How Poppi's Ellsworth turned TikTok buzz into a $2B brand
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Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth and Axios' Eleanor Hawkins. Photo: Stacey Conant
Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth took a beverage idea and turned it into a billion-dollar business by leveraging the power of brand and connection.
Why it matters: Ellsworth's go-direct, founder-led communications strategy helped Poppi break through the crowded consumer-beverage industry.
Catch up quick: Ellsworth started by selling her homemade prebiotic sodas at local farmers markets in Texas, before securing a $400,000 investment on "Shark Tank" in 2018.
- From there, Ellsworth took to social media to grow the brand's following and create meaningful connection with consumers.
- "We were one of the first brands to get on TikTok and actually utilize the platform back in 2020 as a way to build community," she told Axios. "Now, Poppi has over 3 billion views on TikTok, and one-third of the users on the platform has seen my face seven times."
- In 2025, PepsiCo acquired Poppi for nearly $2 billion.
What she's saying: "The priority to build community online came from the top down," Ellsworth says.
- "All senior leadership at Poppi believed in the power of social media and building community. And so when it came to me being the face [of the brand] it was a marketing tool. I wasn't doing it to be famous and to be an influencer. I was doing it because it worked."
Zoom in: Ellsworth says the brand is guided by the "three Cs of community, culture and creative disruption."
Yes, but: That mindset does not come without risk.
- This year Poppi sent influencers custom vending machines full of its product as part of its Super Bowl marketing push. The internet backlash was swift, with many calling it excessive or out of touch.
- "It was the first time I ever responded to something, and it was me, because I put myself out there as the face, so I had to be the one to get that message out," Ellsworth says.
- "We use the 80-20 rule, where 80% of what we do is very planned and structured, and it's what we call like the state of the business, and then we leave that 20% for what we call moving at the speed of culture versus risk," she added.
What's next: Next month, Ellsworth will rejoin "Shark Tank" — but this time as guest shark.
- She says she's basing her deal activity on the people and product. "I can build a good brand and I can push people to think differently, but if you don't have someone willing to collaborate or grow, then it's really hard. "
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