Coca-Cola Launches Simply Pop, Targeting Olipop and Poppi

Beverage giant Coca-Cola is grabbing at the growing “better for you” soda category. The drink conglomerate is taking on smaller rivals Poppi and Olipop, which have essentially invented the soda niche.

Coca-Cola Taps Into Prebiotic Trend With Simply Pop

“Simply Pop” is what Coca-Cola is calling its new, healthier soda choice. Flavored with fruit juice and without added sugar, the drink purportedly improves gut health through a mixture of fiber and various vitamins. Retailing for $2.49 per 12-ounce can, Simply Pop will be available in lime, pineapple mango, fruit punch, citrus punch, and strawberry.

“We saw the prebiotic soda space really emerging as an area of interest for consumers, and we were paying really close attention to it,” explained Becca Kerr, CEO of Coca-Cola’s nutrition unit, per CNN. “We think it’s a space that is a great consumer fit and also offers a lot of growth.”

If the “Simply” name sounds familiar, it is because Coca-Cola also owns Simply-branded fruit juices and canned cocktails. Customer feedback and dedication to the Simply brand made Coca-Cola’s decision to name its healthy soda entry Simply Pop an easy one.

Coke's new prebiotic soda Simply Pop will be available later this month in flavors strawberry, pineapple mango, fruit punch, lime and citrus punch. https://t.co/W9O2H7qMNu

— The Jackson Sun (@JSunNews) February 18, 2025

Olipop and Poppi Practically Own the Functional Soda Market

Competitors Poppi and Olipop have dominated the digestive health soft drink segment for the last couple of years, creating an army of loyal drinkers in a very short time. Now, these startups may need to shore up their defenses, as a big player with a popular brand is entering the healthy soda war.

“The Simply brand is a smart way to get into a fast-growing and premium soda segment that is attractive to young consumers and resonates on social media,” Beverage Digest’s Duane Stanford told CNN.

Currently, prebiotic-focused sodas are a small segment of the drink market. Recent estimates suggest the functional soda category is valued at around $440 million, while traditional soda is easily worth billions. Yet, the healthy group is catching up with regular sodas, with sales projected to reach $2 billion before the end of the decade.

Olipop, which launched in 2018, made a profit for the first time last year, bringing in $400 million in revenue and doubling what it made in 2023. As far as the increased competition from one of the world’s largest soda makers, Olipop’s CEO, Ben Goodwin, said he welcomes Coca-Cola to the category he pioneered.

Simply Pop will be available sometime before the end of this month in the U.S. on the West Coast as well as the Southeast. Unfortunately for Olipop and Poppi, Coca-Cola has a 100-year marketing head start and a strongly built distribution network that puts the two smaller companies at a significant disadvantage.