Case Study Deep Dive: How Poppi Cracked the Code on Social-First Branding 💥🥤

Inside the $1.95B rise of Poppi – the prebiotic soda that used TikTok, influencers, and a whole lot of personality to take on giants (and what your brand can learn from it).

The Big News: Poppi, a once-little Texas soda startup, just got snapped up by PepsiCo for a fizzy $1.95 billion​ reuters.com.

Yep, a brand that didn’t exist five years ago is now Pepsi’s newest darling in the “healthier soda” category​ reuters.com. Why is this such a splash? Poppi isn’t your average cola – it’s a prebiotic soda that gained cult status on social media with its colorful cans and gut-friendly promise. This deal signals that even beverage behemoths are looking to nimble, social-media-born brands for the next generation of consumers. Poppi’s retail sales were already bubbling – up 122% year-over-year in early 2025​ reuters.com – proving that its strategy was not just hype, but translating into real-world growth. So, how did Poppi go from Shark Tank underdog to a $2B powerhouse going toe-to-toe with Coke and Pepsi? Let’s pop the lid on their secret sauce.