When it comes to beverages, my intake is very limited. I basically drink three things--water, beer, and Powerade Zeroes. I'm particularly opposed to sodas/soft drinks--I haven't regularly had them in well over a decade. There is one caveat, though--I do try a few exceptions to these big three every year. But really only for blog posts. Anyway, today's exception is a couple of prebiotic sodas from the Olipop line--their cherry vanilla kind, and their peaches & cream one.
The Olipop origin story is refreshingly easy to find online, and is detailed and complete. One of its co-founders, Ben Goodman, was already in the beverage business in the early aughts. But, by 2008 he wanted to start his own drink business, so he quit his position at a kombucha-making company. The source I consulted claimed he spent $300,000 of his own money developing his own probiotic drink, utilizing a homemade laboratory and the services of a microbiologist. (Which implies that Goodman had either saved a substantial nest egg from his previous job(s), and/or he was independently wealthy.) The result of this was a probiotic drink that Goodman dubbed Obi, and he started marketing it in 2012. In 2013 Goodman had a fruitful meeting at a coffee shop with David Lester, which concluded with Lester becoming a business partner. Alas, Obi never really was successful, so by 2016 the pair decided to sell it, for an undisclosed amount. Goodman and Lester then founded Olipop in 2018, using $100,000 they'd gotten from the Obi sale. Setting up in Oakland, California, Olipop's initial line was three flavors--cinnamon cola, strawberry vanilla, and ginger lemon. Their territory in the early days was Northern California, but once they made deals with the mammoth Target and Walmart chains their drinks were available across the U.S. Periodically Olipop gets funding from outside investors, including several celebrities in 2022. These were actress Gwyneth Paltrow, writer/actress Mindy Kaling, and musicians the Jonas Brothers. As of August of 2025 Olipop reportedly has 373 employees, which is much more precise than the numbers I usually discover online. Somewhat unusually for a soft drink, because of its ingredients Olipop sodas need to be refrigerated constantly. If you didn't know the distinction, probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that (hopefully) live in human digestive systems. Prebiotics are what these bacteria feed on. So, Olipop's key ingredients are the meals for the "good bugs" that help folks digest food efficiently. Finally, the name for this company is a portmanteau of the beginning of the prebiotic fiber oligosaccharide and "pop," (which means soda/soft drink).
Olipop soft drink, peaches & cream flavor: This had a fruity odor, and a light yellow color. The taste was good--both peachy and creamy. Not an intensely strong flavor, but not bland, either. Solid, but not great. If you're looking for a healthier soda alternative, this seems to be a good choice. So I'd give it a slight recommend.
Olipop soft drink, cherry vanilla flavor: This offering had no real odor, and a deep red color. The taste was decent--I could detect both the cherry and vanilla flavors. So it was similar to the previous one--good but not spectacular. Although it was a bit better than the peaches & cream. Another slight recommendation. Also, both of these drinks were much better, calorie-wise, than most sodas, as they only had 45 or 50 calories for a 12 ounce/355 mL can, instead of the typical 150 or more.
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