What Happened To Mother Beverage Company After Shark Tank?
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When Mother Beverage Company founders Allison and Stephen Ellsworth appeared on "Shark Tank" in Season 10, the team of Sharks was impressed but not immediately sold on investing in their company. One huge issue was the fact that the husband and wife duo did not want to hire a manufacturer to make the bottles for their apple cider vinegar-infused drinks. Up until that point, the Ellsworths had been in business for 18 months and brought in half a million dollars on their own.
They'd even landed an offer from Albertsons to carry their products in locations nationwide after a successful run locally at the Dallas farmers' markets. While these were amazing achievements, most of the super wealthy "Shark Tank" stars weren't sold. However, Rohan Oza wasn't put off by their modest manufacturing plan nor the potential marketing costs associated with a soda business. He proposed a $400,000 offer in exchange for a 25% stake in Mother Beverage Company, which Allison and Stephen happily accepted.
Since its appearance on "Shark Tank," the company has undergone a massive rebrand, which has brought unprecedented success for the Ellsworths. They've expanded in every way possible, demonstrating that their thirst-quenching start-up was well worth the risk.
Mother Beverage Company has rebranded as Poppi
The Mother Beverage Company was destined for greatness from the moment viewers witnessed Allison and Stephen Ellsworth pitch their idea to the Sharks. This was evident in the instant sales boost, seeing the couple sell out of every product on the night their episode aired. However, they soon realized that "Mother" could not be trademarked, leaving the couple with a dilemma. In the end, they abandoned their moniker for "Poppi."
With a new name, Poppi remained true to its formula, which combines apple cider vinegar, fresh fruit, and natural sweeteners. With a strong emphasis on health, Poppi touts itself as a vegan soda alternative packed with probiotics that does not contain excessive calories. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic also raised another set of issues, delaying Poppi's supermarket debut. That did not stop the innovative Ellsworths, though, who turned to Amazon to set up a storefront.
On the platform, Poppi sold thousands of cans. Its growing popularity even led "Shark Tank" judge Rohan Oza to increase his initial investment, per The Daily Meal. And, according to Forbes, as of March 2020, Poppi was being sold in stores nationwide.
Poppi is now sold in stores nationwide
As the world gradually reopened, Poppi began showing up on store shelves across the country. Whole Foods, Publix, Target, Walmart, and Krogers are just a handful of the chains that carry Poppi both in-store and online. With so much expansion, additional flavors have also been added to the line-up. When appearing on "Shark Tank" as Mother Beverage Company, the options available were blueberry sage, raspberry rose, lime ginger, and pineapple turmeric.
Thanks to its rebranding, Poppi now boasts even more flavors, including grape, strawberry lemon, cherry limeade, watermelon, orange, cola, and root beer, among many others. Poppi's social media imprint is a testament to their growing fanbase. With 197,000 Instagram followers at the time of writing, Poppi shares new posts almost daily showing updates and events.
Shark Rohan Oza also maintains a close relationship with the company and owners, Allison and Stephen Ellsworth. The above reel shows Allison checking out a billboard alongside Oza in New York City. With so many odds stacked against the Ellsworths, it's amazing to see their creation thriving.