Austin, Texas-based Poppi has announced the appointment of Chris Hall as its CEO. With the rapid trajectory of the brand to date, Poppi saw an opportunity to further drive its growth by bringing on seasoned executive leadership.
The company says that the addition of Hall will be instrumental in helping solidify the brand’s position as the modern soda for the next generation.
“We’ve been super impressed with what Chris has accomplished during his time at Sparkling Ice and can’t wait to blend his years of expertise with our disruptive approach to brand building,” said Stephen and Allison Ellsworth, co-founders of Poppi. “We’re firm believers that the right team is a critical part of executing on our vision of building a multi-generational brand, so we are excited that Chris is joining the Poppi family and bringing his passion, intensity, expertise and leadership to drive growth.”
Hall comes to Poppi from Talking Rain Beverage where he spent the last 15 years of his career, most recently serving as CEO of the Sparkling Ice brand. In his five years at the helm of Sparkling Ice, Hall drove growth through his leadership style – an approach that prioritized product development, execution, focusing on people and building a solid enterprise platform.
He attributes much of his committed, passionate approach to leading teams to his time serving as a submariner with the U.S. Navy. This role not only shaped his commitment to excellence, but also his values, disciplined work ethic and an always present mindset of “company-team-self.”
“Poppi is an outstanding product with an authentic story, great founders and a passionate team behind it,” Hall said. “I’m truly impressed with the explosive growth the brand has had to date and am excited to help take it to the next level. I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead Poppi, a beverage company committed to providing its community with a better, healthier and happier soda experience.”
Poppi’s prebiotic sodas went from a farmers’ market favorite to a Shark Tank investment, to a household brand name available at thousands of retailers nationwide in a matter of two years. The brand has also become a viral sensation on TikTok with over 1 billion views.
“As we enter our next phase of hyper growth, we’re beyond excited to welcome Chris to the Poppi family,” said Rohan Oza, partner and co-founder of CAVU Venture Partners and executive chairman of Poppi. “His leadership, ability to scale rapidly and operational excellence will be a fantastic addition to the breakthrough brand Stephen and Allison have built to date.”
Poppi is a leader in the functional soda category, which according to Research and Markets is expected to reach $173.23 billion in 2025. Poppi combines real fruit, apple cider vinegar and five grams of sugar or less to create a prebiotic soda that improves gut health. It comes in nine different flavors and is available for $29.88/ 12-pack.
For more information, visit drinkpoppi.com.
