Poppi Founders Launch Jetty to Take On Gatorade in Hydration Race
Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, the husband-and-wife team behind Poppi, are back in the drinks business. Their new brand, Jetty, goes on sale on Monday, and this time they are taking aim at the hydration market dominated by PepsiCo’s Gatorade — the same company that bought Poppi from them last year.
Jetty launches with bottled hydration drinks and ready-to-mix electrolyte powder packets in five flavours: watermelon, orange mango, fruit punch, black raspberry and white cherry. The products will be stocked at Whole Foods stores and sold online through Target and Amazon from Monday, with Target stores to follow in January. Bottles retail at $2.49.
The venture is entirely self-funded, with the Ellsworths putting in $2.5 million of their own money. Allison Ellsworth, who serves as Jetty’s chief brand officer, has said the company will probably seek outside investment in 2027.
What Jetty is selling
Jetty is positioned as an everyday hydration product rather than a traditional sports drink. Each bottle contains 310 milligrams of potassium, 100 milligrams of magnesium, B vitamins and prebiotics, and the brand is aimed at people who want to drink more water rather than at athletes chasing performance.
The idea grew partly out of Allison Ellsworth’s own experience. After she began taking GLP-1 medication and lost weight, she found it harder to stay hydrated, and that frustration became the starting point for the new brand. The launch also follows a year in which the couple stepped back from the day-to-day running of Poppi after its sale.
“We wanted to disrupt big soda,” Allison Ellsworth said of Poppi’s beginnings, recalling that the brand started because she had stomach problems and turned to apple cider vinegar. Jetty, she has said, is a deliberately unboring water alternative for people who struggle to drink enough.
A second act after the $1.95 billion Poppi sale
Poppi began in 2020 as a prebiotic soda built around apple cider vinegar, and the Ellsworths took it from a Shark Tank pitch to a national brand before PepsiCo announced its acquisition in March 2025. The deal was worth $1.95 billion, with up to a further $300 million payable if Poppi hit growth targets by the third quarter of 2027.
That earnout now looks much smaller than first agreed. PepsiCo estimated in an October regulatory filing that the fair value of the performance-based payments owed to Poppi’s former owners was about $12 million. Allison Ellsworth stayed on as an adviser to Poppi after the sale, but she has said she is no longer involved in its day-to-day operations.
Under PepsiCo, Poppi has broadened its range with Poppi Lift, a caffeinated energy drink, and Poppi Chill, a relaxation drink made with magnesium and L-theanine. The Ellsworths are now competing directly against their former buyer, in a category led by another of its brands.
Why hydration, and why now
The timing reflects a fast-growing market. Dollar sales across the broader hydration and electrolyte category climbed 20 per cent to $2.6 billion over the 52 weeks ended 4 October, according to data from SPINS. Gatorade still holds about 60 per cent of the United States sports drink market, according to Numerator data, and PepsiCo refreshed the brand in April to target morning and afternoon drinking occasions.
Jetty is entering that market as a challenger with no outside shareholders to answer to, at least for now. Its founders have done this before, and their first attempt ended in one of the biggest beverage deals of recent years. That track record is likely to draw attention from retailers and investors alike, even before a single bottle is sold.
The launch also comes in a busy period for American consumer brands. Bed Bath & Beyond’s retail comeback and AkzoNobel’s $25 billion merger with Axalta show how quickly established names are reshaping themselves, while China’s tariff pause has eased some of the cost pressure on companies that import goods and packaging.
The fight ahead
Jetty’s challenge is considerable. Gatorade has decades of shelf space, sports sponsorships and distribution behind it, and PepsiCo has already shown it will defend the category. The Ellsworths, however, have one advantage their rivals cannot copy: they have already built and sold a drinks brand once, and they know what it takes to get a new product into American homes.
For now, the test is simple. Shoppers at Whole Foods will decide whether five flavours of flavoured water with electrolytes are worth $2.49 a bottle — and whether the couple who disrupted soda can do the same to hydration. More detail on the launch is in the Inc. profile of the launch and in the Modern Retail’s interview with Allison Ellsworth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jetty?
Jetty is a new hydration brand from Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, the founders of Poppi. It sells bottled hydration drinks and ready-to-mix electrolyte powder packets in five flavours.
Where can I buy Jetty?
From Monday, Jetty is available at Whole Foods stores and online through Target and Amazon. Target stores are expected to stock the brand from January.
How much did PepsiCo pay for Poppi?
PepsiCo bought Poppi for $1.95 billion in 2025, with up to a further $300 million payable if the brand hit growth targets by the third quarter of 2027. PepsiCo has since estimated the earnout’s fair value at about $12 million.
