# Ben Goodwin

> Ben Goodwin is the co-founder, executive chairman and head of innovation at OLIPOP. A self-taught beverage formulator, he spent years developing fermented drinks before launching OLIPOP with David Lester in 2018 from a $100,000 investment. He personally created the company's flavors, helped take the business beyond $400 million in annual sales and a $1.85 billion valuation, and moved from CEO to an innovation-focused leadership role in August 2026.

- **Role:** Founder, Executive Chairman and Head of Innovation at OLIPOP
- **Organizations:** OLIPOP, Obi Probiotic Soda, Kombucha Botanica
- **From:** San Francisco, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Undergraduate studies, Monterey Peninsula College, Environmental science studies; no degree, University of California, Santa Cruz
- **Known for:** Co-founded OLIPOP and helped scale it from a $100,000 investment to a $1.85 billion valuation., Personally formulated the company's flavor portfolio, including its first three launch flavors., Led OLIPOP past $200 million in annual sales in 2023 and more than $400 million in 2024.

## Career timeline

- **Early 2000s** — Ran a farmers-market stand selling young Thai coconuts after high school.
- **2000s** — Led product formulation and fermentation development for Kombucha Botanica for three years, then worked in freelance product development.
- **c. 2010-2016** — Developed and launched Obi Probiotic Soda with a microbiologist; the drink reached Whole Foods, Safeway and Sprouts and surpassed $1 million in sales in under two years.
- **2012** — Began working with David Lester, who joined Obi as CEO.
- **2016** — Goodwin and Lester left Obi and began developing their next beverage business while living off savings.
- **2018** — Co-founded and launched OLIPOP with Lester in Northern California with Ginger Lemon, Strawberry Vanilla and Cinnamon Cola, later renamed Vintage Cola.
- **2023** — OLIPOP exceeded $200 million in annual sales.
- **2024** — OLIPOP surpassed $400 million in annual sales.
- **2025** — OLIPOP raised a $50 million Series C at a $1.85 billion valuation; Goodwin was recognized in Adweek's Creative 100.
- **2026** — Transitioned from CEO to founder, executive chairman and head of innovation, partnering with new CEO Christian Patiño Webb.

## Achievements

- Co-founded OLIPOP and helped scale it from a $100,000 investment to a $1.85 billion valuation.
- Personally formulated the company's flavor portfolio, including its first three launch flavors.
- Led OLIPOP past $200 million in annual sales in 2023 and more than $400 million in 2024.
- Helped expand OLIPOP from Northern California independents to more than 65,000 retail locations nationwide.
- Named to Adweek's 2025 Creative 100.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Appeared on How I Built This's Advice Line to counsel early-stage food founders on consumer education, scaling and online sales.
- **2026-08** — Moved from CEO to executive chairman and head of innovation as Christian Patiño Webb became OLIPOP CEO.
- **2026-06** — Spoke at The Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum about formulation, category creation and scaling.
- **2025-02** — OLIPOP closed a $50 million Series C at a $1.85 billion valuation after surpassing $400 million in 2024 sales.

## Links

- Website: https://drinkolipop.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-goodwin-olipop
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/drinkolipop
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OLIPOP
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkolipop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkolipop
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drinkolipop

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/ben-goodwin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27