How new entrants like Bloom Nutrition, SunSip and Slice are looking to stand out in the crowded prebiotic soda market

Brands that have recently entered the prebiotic soda market like Bloom Pop and Health Ade’s newly launched SunSip are counting on clinically-backed ingredients to entice more skeptical consumers who have scrutinized the “gut health” benefits of these sodas. Meanwhile, Slice, which was recently revived as a modern better-for-you soda, is hoping its play on nostalgic soda will set it apart. One advantage this cohort of new brands has in common is their parent companies’ long-established retail relationships.  

Jeannie Houchins, a food and beverage trendspotter for the Specialty Food Association, said the better-for-you soda space becomes saturated as dozens of brands enter the fold.

Up to this point, Houchins said, the prebiotic soda category has relied on using apple cider vinegar as a base, which gives the soda its prebiotic properties. But the taste can be divisive for those new to functional beverages. Houchins expects that, as the category matures and new variations become available, consumers will become pickier about what each brand is able to offer. “I’m asking: ‘Does this probiotic or prebiotic soda actually help me get what I need out of the product?” 

Carving out a unique differentiation

One of the newest healthy soda entrants is Bloom Pop, created by supplements startup Bloom Nutrition. The Bloom Pop line rolled out exclusively at Walmart in early July, with flavors like Shirley Temple, Raspberry Lemonade and Strawberry Cream, among others. Each can of Bloom Pop contains three to four grams of sugar, 20 calories and no artificial ingredients. 

According to the company, Bloom Pop surpassed $1 million in POS revenue at Walmart in its first two weeks of release. 

Greg LaVecchia, CEO of Bloom Nutrition, said the company decided to enter the soda category after a successful expansion into beverages in July 2024 with its sparkling energy drink. The energy drink sold over 35 million cans in its first year and has quickly become a big chunk of Bloom Nutrition’s overall revenue. LaVecchia confirmed the company is expecting to reach about $200 million in sales in 2025. 

LaVecchia said the decision to launch these two new lines came from Bloom surveying what customers wanted the brand to release, combined with what founder Mari Llewellyn wanted to introduce next. “The top three answers were better-for-you soda, followed by an energy drink and a ready-to-drink greens drink,” LaVecchia said.

Having a built-in fan base helped generate early buzz for these launches, he said.

Alongside unique flavors and clean label, LaVecchia said what sets Bloom Pop apart from the sea of healthy sodas is a one gram dose of PreticX in each can. The prebiotic fiber supplement is third-party trademarked and clinically-backed for supporting digestion, immunity and metabolism. LaVecchia added that the ingredient allows Bloom Pop to market its soda as a source of prebiotics without the bloating or discomfort some prebiotics can cause. LaVecchia said nutritional claims are especially important following the class action lawsuit against Poppi for its initial “gut healthy” claims.

As the definition of supplements and wellness evolves, LaVecchia said consumers are increasingly expecting all types of foods and all beverages to provide major functions.

Building on an established brand 

Even with the demand from existing customers, LaVecchia said the biggest edge Bloom had in releasing Bloom Pop was its existing partnerships, including Walmart. The company is distributing Pop and the energy drink line through a partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper.

During his meetings with Walmart during the R&D, LaVecchia said he saw serious signs that this category is here to stay. That includes Walmart’s dedicated Modern Soda set, where Bloom Pop is now merchandised. “We realized that this market cap was going to expand very quickly,” he said. “And there is no reason why Bloom couldn’t have a large piece of that.”

Having access to existing infrastructure, retail relationships and distribution is a major advantage for new players looking to enter the prebiotic soda scene.

Kombucha maker Health-Ade launched its SunSip prebiotic soda line in February 2024, first exclusively at Whole Foods Market then in other retailers throughout the past year.

Health-Ade’s CMO, Charlotte Mostaed, said SunSip builds on top of Health-Ade’s history as a gut health-friendly beverage brand since its founding in 2012. “Having spent years talking to consumers who shop in this part of the store, we knew that this was the destination for our latest innovation,” she said. “It’s the place where people go to find the highest quality, fresh, non-GMO and innovative products out there.”  

As Health-Ade was preparing to launch SunSip, Mostaed said the company was able to leverage existing supply chain partners for production and distribution.

For SunSip, while prebiotic is an important component, Mostaed said the messaging is largely focused on other health benefits. Each can of SunSip contains vitamins C, B6 and B12, and minerals zinc and selenium.

There are other ways that SunSip is looking to differentiate itself from existing prebiotic sodas. “We don’t use stevia to sweeten, which has become an ingredient that many consumers are avoiding,” Mostaed said. “Instead, we use a mixture of real fruit juice, organic cane sugar and monk fruit.” This blend helps give SunSip a sweet soda taste, but with six grams or less of organic cane sugar.  

Like Bloom and Health-Ade, Slice is also leveraging its existing name recognition and retail partnerships in its first year on shelves. 

Slice was originally launched by PepsiCo in 1984 and, at the time, it was positioned as a healthier alternative to soda that contained 10% fruit juice. It was sunset in the early 2000s and was recently revived by new owner Suja Life.

Slice CMO Nicole Portwood told Modern Retail that part of the brand’s revival hinges on bringing back a beloved brand, but with better ingredients and health benefits. The new Slice has a new formula and now emphasizes gut health benefits. Still, Slice was known for its bold fruity flavors, Portwood said, and the new iteration keeps that with a blend of real fruit juice, organic cane sugar and monk fruit.

Portwood said one advantage Slice has on the scene is name recognition. The brand retained a cult following among Gen X since it was shut down, she said. “It’s really exciting that it still has a lot of visibility and awareness out in the market, especially because there is a strong pull for nostalgia with Gen Z and millennials,” Portwood said. 

“I do think our relationships are a big and important part of Slice’s expanded distribution,” Portwood said. She added that, over the past decade, parent company Suja Life has built up a robust physical retail presence for its functional beverage brands, Suja Organic and Vive Organic. 

“Suja has strong relationships and trust in those categories, so we’ve been able to expand Slice incrementally across most major retailers,” Portwood said. Since its launch in January, Slice has rolled out at Kroger-owned grocers, Target, Costco and Sprouts, among other nations chains.

When asked what may be driving the growing list of new entrants, Houchins of the Specialty Food Association pointed to the fact that, for a few years, brands like Poppi and Olipop helped give proof to the market. “There are so many investment dollars going into the better-for-you soda category, so somebody has to be buying them,” Houchins said.

Slice’s Portwood said as the number of players increases, she expects the winners to be the one that have a unique value proposition. “The reality is that consumer tastes have changed, and there is crowding in this healthier soda category,” Portwood said. “That is because there’s a tremendous marketplace opportunity.”