Poppi Culture (soda billionaires, influencer beverage investors, and the Alex Alix of it all)

This week, we're deep diving PepsiCo's $1.95 billion acquisition of the prebiotic soda brand Poppi, discussing the shift towards health-conscious beverages and their potentially misleading claims, and digging into influencer-adjacent beverage drama like cheater brands, "vending machine gate" and rumors about if the investments of Alex Cooper and Alix Earle in beverage companies have something to do with their public falling out (and Alix being "dropped" from the Unwell network). This deep dive touches on many topics: the broader trends in the beverage industry, influencer culture, the "Health Halo Effect" of unregulated better-for-you sodas, and, most importantly, the power of branding. Enjoy!

00:00 Intro

03:27 The Evolution of Poppi's Branding

06:00 The Rise and Valuation of Poppi

30:50 The Health Halo Effect

38:38 The Rise of Functional Beverages

41:22 The OliPop and Poppi Rivalry

48:05 Vending Machine Gate

01:03:16 Celebrity Investors in Poppi and Other Bevs

01:16:35 Alex/Alix, Unwell Network, and Influencer Podcasts

Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here!

Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH!

Take control of your hormonal health with Allara Health. Visit allarahealth.com/BETHEREINFIVE to get your personalized treatment plan and see if Allara is right for you. With insurance, you can get started with Allara Health for as little as $0. Experience Allara Health's expert, compassionate care today. Visit allarahealth.com/BETHEREINFIVE to get started. Copays may apply. See allarahealth.com/promo for full terms and conditions.

Because amika loves Be There in Five listeners as much as we love them, they're giving you a one-time use code for 20% off your first order through the end of March. Just go to loveamika.com/bethereinfive and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout. That's loveamika.com/bethereinfive, code BETHEREINFIVE to get 20% off your first order through March 31st!

Crush your health goals with mouthwatering, chef-crafted meals delivered straight to your door. Go to cookunity.com/BETHEREINFIVE or enter code BETHEREINFIVE before checkout for 50% off your first week. That's 50% off your first week by using code BETHEREINFIVE or going to COOKUNITY.COM/BETHEREINFIVE.

Go to helixsleep.com/bethereinfive for the March Madness Sale. That's helixsleep.com/bethereinfive for 20% Off Sitewide.

Treat yourself to extraordinary hydration from Liquid I.V. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LIQUID-IV.COM and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout. That's 20% off your first order with code BETHEREINFIVE at LIQUID-IV.COM.

Upgrade how you see the world and how the world sees you. Go to paireyewear.com and use code BTIF for 15% off your first pair. And support the show by mentioning Be There in Five sent you in your post checkout survey! That's paireyewear.com, code BTIF.