Poppi Co-Founders Launch New Hydration Brand Jetty

One year after selling the beverage brand Poppi to PepsiCo for $1.95 billion, co-founders Allison and Stephen Ellsworth are launching a new consumer brand named Jetty. The self-funded venture focuses on the "everyday hydration" market, offering both liquid beverages and hydration powders.

The husband-and-wife team has invested $2.5 million of their own capital to launch Jetty. Allison Ellsworth stated that her decision to build another business was driven by personal motivation and a desire to demonstrate a strong work ethic to her children, noting that the couple aims to establish the brand independently.

Targeting Untapped Demand in the Hydration Sector

Jetty enters a crowded market segment currently facing broader category declines and established competition from major brands such as Gatorade and Liquid I.V. However, Ellsworth identified a distinct market opportunity based on consumer consumption habits within the sector.

According to Ellsworth, approximately 70 percent of consumers consume hydration beverages outside of exercise, typically during the morning, lunch, or afternoon rather than at times of physical exertion. While existing major competitors primarily market athletic solutions geared toward men, Jetty is positioned around a routine daily ritual of everyday hydration intended for a broader consumer audience, including women seeking flavor-forward hydration options.

Strategic Lessons Applied from Poppi

The founders are applying several core business insights gained during their experience building Poppi to guide Jetty's market entry and operational strategy:

• Focusing on brand personality over health claims: Rather than prioritizing extensive ingredient lists or health benefit statements on primary packaging, Jetty emphasizes vibrant packaging and clear visual identity to establish emotional connections with consumers. Secondary labels mention functional contents such as real fruit juice, electrolytes, and nutrients.
• Establishing early organizational infrastructure: Unlike their initial venture, Mother—which later rebranded to Poppi—where organizational structure followed product growth, the Ellsworths developed an organizational chart, projected long-term funding requirements, and planned staffing models prior to product launch.
• Utilizing e-commerce platforms for consumer validation: Jetty uses Amazon primarily as a marketing and trial channel to provide product reviews that serve as validation for retail shoppers. The brand has adapted its packaging for digital distribution, selling powders in bags online to prevent box damage during shipping while utilizing boxed packaging for physical retail shelves.
• Self-funding and operational independence: After previously securing a $400,000 investment on Shark Tank from investor Rohan Oza for their initial brand, the Ellsworths are entirely self-funding Jetty to operate without external guidance or institutional capital.