OLIPOP, founded in 2018 by Ben Goodwin and David Lester, is a prebiotic brand of soda. Sweetened with cassava syrup and stevia it’s a great compromise between the timely trend of gut health and the nostalgia of a soda pop. 

In a video from CNBC’s Making It series, we get the breakdown of OLIPOP’s finances from the beginning when it was just an idea, to today, as they tower over the rest of the niche beverage industry, projecting and pulling down a sustainable 20 million a month in sales.  

I call videos like this one ‘Feature Media’, and they are a great resource for anyone planning their own brand launch because the information that they offer is always unique. 

Inside scoops are often too granular for a website and too gritty for social media, but Feature Media can offer you a behind the scenes look, packaged nicely with the context of the brand as a whole. 

In the linked episode of Making It, we learned that OLIPOP invested 70% of their $100,000 of capital into brand development before they launched, with the remaining 30% going into the logistics and execution of production. 

Nothing is ever going to highlight the type of investment that a brand presence as broad, appealing, concise and holistic as OLIPOP’s requires, quite as well as these numbers. 

The engagement and customer retention that OLIPOP has is a huge accomplishment, and the point of this article is really to drive home to anyone who may consider OLIPOP to be one of their Aspirational Brands, that it’s no accident. 

Even the back of the can is an opportunity for intentional branding, featuring the trademarked blend of prebiotic fiber called OLISmart as an ingredient. 

Food science is never cheap but it establishes authority. 

Good graphic design isn’t cheap either but Olipop has that too and it’s not hurting their case one bit. The brand is gorgeous and highly grabbable. 

When you think about the visual impact that OLIPOP makes from the shelf or from the screen, does that appeal to you as a founder? Is that the kind of impact that you want your brand to have?

Or are you struggling to wrap your head around what it would be like to have any money left after you figure out production costs? 

Neither is the wrong answer. Neither is right either. But one of these is your answer. 

Before you launch, it’s important to be honest about your capabilities, your learning curve and your priorities as a founder. 

There is a balance that each of us have to strike in our investments. In this world where we have to make our own mentors and Build our own Board of Directors, it’s important that we look towards success stories for inspiration that allow us to feel represented and empowered. 

I can’t guarantee that no one will fail, but I am thrilled to say that as the CPG industry evolves and shifts to appreciate uniqueness and individuality, someone just like you has succeeded, and someone just like you will succeed again.