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The husband-and-wife duo behind Poppi is taking on another corner of the beverage industry, launching a new hydration brand after selling their prebiotic soda company to PepsiCo for nearly $2 billion.
Allison and Stephen Ellsworth are investing $2.5 million of their own money into Jetty, a new electrolyte beverage brand aimed at everyday consumers in a market dominated by established names like Pepsi’s Gatorade and Coca-Cola’s Powerade.
The launch on Monday comes roughly a year and a half after PepsiCo acquired Poppi for $1.95 billion. Now, the entrepreneurs are betting they can repeat their success by challenging an industry that has traditionally marketed hydration products around athletic performance.
“A long time ago, people laughed in my face when I said I wanted to disrupt soda and look at me now. So you can laugh at me now, but just let’s check back in five years,” Allison Ellsworth told FOX Business.
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Jetty is entering what the founders describe as a $13 billion sports and performance drink category, targeting working parents, young professionals and consumers looking for ways to stay hydrated throughout the day.
The idea grew out of Ellsworth’s own experience with dehydration and her frustration with electrolyte products containing more sodium than she wanted for everyday use.
“I didn’t run a marathon this morning. I don’t need a thousand milligrams of sodium in my body right now,” she said.
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According to the company, each ready-to-drink bottle contains 100 milligrams of sodium, 310 milligrams of potassium and 100 milligrams of magnesium, along with B vitamins, prebiotics, 6 grams of sugar and 45 calories, and is made without artificial colors, dyes or sweeteners.
The brand is launching with five flavors across bottled beverages and ready-to-mix powders, with products available nationwide at Whole Foods Market and online through Target and Amazon.
Beverage industry veteran Paul Beaupre, who spent more than 25 years at Coca-Cola and now invests in and advises emerging beverage companies, said the opportunity to market hydration beyond athletic performance has existed for decades.
He estimated that roughly 85% of traditional sports drink consumption historically occurred outside what the industry calls “points of sweat,” meaning consumers were already buying products like Gatorade for everyday use rather than exclusively for exercise.
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But Beaupre cautioned that identifying an opportunity does not guarantee success in an industry where new brands face significant competition.
“I think it’s not one thing that will make a beverage brand successful, in fact. Usually, you need four or five things and a little bit of luck,” he told FOX Business.
Beaupre said new brands need appealing flavors, distinctive branding, sufficient capital and strong distribution networks to compete with established companies. He pointed to Liquid Death, Celsius and Liquid I.V. as examples of businesses that found ways to stand out in crowded beverage categories.
The challenge now is turning that early interest into repeat purchases as Jetty competes for shelf space and consumer loyalty against some of the beverage industry’s biggest names.
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For the Ellsworths, the strategy involves bringing the same digital-first approach that helped turn Poppi into a recognizable name. The soda brand built a loyal online following and generated more than 3 billion TikTok views, according to the company.
Allison Ellsworth will oversee Jetty’s branding and marketing, while Stephen Ellsworth will serve as CEO, managing operations, finances and product development.
Social media will again play a central role in their strategy, with Allison Ellsworth saying the company has already attracted thousands of followers and prospective customers through its digital channels.
“You gotta start small. You gotta get the brand awareness out there. Don’t grow too big, too quick. And just let the flavor and the brand speak for itself,” she said.
