 million. Funders included Gwyneth Paltrow, Mindy Kaling, and the Jonas Brothers.[3] As of January 2023, Olipop raised a total of $55.4 million in funding.[5] Olipop reached $73.4 million in gross revenue in 2022,[3] a 223% year increase;[6] and it reached $100 million gross revenue in the first half of 2023.[3] According to Goodwin, sales of root beer Olipop has overtaken those of A&W.[5][6]

In 2022, Olipop created a banana cream flavor which was branded with Minions characters.[7] The drink is still produced today, albeit without the Minion or Despicable Me branding attached to it.

In 2024, Olipop collaborated with Mattel to create a new peaches and cream flavor themed around Barbie. The can sported a design showing different pieces of Barbie iconography.

In 2025, the company raised $50 million in a Series C funding round, valuing the company at $1.85 billion. It had become profitable and its products were sold in over 50,000 stores.[8]

Operations

As of September 2023, Olipop has over 100 employees. The workforce is remote.[3] Olipop offers a subscription which sends customers a box of drinks every few weeks.[9] Olipop sells exclusively to the United States and does not ship overseas.[3]

Flavors

Olipop has developed a variety of flavors:

  • Ridge Rush (Lemon-Lime-Orange)
  • Vintage Cola
  • Peaches & Cream
  • Classic Root Beer
  • Cream Soda
  • Classic Grape
  • Crisp Apple
  • Ginger Ale
  • Strawberry Vanilla
  • Cherry Cola
  • Orange Squeeze
  • Lemon Lime
  • Ginger Lemon
  • Doctor Goodwin
  • Watermelon Lime
  • Banana Cream
  • Cherry Vanilla
  • Tropical Punch

Its drinks require refrigeration. Olipop introduced shelf-stable versions of its product in 2024.[10]

References

  1. ^ Bova, Dan (November 14, 2023). "How This College Dropout Co-Founded $200 Million OLIPOP". Entrepreneur. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  2. ^ Amenabar, Teddy; O'Connor, Anahad (April 3, 2023). "Prebiotic sodas claim to boost your health. Experts are skeptical". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Smith, Morgan; Shamo, Lauren (September 16, 2023). "How Olipop's founders turned a $100,000 investment into a 'healthier' soda brand bringing in $20 million a month". CNBC. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Kirol, Payton (December 18, 2023). "Olipop's 38-year-old founder reveals his daily routine". Fortune Well. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Lucas, Amelia (April 29, 2023). "Prebiotic soda Olipop approaches $200 million in annual sales — and CEO says Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have already come knocking". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Kilmister, Angel (March 8, 2023). "OLIPOP's Prebiotic Root Beer Is Now More Popular Than A&W". Vice. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "OLIPOP Announces Partnership With Illumination's Minions; Launches Limited-Edition Banana Cream Flavor". BevNET.com. June 7, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  8. ^ Shanker, Deena (February 12, 2025). "Olipop Valued at $1.85 Billion in $50 Million Funding Round". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 15, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Rosmarin, Remi; Chen, Connie; Brains, James (December 13, 2023). "The 57 best subscription boxes you can gift in 2023". Business Insider. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  10. ^ "A Message From Our CEO: Introducing New Shelf-Stable OLIPOP". OLIPOP. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olipop
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