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The Only Female Founder in Beverage History to Pull Off a $2 Billion Exit with Allison Ellsworth

Jaclyn Johnson, Marina Middleton

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0:00 | 33:51

She went from selling apple cider vinegar drinks at a farmers market while three months pregnant to closing a $1.95 billion deal with PepsiCo — and becoming the only female founder in beverage history to pull off an exit of that size. Allison Ellsworth built Poppi from a passion project into one of the most culturally relevant brands of the last decade. From going viral on TikTok against her board's wishes to making 40 employees millionaires, this is the unfiltered story of how she did it — and what she's already building next.
In this episode, we cover:

• How a homemade apple cider vinegar drink became a $2 billion brand
• The Shark Tank moment that almost didn't happen — and why she needed that deal
• Why she bet on TikTok when everyone told her not to
• The $37 million in mistakes and what she learned from them
• What actually moves the needle — creators vs celebrities
• Why she made every employee a stakeholder before the Pepsi deal closed
• What she's already building next

Tune in to hear how one of the most exciting founder stories of our generation actually happened — from the farmers market to a $2 billion exit.

To learn more about Allison Ellsworth:
https://www.instagram.com/allisonellsworth
www.drinkpoppi.com

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To connect with Marina Middletonhttps://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton