Allison Ellsworth is the co-founder of Poppi, the prebiotic soda brand acquired by PepsiCo in May 2025 for $1.95 billion. In this episode of Fifteenish, I talk about how she spent ten years on the road in the oil and gas industry, developed serious health problems nobody could diagnose, fixed it herself with apple cider vinegar, and then spent three months in her kitchen trying to make it taste good enough to share. From mason jars to her neighbors, to a Whole Foods buyer showing up at her farmers market booth three weeks in, to pitching on Shark Tank nine months pregnant, to going viral on TikTok during a global pandemic with zero makeup and one honest video — Allison's story is about what happens when you stop waiting for someone else to solve your problem and just go figure it out yourself.

Sources & Disclaimer

• Texas Monthly — How Poppi Founder Allison Ellsworth Went From Shark Tank to Shark (September 2025)
• CNBC Make It — Poppi Went From Kitchen Experiment to $2 Billion Deal With PepsiCo (October 2025)
• Entrepreneur — She Went From Being Ignored at a Farmer's Market to Selling to PepsiCo for $1.95 Billion (2025)
• Tribeza — How Austin-Based Founders Journeyed From the Farmers Market to a $1.95 Billion-Dollar Brand (June 2025)
• DFW Child — Poppi's Allison Ellsworth on Trusting Her Gut
• Austin Woman — Allison Ellsworth: Poppi Power
• Wikipedia — Poppi entry

All facts shared in this episode are based on information available at the time of recording. Any personal reflections, interpretations, or opinions are my own. If anything is found to be inaccurate, I'm happy to issue a correction.

Allison Ellsworth IG

Poppi website

Poppi IG