PREBIOTIC SODA BRAND, POPPI, APPOINTS CHRIS HALL AS CEO AMID ACCELERATED GROWTH

Former Sparkling Ice CEO Brings Nearly Two Decades of Industry Expertise to Prebiotic Soda Brand with Nearly 500% Year Over Year Growth

AUSTIN, Texas, April 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Poppi, the fastest growing brand in the functional soda category*, announced today the appointment of Chris Hall as Chief Executive Officer. With the rapid trajectory of the brand to date, Poppi saw an opportunity to further drive its rocketship growth by bringing on seasoned executive leadership. The addition of Mr. Hall will be pivotal in helping solidify the brand's position as the modern soda for the next generation.

"We've been super impressed with what Chris has accomplished during his time at Sparkling Ice and can't wait to blend his years of expertise with our disruptive approach to brand building," said Stephen and Allison Ellsworth, Cofounders of Poppi. "We're firm believers that the right team is a critical part of executing on our vision of building a multi generational brand, so we are excited that Chris is joining the Poppi family and bringing his passion, intensity, expertise and leadership to drive growth."

Chris Hall comes to Poppi from Talking Rain Beverage where he spent the last 15 years of his career, most recently serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Sparkling Ice brand. In his five years at the helm of Sparkling Ice, Mr. Hall drove unprecedented growth through his unique leadership style - an approach that prioritized product development, execution, focusing on people, and building a solid enterprise platform. He attributes much of his committed, passionate approach to leading teams to his time serving as a submariner with the United States Navy. This role not only shaped his commitment to excellence, but also his values, disciplined work ethic, and an always present mindset of "company-team-self."

"Poppi is an outstanding product with an authentic story, great founders and a passionate team behind it," says Chris Hall, newly appointed CEO of Poppi. "I'm truly impressed with the explosive growth the brand has had to date and am excited to help take it to the next level. I'm honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead Poppi, a beverage company committed to providing its community with a better, healthier, and happier soda experience."

Poppi's prebiotic sodas went from a farmers' market favorite to a Shark Tank investment, to a household brand name available at thousands of retailers nationwide in a matter of 2 years. Today, the company is available in 11,000+ retailers including Target, Safeway, Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods and Sprouts and has a strong recurring customer base online. The brand has also become a viral sensation on TikTok with over 1 billion views. Since launching, Poppi has raised capital from lead investor CAVU Venture Partners along with celebrities such as Russell Westbrook, Olivia Munn, The Chainsmokers, Kygo, Halsey and Ellie Goulding.

"As we enter our next phase of hyper growth, we're beyond excited to welcome Chris to the Poppi family," says Rohan Oza, Partner and Cofounder of CAVU Venture Partners and Executive Chairman of Poppi. "His leadership, ability to scale rapidly and operational excellence will be a fantastic addition to the breakthrough brand Stephen and Allison have built to date."

Poppi is a leader in the functional soda category, which according to Research and Markets is expected to reach $173.23 billion in 2025. Poppi combines real fruit, apple cider vinegar, and five grams of sugar or less to create a delicious, refreshing prebiotic soda that improves gut health. It comes in nine different flavors and is available for $29.88/ 12-pack. For more information, visit www.drinkpoppi.com.

Poppi is on a mission to revolutionize the soda industry by giving people a delicious way to improve their gut health. Founded by husband-and-wife duo Stephen and Allison Ellsworth and based in Austin, TX, Poppi combines real fruit, apple cider vinegar and prebiotics to create a deliciously refreshing, full of flavor soda that provides real health benefits. Formulated with only clean ingredients, each can contains 5 grams of sugar or less. What originally started as a personal remedy for Allison's gut health and skin ailments, quickly became a farmers market favorite turned Shark Tank investment - and now is available at thousands of retailers nationwide. Poppi's brand first approach, cultural cache and rapid growth has nurtured an incredibly loyal fan base, including celeb fans Billie Eilish, Russell Westbrook, JLo, Olivia Munn and Noah Beck. Poppi is available in nine delicious flavors – Strawberry Lemon, Raspberry Rose, Orange, Ginger Lime, Watermelon, Grapefruit, Cola, Root Beer, and DocPop – and is available for $2.49 per 12oz can. 

Poppi is truly changing the game for soda lovers…and the rest is, as they say, pop history. Visit www.drinkpoppi.com to learn more. 

*Source: SPINS Period 3 for the 4 weeks ending March 20, 2022 

SOURCE Poppi