“Now its ruined”- Netizens upset over reports of PepsiCo acquiring Poppi for almost $2 billion

PepsiCo on March 17, 2025, announced that it had acquired Poppi, a fast-growing prebiotic soda brand. According to PR Newswire, the American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation has signed the acquiring agreement for a whopping $1.95 billion which includes $300 million of anticipated cash tax benefits for a net purchase of $1.65 billion.

Initially launched as a home-brewed beverage under the name ‘Mother Beverage’, the “healthy” beverage brand rebranded to Poppi after appearing on the American reality TV series Shark Tank in 2018. Since then, the “healthier” soda has skyrocketed in popularity and gained a cult following.

Created by Allison and Stephen Ellsworth, the prebiotic soda brand quickly became a fast-growing functional and low-calorie soda brand that combines prebiotics, fruit juice, and apple cider vinegar with no more than five grams of sugar per serving.

Now, after the news of PepsiCo acquiring the "healthy" soda brand went viral fans of the latter seem worryful on the internet. On March 17, 2025, X account @Dexerto wrote:

“PepsiCo is acquiring Poppi for nearly $2 billion”

Several people took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter to share their worrying thoughts and disappointment on @Dexerto’s post.

“damn now its ruined.”

As Poppi will now join PepsiCo’s lineup of sugary drinks, including Mountain Dew, Starry, and Gatorade, fans of the “better” soda brand think that Pepsi might ruin its existing healthy formula.

“Now it’ll go from 5 ingredients to 37 ingredients.. acquisitions always ruin a product,” a fan complained.

“And just like that, it became unhealthy,” an X user commented.

“They better not use harmful ingredients now that they acquired it. Leave it as is!” another fan exclaimed.

“Aw man! That was one of the better and more healthy soda brands. Now, there'll be nothing left,” a disappointed fan added.

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More about Poppi’s acquisition by PepsiCo

According to PR Newswire, Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo said about the acquisition:

"We've been evolving our food and beverage portfolio over many years, including by innovating with our brands in new spaces and through disciplined, strategic acquisitions that enable us to offer more positive choices to our consumers.”

Talking about how the prebiotic soda brand is a great addition to the Pepsi brand’s portfolio, Ramon Laguarta added:

"More than ever, consumers are looking for convenient and great-tasting options that fit their lifestyles and respond to their growing interest in health and wellness. poppi is a great complement to our portfolio transformation efforts to meet these needs."

Meanwhile, Allison Ellsworth, Co-Founder of the "healthy" soda brand celebrated the acquisition milestone by saying:

"We can't wait to begin this next chapter with PepsiCo to bring our soda to more people – and I know they will honor what makes poppi so special while supporting our next phase of growth and innovation. I hope our story inspires others to explore their passions, take the risk, and believe that anything is possible."

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Although the birth of Poppi was aimed at reinventing soda formulas to get rid of excessive sugar levels while keeping the iconic taste, it is yet to be seen how much change PepsiCo’s acquisition will bring to this prebiotic soda brand.