Olipop

Olipop is an American functional beverage brand producing prebiotic soft drinks. Founded in 2018 by Ben Goodwin and David Lester, the company developed a soda format combining familiar flavors with plant-derived fiber and botanical ingredients. Its name combines “oli,” referring to oligosaccharides, with “pop,” a common American term for soft drink. The brand’s central proposition is that consumers can enjoy the taste and social familiarity of soda while consuming less sugar and additional dietary fiber than they would with many conventional carbonated soft drinks. The business grew out of an earlier project by Goodwin. After leaving a kombucha company, he began experimenting with a functional soft drink in collaboration with a microbiologist. That project eventually became a probiotic beverage called Obi. Goodwin and Lester partnered on Obi after meeting in 2013, but sold the business in 2016 after it failed to gain sufficient traction. They subsequently applied the lessons from that experience to Olipop, which was launched with an initial investment drawn from the sale of Obi. Olipop entered the market with ginger lemon, strawberry vanilla, and cinnamon cola. During its first year, it was sold through approximately 40 Northern California grocery stores and generated reported gross revenue of $852,000. Distribution later expanded to national retailers including Target and Walmart. The company also developed direct-to-consumer sales, including a subscription program that sends recurring boxes of drinks to customers. Its product range has broadened from the original flavors to a larger portfolio that has included cola, root beer, cream soda, citrus, fruit, and dessert-inspired profiles. The brand has used recognizable flavor cues to make functional beverages accessible to mainstream soda consumers. Root beer became one of its particularly prominent offerings, and the company has also released temporary, entertainment- and character-themed products. A banana cream flavor was associated with Minions branding in 2022, while a peaches-and-cream flavor was developed with Mattel and promoted through Barbie-themed packaging in 2024. These products subsequently continued as regular flavors without the temporary entertainment branding. Olipop has attracted venture investment and celebrity participation as it expanded. A 2022 Series B round raised $39.7 million, and reported total funding had reached $55.4 million by January 2023. Reported gross revenue was $73.4 million in 2022, while the company reported more than $100 million in gross revenue during the first half of 2023. In 2025, it announced a $50 million Series C financing round associated with a reported valuation of $1.85 billion. These figures describe private-company financing and revenue claims rather than public-market results. The company’s drinks historically required refrigeration, although it introduced shelf-stable versions in 2024. The shelf-stable products used a revised OLISMART fiber blend, replacing chicory-root and Jerusalem-artichoke inulin with acacia fiber and guar fiber and reducing the stated fiber quantity by approximately 30 percent. Olipop markets its products around gut health, but the strength and interpretation of such health claims depend on product formulation, serving size, and applicable regulatory standards. The brand remains primarily United States-focused, with limited Canadian availability and reported interest in possible future expansion into Asian and Australian markets.

Olipop’s origins lie in Ben Goodwin’s attempt to create a functional alternative to conventional soda. After leaving a kombucha company in 2008, Goodwin spent personal savings developing a beverage with microbiological assistance. The resulting probiotic drink, Obi, was created by 2012. Goodwin met David Lester in 2013, and the two began working together on Obi. The product did not gain sufficient market traction, and the partners sold the business in 2016 for an undisclosed amount. Goodwin and Lester then developed a new concept centered on prebiotic fiber rather than the earlier Obi proposition. They founded Olipop in 2018 with approximately $100,000 from the sale of Obi. The first products were ginger lemon, strawberry vanilla, and cinnamon cola. Distribution began in roughly 40 Northern California grocery stores, where the brand generated reported first-year gross revenue of $852,000. Retail expansion later brought Olipop into large national chains, including Target and Walmart, while direct-to-consumer subscriptions provided a recurring sales channel. The company’s growth reflected the broader rise of functional beverages and consumer interest in lower-sugar alternatives to traditional soda. Olipop developed a portfolio of flavors designed to preserve recognizable soda experiences while incorporating plant fiber and botanical extracts. By April 2023, the range reportedly included 12 flavors; by April 2024, the company’s website listed 16. Product and promotional development included a Minions-associated banana cream flavor in 2022 and a Barbie-themed peaches-and-cream collaboration with Mattel in 2024. Both examples illustrate Olipop’s use of entertainment and lifestyle branding to make a functional product more visible to mainstream consumers. Financing supported the brand’s national expansion. Olipop raised $2.5 million in seed funding in 2019 and completed a reported $39.7 million Series B round in 2022. By January 2023, reported cumulative funding was $55.4 million. The company reported $73.4 million in gross revenue for 2022 and more than $100 million in gross revenue in the first half of 2023. In 2025, it announced a further $50 million Series C round tied to a reported $1.85 billion valuation. The same period was associated with reports that the company had become profitable and was available in more than 50,000 stores; the broader company description also places its retail presence above 65,000 locations. Olipop initially operated primarily as a refrigerated beverage brand. In 2024 it added shelf-stable versions, changing the OLISMART fiber blend by replacing chicory-root and Jerusalem-artichoke inulin with acacia and guar fiber. The company described the revised formula as reducing fiber by approximately 30 percent. This format broadened potential distribution and storage options while maintaining the brand’s functional positioning. By 2025, Olipop remained focused on the United States, with limited availability in Canada. Its business included retail distribution, an online store, and recurring subscriptions. Reported future opportunities included possible entry into Asian and Australian markets, although those markets were not established operating territories in the supplied reference material. The brand’s public identity continues to center on prebiotic soda, gut-health-oriented marketing, lower sugar, and familiar flavor profiles.

