The Future of Poppi

By Aaron Scibelli

In 2025, it’s hard to have a conversation about the soda industry without bringing up the topic of prebiotic soda. Known for their low sugar content and supposed benefits in the realm of “gut health”, prebiotic sodas have been making a name for themselves in a social media landscape riddled with content relentlessly promoting wellness-forward lifestyles. Out of the many brands joining in on this trend, one has come to the forefront as arguably the most present: Poppi.

Founded in 2018, Poppi’s mission is to create fun, fizzy beverages that emulate classic American soft drinks, but with less sugar and prebiotics to promote the beneficial effects of microorganisms in the gut microbiome. Their marketing is Gen-Z forward; they’ve collaborated with artists including Post Malone and focus heavily on social media partnerships. While their informal Instagram posts and Tiktok comments are a historically unusual promotion tactic, it’s clearly working: their sales increased in 2024 to over 500 million compared to 100 million in 2023, and their Super Bowl ad in February was one of the most talked-about in the following weeks.

Yet, Poppi has not gone without their fair share of controversy. Firstly, the “gut health” benefits on the drink are largely mysterious. While the beverage contains fiber, many claim that the 2 grams of fiber contained are not enough to display any worthwhile health benefits. This discourse became the case for a class-action lawsuit in California in May of 2024, though there have been no updates as of late.

More recently, the brand has found themselves in hot water regarding their social media-based advertising, when they opted to send various creators vending machines containing Poppi for their own use. While this action isn’t inherently problematic, reports surfaced that the machines cost roughly $25,000 each—leading many to question functionality of these funds. When it comes to a product whose price already makes it inaccessible for many, dropping thousands of dollars in such an unproductive manner is not a great look. One TikTok user commented, “I love Poppi but it’s SO expensive. If they have $25k to spend per vending machine, they can make it less expensive and more attainable.” Some creators even got involved, too, including Eli Rallo, whose TikTok following amasses over 1 million followers. She took to her page to defend Poppi as a product she personally loves, but call the brand out on this incident and side with consumers within the discourse.

So, what is the future going to look like for Poppi? In a response to the controversy, founder Allison Ellsworth did claim that the brand would “learn and do better” in the future. However, it was announced on March 17 that PepsiCo had bought out Poppi for nearly 2 billion dollars. This acquisition could go a few different ways, and it’s interesting to think about. Will Pepsi leave Poppi as it is, and simply use their resources to build the product and increase accessibility? Will we see Poppi become a soda fountain staple? Or is prebiotic soda just a fad, and Pepsi will slowly phase out Poppi until it’s simply a distant memory, with cans being marked up on eBay for collectors to profit? While Poppi doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, the future of the beverage is one of great uncertainty. Health food and drink is certainly not a new trend, but is this one here to stay? Only time will tell.