Making pop history: How a Shark Tank investment helped a prebiotic soft drink go viral

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A soft drink backed by Shark Tank and actress Olivia Munn is leading one of the hottest trends in health foods, beverages that aid good bacteria in your gut, part of a surging market in so-called functional foods.

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The craze is for prebiotic soft drinks, which means they supply food for the bacteria, as opposed to probiotic, which provide the bacteria. Many yogurts are marketed as probiotic.

Functional food and beverages sales reached US$267 billion this year, according to the Chicago-based Institute of Food Technologists, nearly half of the US$58-billion-a-year U.S. packaged food and beverage industry.

Functional foods have a pretty wide definition. They include nutrient-rich items such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, legumes and seafood, as well as enhanced foods, such as orange juice with added calcium, and milk fortified with vitamin D, the institute says.

Leading the prebiotic soft drink market is Poppi, a carbonated drink containing apple cider vinegar, which gets nearly 15,000 searches a month on Google in the U.S., according to Exploding Topics, an internet trend watcher. The number of global searches for the brand increased 27 per cent over the past 11 months, it said.

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“I went into the Whole Foods Store today and discovered a delightful prebiotic soda called Poppi,” tweeted Tamara Canty, who calls herself a Christian writer. “I thought the can was super cute, which is why I picked it up to begin with. But I am so glad that I did, it’s my new Fave and it only has five grams of sugar.”

Indeed, the low sugar content and colourful cans appear to be Poppi’s greatest attraction, at least initially, judging by the posts on Twitter. Competitors include Olipop, while there are also other prebiotic products such as gummies sold by Yuve generating US$2.24 million a year, Exploding Topics says.

A spot on the reality investment TV show Shark Tank, where the ‘Brandfather’ Rohan Oz helped a husband and wife team in Dallas market Poppi, boosted the product’s profile. The soda, as Americans call it, “tasted amazing and provided real health benefits,” according to the brand website. Co-founder Allison Ellsworth, suffering from undisclosed chronic health issues, claims her “symptoms all but vanished” after drinking it every day for a week.

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Of course, it’s not for everyone.

“At US$2.49 per 12oz can, it’d better be good,” tweeted CeruCatter, who calls themself, a non-binary cat-otter hybrid in Oklahoma. “Oh. It’s just sparkling water, apple cider vinegar, fruit juice, sugar and Stevia. It’s hyper sweetened, expensive vinegar, in a plastic wrapped can.”

Consumers are seeking prebiotics to stimulate the immune system, inhibit pathogens, improve bowel function and reduce fat, according to IFT. There’s a growing contingent who believe gut health alleviates depression, anxiety, and skin maladies. Prebiotics occur naturally in many fruits, vegetables and grains such as apples, bananas, asparagus, beans, garlic, leeks, onions, barley and oats, the institute says.

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“COVID-19 has been a unique catalyst, driving the global ‘food as medicine’ movement mainstream,” says A. Elizabeth Sloan, a contributing editor on consumer trends at IFT. “Buying foods for specific health benefits will continue to outpace selecting foods with more passive health positionings, such as organic, clean, local, etc.

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“Watch for increased labeling of inherent natural health-promoting ingredients. If you got it, flaunt it! Those looking to manage and treat a condition with a food or beverage will reach an all-time high. With younger consumers embracing functional foods, new and unique health-promoting ingredients and superfoods will be a strong draw for consumers.”

One Poppi backer is actress Munn, who had parts on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. She says she drinks Poppi to help cope with an auto-immune condition and replace the sugary drinks she loves. Munn said she has a partnership with Poppi, which would appear to include making statements like this in People:  “It’s my healthy treat that not only fulfills my craving but it does really offer something that I need, which is real benefits for gut health, and it boosts my immunity and it gives me great, glowing skin.”

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