• 2025

  Series C financing and national scale

  [1]Olipopen.wikipedia.org

  Olipop reported a $50 million Series C round, a $1.85 billion valuation, profitability, and distribution in more than 50,000 stores.

• 2024

  Shelf-stable line introduced

  [1]Olipopen.wikipedia.org

  Olipop introduced shelf-stable products using a revised fiber formulation.

• 2022

  Series B and expanded flavor activity

  [1]Olipopen.wikipedia.org

  The company raised a reported $39.7 million Series B round and promoted a banana cream flavor with Minions branding.

• 2019

  Seed financing

  [1]Olipopen.wikipedia.org

  Olipop raised a reported $2.5 million seed round.

• 2018

  Olipop is founded and launched

  [1]Olipopen.wikipedia.org

  Goodwin and Lester founded Olipop and introduced its first three flavors.

• 2016

  Obi is sold

  [1]Olipopen.wikipedia.org

  Goodwin and Lester sold Obi after the product failed to gain sufficient traction.

• 2012

  Obi is developed

  [1]Olipopen.wikipedia.org

  Goodwin’s earlier probiotic soft-drink project, later called Obi, was created with microbiological support.

• 2008

  Goodwin begins functional soda development

  [1]Olipopen.wikipedia.org

  Ben Goodwin began developing a functional soft drink after leaving a kombucha company.

A modern functional beverage brand offering lower-sugar, fiber-containing soda alternatives built around gut-health messaging and familiar soft-drink flavors.

• Functional soft drink · 2018

  Prebiotic soda

  Olipop’s core product is a carbonated soft drink formulated with plant-derived fiber and botanical ingredients. The range uses familiar soda profiles such as cola, root beer, citrus, fruit, and dessert flavors while generally emphasizing lower sugar than conventional soft drinks. Marketing presents the products as a gut-health-oriented alternative, although individual nutritional and functional characteristics vary by flavor.

• Refrigerated functional beverage · 2018

  Refrigerated Olipop

  The original Olipop format was distributed as a refrigerated beverage. It established the brand’s early taste and packaging platform and included launch flavors such as ginger lemon, strawberry vanilla, and cinnamon cola. Refrigerated distribution was a defining operational characteristic before the company introduced shelf-stable products.

• Shelf-stable functional beverage · 2024

  Shelf-stable Olipop

  Introduced in 2024, the shelf-stable line broadened the brand’s storage and distribution model. Its revised OLISMART fiber blend replaced chicory-root and Jerusalem-artichoke inulin with acacia and guar fiber, with the company describing an approximately 30 percent reduction in fiber compared with the earlier formulation.

• 2025Pineapple Paradise and SpongeBob film promotion

  United States

  Olipop released Pineapple Paradise in a cross-marketing initiative connected with The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, using SpongeBob imagery associated with the film.

  Source
• 2024Barbie peaches-and-cream collaboration

  United States

  Olipop partnered with Mattel on a peaches-and-cream flavor featuring Barbie-inspired can artwork and promotional positioning.

  Outcome. The flavor remained in the portfolio after the Barbie-themed promotion, without the temporary branding.

  Source
• 2022Minions banana cream promotion

  United States

  Olipop associated its banana cream flavor with Minions and Despicable Me branding, using character recognition to support a limited promotional push.

  Outcome. The banana cream flavor continued as a regular product after the entertainment branding ended.

  Source

• 2025

  Scale national retail distributionStrategy

  Background

  Olipop pursued broader availability as functional soda became more visible in the United States beverage market.

  Action taken

  The company expanded retail presence, maintained direct-to-consumer subscriptions, and reported availability in more than 50,000 stores.

  Aftermath

  The company reported profitability and continued to identify international expansion as a possible future opportunity.

  Source

• 2024

  Add shelf-stable productsGeneration change

  Background

  The original product format required refrigeration, which limited some distribution and storage options.

  Action taken

  Olipop introduced shelf-stable products and revised its OLISMART fiber blend.

  Aftermath

  The change expanded the brand’s format and distribution flexibility while lowering the stated fiber content by approximately 30 percent.

  Source

• 2018

  Launch a prebiotic soda platformProduct launch

  Background

  After the earlier Obi venture was sold, the founders sought a more accessible functional beverage built around familiar soda flavors.

  Action taken

  Olipop launched with ginger lemon, strawberry vanilla, and cinnamon cola.

  Aftermath

  The brand expanded from regional Northern California distribution into national retail and direct-to-consumer channels.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2026.09.23

  Whirlpool brand and OLIPOP collaborate to bring nugget ice and feel good taste together at home[3]惠而浦品牌与OLIPOP合作，将碎冰与Feel Good口味共同带入家庭news.google.com

  Whirlpool brand and OLIPOP announced a collaboration to bring nugget ice and OLIPOP's feel good taste together at home, per a PR Newswire release headline.

Read more

1. 1Olipopen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Olipop official websitedrinkolipop.com
3. 3惠而浦品牌与OLIPOP合作，将碎冰与Feel Good口味共同带入家庭news.google.com