The new venture, which is self-funded, will begin selling bottled hydration drinks and ready-to-mix electrolyte powders on Monday. The products will be available at Whole Foods stores and online through Target and Amazon.
Jetty’s entry into the market places the Ellsworths in direct competition with PepsiCo, which acquired Poppi for $1.95 billion in 2025 and owns Gatorade, the dominant player in the United States sports drink market, with approximately 60 per cent market share, according to Numerator data.
Having disrupted the traditional soda market with Poppi through its emphasis on prebiotic fibre, low calories, reduced sugar and youth-focused marketing, the entrepreneurs are hoping to apply a similar approach to hydration.
However, the new brand faces competition from established beverage companies and a growing number of emerging brands seeking to benefit from increasing consumer interest in electrolyte-based drinks.
Unlike conventional sports drinks, which have traditionally targeted athletes and people recovering from strenuous physical activities, Jetty is positioning itself as an everyday hydration option for consumers who want electrolytes without the relatively high sugar content and electrolyte levels associated with traditional sports beverages.
“No one has really created a product for just everyday hydration — literally everyday hydration for normal people,” Allison Ellsworth, Jetty’s chief brand officer, told CNBC.
“Like I woke up this morning, I didn’t run a marathon.”
GLP-1 Experience Inspires New Beverage Brand
The idea behind Jetty reportedly emerged from Allison Ellsworth’s personal experience after she stepped away from the day-to-day operations of Poppi following its acquisition by PepsiCo.
Although she remains an adviser to the brand, Ellsworth said the completion of a decade-long journey building Poppi gave her time to focus on her health.
She subsequently visited her doctor for the first time in 10 years, began using a GLP-1 medication and lost 60 pounds.
During that period, her husband, Stephen Ellsworth, who now serves as Jetty’s chief executive officer, noticed that she was struggling to drink enough water, even after returning from the gym.
GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic and Mounjaro, can reduce thirst, making adequate hydration more challenging for some users. Maintaining sufficient fluid intake is also important because it may help manage certain side effects associated with the medications, including nausea and headaches.
“I physically struggle getting liquid into my body,” Ellsworth said.
That experience helped shape Jetty’s product concept, with the founders seeking to offer a more appealing alternative to plain water for people who find it difficult to maintain regular hydration.
The opportunity extends beyond GLP-1 users. Research by EY-Parthenon, based on its third annual survey of more than 3,600 current and former GLP-1 users, found that approximately 44 per cent reported consuming more functional beverages.
Ellsworth believes the brand will also appeal strongly to younger consumers and millennial mothers, particularly those who are less attracted to traditional sports drink brands.
“Our core audience is going to be millennial moms and Gen Z,” she said.
“Gen Z just isn’t relating to these old school brands, the legacy of the Gatorades and the Powerades. They’re just not cool.”
Hydration Market Attracts More Competition
Jetty’s launch comes as consumer demand for hydration and electrolyte products continues to expand, attracting established beverage manufacturers and emerging competitors.
According to SPINS data, dollar sales of hydration and electrolyte products increased by 20 per cent to $2.6 billion in the 52 weeks ended October 4. The category also recorded a repeat-purchase rate of 62 per cent, indicating sustained consumer interest.
The growing market has encouraged more brands to enter the segment. SPINS data showed that the number of new products in the category generating annual sales of at least $10,000 increased by 41 per cent over the past two years.
Major beverage companies are also expanding their presence in the sector.
Kraft Heinz introduced electrolyte-enhanced Capri Sun juice pouches and Kool-Aid packets in the spring, while PepsiCo unveiled a refreshed Gatorade brand in April, seeking to appeal to a wider audience beyond athletes.
The repositioning includes marketing the beverage for everyday activities, such as starting the morning or taking an afternoon walk.
Meanwhile, Electrolit has emerged as a strong performer for distributor Keurig Dr Pepper, recording 40 per cent retail sales growth in the company's third quarter.
With competition intensifying, securing retail shelf space and attracting consumer attention will become increasingly important for new entrants.
To improve accessibility, Jetty will launch in both bottled ready-to-drink formats and powdered electrolyte sachets.
