Olipop

Olipop, Inc.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing A can of Olipop Strawberry Vanilla
Company type	Private
Industry	Beverage
Founded	2018
Founders	Ben Goodwin David Lester
Headquarters	Oakland, California (USA)
Revenue	US$73.4 million (2022)
Website	drinkolipop.com

Olipop is a prebiotic soft drink produced in the United States. It is sold in over 25,000 stores in the United States and the company had revenue of $100 million for the first half of 2023. The drink's marketing claims that it improves gut health.

The brand name Olipop is a portmanteau of the prebiotic fiber named oligosaccharide (oli), and "pop", a common name for a soft drink in the United States.

History

Background

Ben Goodwin started developing a soft drink after leaving a kombucha company in 2008. He spent about $300,000 of his personal savings into the drink, working in a makeshift lab with a microbiologist. The probiotic soft drink, named Obi, was created by 2012. In 2013, Goodwin met with David Lester in a coffee shop, who had previously quit his job. The two agreed to partner together in making Obi. In 2016, the two sold Obi for an undisclosed amount after it failed to gain traction. They then went on to work on Olipop.

Olipop

Olipop was founded in 2018 by Ben Goodwin and David Lester with an initial investment of $100,000, taken from the sale of Obi. The drink was first released in three flavors: ginger lemon, strawberry vanilla and cinnamon cola. It sold in 40 grocery stores in its first year, in Northern California, and reached $852,000 in gross revenue. They later became on sale in Target and Walmart stores. The company gathered $2.5 million in seed funding in 2019. As of April 2023, there were 12 Olipop flavors; in April 2024, there were 16 at Olipop's website.

A series B funding round was carried out in 2022, which raised $39.7 million. Funders included Gwyneth Paltrow, Mindy Kaling, and the Jonas Brothers. As of January 2023, Olipop raised a total of $55.4 million in funding. Olipop reached $73.4 million in gross revenue in 2022, a 223% year increase; and it reached $100 million gross revenue in the first half of 2023. According to Goodwin, sales of root beer Olipop has overtaken those of A&W.

In 2022, Olipop created a banana cream flavor which was branded with Minions characters. The drink is still produced today, albeit without the Minion or Despicable Me branding attached to it.

In 2024, Olipop collaborated with Mattel to create a new peaches and cream flavor themed around Barbie. The can sported a design showing different pieces of Barbie iconography. Like the banana cream flavor before it, after the promotion it became a mainstay flavor without the Barbie theming.

In 2025, the company raised $50 million in a Series C funding round, valuing the company at $1.85 billion. It had become profitable and its products were sold in over 50,000 stores.

Operations

As of August 2025, Olipop has approximately 373 employees. The workforce is remote. Olipop offers a subscription which sends customers a box of drinks every few weeks. Olipop is currently only available in the United States. Potential markets include Asia and Australia.

Flavors

Olipop has developed a variety of flavors:

• Ridge Rush (Lemon-Lime-Orange)
• Vintage Cola
• Peaches & Cream
• Classic Root Beer
• Cream Soda
• Classic Grape
• Crisp Apple
• Ginger Ale
• Strawberry Vanilla
• Cherry Cola
• Orange Squeeze
• Lemon Lime
• Ginger Lemon
• Doctor Goodwin
• Watermelon Lime
• Banana Cream
• Cherry Vanilla
• Tropical Punch
• Orange Cream
• Pineapple Paradise

Its drinks require refrigeration. Olipop introduced shelf-stable versions of its product in 2024. This shelf-stable line features a revised version of the company’s “proprietary” OLISMART fiber mix, replacing Chicory Root Inulin and Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin with Acacia Fiber and Guar Fiber for a roughly 30% reduction in fiber.