# Olipop: Ben Goodwin

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2024-09-02
- Length: 1h 09m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin

## Summary

Ben Goodwin, co-founder of Olipop, recounts his journey from a traumatic childhood to developing a healthy soda, starting with a failed probiotic brand called Obi. After Obi's acquisition forced him out of the probiotic space, Goodwin pivoted to prebiotics, leveraging his R&D experience to formulate Olipop with fiber and Stevia. He details the product's launch in natural food stores, strategic expansion to mass retailers like Walmart, and the company's rapid growth toward $500 million in sales by leveraging nostalgia and functional health benefits.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin#t=0) Introduction: Ben Goodwin and the Olipop Story
- [5:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin#t=309) Childhood Trauma and the Pivot to Health
- [12:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin#t=746) Developing Obi: Probiotic R&D and Failed Launch
- [36:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin#t=2210) The Obi Exit and Learning from Failure
- [43:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin#t=2623) Formulating Olipop: Prebiotics and Flavor Science
- [55:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin#t=3300) Launch Strategy: From Erewhon to Walmart
- [1:03:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin#t=3781) Scaling Olipop and Challenging Coca-Cola

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Olipop (product)
- Obi (product)
- Kombucha Botanica (company)
- Diageo (company)
- Erewhon (company)
- Walmart (company)
- Coca-Cola (company)
- Pepsi (company)
- Stevia (material)
- SodaStream (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Founder Feature:  Elan Halpern & Kiki Couchman of Sourmilk](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-11-07-founder-feature-elan-halpern-kiki-couchman-of-sourmilk) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Nikki Seaman of Freestyle Snacks](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-01-10-founder-feature-nikki-seaman-of-freestyle-snacks) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Investor Spotlight: Hayden Williams, BrandProject](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-02-07-investor-spotlight-hayden-williams-brandproject) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Bonus - Flavored Milk: How Jubilee's Is Changing the Game for Picky Eaters](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-05-08-bonus-flavored-milk-how-jubilees-is-changing-the-game-for-picky-eaters) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Poppilu's Founder Melanie Kahn Is As Bold As Her Lemonade](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2021-02-01-poppilus-founder-melanie-kahn-is-as-bold-as-her-lemonade) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-09-02-olipop-ben-goodwin. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.