Ellsworth said powdered electrolyte products are expanding faster than the ready-to-drink segment, driven partly by the popularity of Unilever-owned Liquid I.V. and emerging brands such as LMNT.
She estimated that electrolyte powders alone represent a $1 billion category on Amazon.
Although ready-to-drink sports beverages remain a considerably larger market, sales have faced pressure as consumers increasingly explore alternative hydration products.
Numerator data showed that unit sales of sports drinks declined by 9.1 per cent between 2022 and 2026.
Coca-Cola has also written down the value of BodyArmor by more than $1.7 billion after acquiring control of the brand for $5.6 billion in late 2021.
Despite these developments, Jetty's founders remain confident about their ability to compete in the bottled beverage market.
“Me and my husband know how to do RTD,” Ellsworth said, referring to ready-to-drink products.
Five Flavours for Launch
Jetty will debut with five flavours: watermelon, orange mango, fruit punch, black raspberry and white cherry.
Each product will contain 100 milligrams of sodium, 310 milligrams of potassium and 100 milligrams of magnesium, packaged in either a 15.2-ounce bottle or a 15-gram powder sachet.
The drinks will also contain B vitamins, three grams of fibre and six grams of sugar, with the founders saying the formulations do not include artificial sweeteners or dyes.
The nutritional composition is designed to distinguish Jetty from conventional sports drinks.
For comparison, a 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade Thirst Quencher contains approximately 270 milligrams of sodium, 80 milligrams of potassium and 34 grams of sugar.
Gatorade, however, has also been moving towards reformulation, gradually phasing out artificial colours and promoting lower-sugar alternatives.
Ellsworth believes Jetty could attract consumers who have moved away from traditional sports drinks, as well as younger generations who never developed a connection with those brands.
“What’s really interesting about this product and this opportunity is we now can capture all those lapsed drinkers — or that generation that didn’t even ever drink it in the first place,” she said.
Lessons From Poppi Acquisition
Although PepsiCo is familiar with the Ellsworths' approach to building beverage brands, Allison believes established companies may struggle to understand changing consumer preferences.
She argued that simply removing artificial colours or reducing sugar would not necessarily be enough to attract younger consumers.
“I don’t think \[Pepsi\] gets it, but what they do get is that the movement is changing, and they think that just by taking dyes out or doing 90% less sugar, they’re going to capture this audience,” Ellsworth said.
“But that is very big corporate thinking.”
She also criticised what she considers the limited effectiveness of some of PepsiCo's marketing campaigns aimed at younger consumers.
Meanwhile, Poppi's performance under its new ownership has reportedly fallen short of the targets initially anticipated.
In an October regulatory filing, PepsiCo estimated the fair value of potential performance-based payments owed to Poppi's former owners at $12 million.
The original acquisition agreement included an additional $300 million payment if Poppi achieved certain performance targets by the third quarter of 2027.
The Ellsworths declined to comment on the filing when approached by CNBC.
For their latest venture, the founders say they are applying lessons learned from building Poppi, particularly in product development, marketing and regulatory compliance.
Ellsworth disclosed that three different claims lawyers had reviewed and approved Jetty's packaging.
The additional scrutiny follows Poppi's $8.9 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit alleging misleading advertising over its claims that the beverage was beneficial for gut health.
Jetty is currently funded entirely by its founders, with an initial investment of $2.5 million. However, Ellsworth indicated that the company would likely seek external funding in 2027.
She said the brand would prioritise investors who could contribute strategic value, industry relationships and access to influential personalities rather than simply providing large amounts of capital.
“I want to bring in investors that bring value,” she said.
Explaining the approach, Ellsworth said Jetty might prefer an investor contributing $1 million with access to celebrities and other influential figures over a traditional venture capitalist willing to invest $15 million but offering little beyond the funding.
She believes such partnerships could provide more affordable access to talent and individuals who have a genuine interest in the brand's growth.
The founders are also considering lessons from Gatorade's long-standing success, including its signature lemon-lime flavour, which Jetty plans to introduce eventually.
“We’ll eventually do it,” Ellsworth said.
“But it was really important at the beginning just to stick to flavors that we love, for it to taste good.”